Obituary of PATRICIA ANNE MACGILLIVRAY

PATRICIA ANNE MACGILLIVRAY (ORLOFF) Passed away peacefully on Sunday January 4th, 2015, with her family by her side. She was predeceased by her parents Jack and Adele Macgillivray. Left to cherish her memory are her husband Sid Rogers; her two children Kelly (Daria), Jessie (Scott) and their father Don Orloff; her four beloved grandchildren Cameron, Alex, Leah and Leo; her four brothers Don (Susan, Kit, Jock), JD (Margaret, May), Bob (Geneva, Maggie, Angus, Rose, David), Allan (Val, Madrin, Francis) and Sid’s children Michael (Evan), Sarah, Matthew, (Jasmine, Henry). Patsy was born in St. Boniface on March 17th, 1947. She grew up in St. James going to school at St. Charles Academy and Silver Heights Collegiate, and then the University of Manitoba where she achieved an Honours degree in Labour Studies. Pat married Don Orloff in 1969. After living in various apartments around Winnipeg, Pat and Don settled on Fieldstone Bay in Heritage Park where they raised their two children. She was very proud to have played the lead role in bringing French Immersion into the St. James School Division. In her professional life she worked as a lab technician, Special Assistant to Gary Doer when he was the Minister of Labor, a Worker's Compensation Appeal Commissioner and then at the Worker’s Compensation Board where she worked tirelessly on behalf of injured workers for 20 years as the Workers Compensation Board Ombudsman in a position known as the Fair Practices Advocate. Pat spent many happy times on cycling trips with Sid, her most memorable in Prince Edward Island, France and Holland. She loved spending time at their condo in Sidney, BC, and enjoying time at her cottage at Victoria Beach. But despite visiting more exotic locations her favourite holiday was attending the Celtic Colours Music Festival in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia where she and Sid went seven times in the last fourteen years. Pat loved music and played the piano which she learned in her youth. As well she was learning to play the violin, or fiddle as she called it when in Cape Breton, as well as learning to play the ukulele. She was an avid reader and boasted of being in her book group with Don and dear friends for what must be a record at 35 years. In recent years "Nania", as she was known to her grandchildren, was happiest when she could be with them. Playing, helping, teaching and perhaps happiest for her and them--singing songs at bedtime with her lovely voice and her endless supply of songs--from Boozer Brown to an Irish Lullaby. The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to a long list of healthcare institutions and staff for helping her through her illness. The staff of the Foothills Hospital in Calgary, the St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg and the staff on the 3rd floor at Grace Hospital for supportive compassionate care during her last hospital stay. As well the staff at CancerCare Manitoba at the Health Sciences Centre--Shelli Falconer, her nurse and Dr. Maksymiuk, her oncologist, who were with her every step of the way for the past months. Pat also relied on Dr. Meyers in the later stages of her illness. The wonderful staff in the treatment room on the 3rd floor were also instrumental in helping Pat on a regular basis. A memorial service will be held at Convocation Hall, University of Winnipeg on Thursday, January 8th, 2015, at 4:30 pm. There will also be a mass offered for her at St. Paul the Apostle Church on Sunday, February 1st, 2015 at 11:15am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to CancerCare Manitoba or a charity of your choice.