Heather Patricia Kowalchuk

Obituary

Passed on July 27, 2023

November 25, 1946 – July 27, 2023      We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our mom, Heather Kowalchuk, on July 27th, 2023.

Heather is survived by her husband Donny of 54 years, daughter Wendi Best, grandson Dylan and granddaughter Paytn, daughter Pam Woods (Jon), grandsons Cale and Jace, and daughter Erin (Kenton) Byle, granddaughter Sydney and grandsons Reid and Wade, along with her brothers Marty (Sherryll) Jeffery and Billy (Joan) Jeffery and numerous nieces, nephews and in-laws.

She is predeceased by her parents Leonard and Margaret Jeffery.

Mom was born in 1946 and lived on a farm outside of Teulon until her family moved to town in her teens. She grew up fishing, playing baseball, doing track and field, skating and riding her horse Dynamite. She met dad in high school and they married in 1968. Mom and dad lived in Winnipeg and worked hard to make their dream of raising their family in the country a reality. In 1979, they built a home outside of Balmoral and started a hobby farm. She helped with the chores and worked endless hours in their yard making it their paradise. They retired our family farm and moved to Stonewall in 2017 where mom loved having all her grandchildren come and go.

Mom was the Head Librarian at the South Interlake Regional Library in Stonewall for many years. She took great pride in the library. Mom was an integral part of the Bookmobile and building the new library. She even dropped books off at seniors’ homes from time to time. She had a love for reading and was passionate about ensuring the community was able to appreciate books as much as she did.

Family was most important to mom. She was so proud of all of us. Growing up and even as adults, she was always there for us, day or night. She wasn’t just a mom. She was our baseball coach, Sunday School teacher, seamstress, hairdresser, counsellor, taxi driver, travel buddy, “nanny”, cheerleader and best friend. Mom had a special relationship with each of her grandkids. She could be found cheering them on at almost every sporting event, school function and came to many tournaments with us. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for them. Mom was so thoughtful and caring and would always go the extra mile for all of us.

We are very blessed to have had so many great memories and adventures with mom, from camping trips to hot holidays. One of our most cherished memories is of our trip to Disney World. This was mom’s dream.

Mom never wanted to be the center of attention. Her wishes were for a private gathering with her closest loved ones. We miss you mom. 

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