Obituary of Yvette Lucille Marie McGibney

Surrounded by family, Yvette passed away on August 4, 2021 at the age of 92. She will be lovingly remembered and sorely missed by her children Mary Anne, Gary (Ligaya), Jean (Izzie), Shirley, Dan (June), Bernice (Murray), Heather (Burnell); brother, Gilles (Claire) and sister-in-law Jeannette. Also missing their GG, are her grandchildren Shannon (Duncan), James (Jess), Shaina (Evan), Carrie (Aaron), Tyler (Leigh-Ann), Mark (Nicole), Julia (John), Riley (Sabrina) Logan, and Alannah (Tyler); and great grandchildren Isabella, Serena, Jackson, Isaac, Kate, Henry, William, Jane, Montgomery and Annie. She will also be missed by Tammy and Vern, whom she loved as if they were her own children; and many nieces, nephews and friends. She was looking forward to meeting her three great-grandchildren soon to join the family. Yvette was predeceased by her husband Kenneth; infant son Joseph; parents Emile and Marie; brothers Jacques (Laurette), Paul (Suzanne), Henri (Josephine), Donat (Jeannette), Guillaume; and sister Jeanne (Armand Tougas). Yvette was born in St. Anne, Manitoba and grew up in La Broquerie, Manitoba on the family farm. She had fond memories of singing and dancing with her family and playing hockey and baseball with her brothers. She left home to work in the city where she met Kenneth, they married in 1951 and raised their family in Winnipeg. Yvette loved her job at Eaton’s catalogue. It was a measure of her good work that had them always calling her back, but family was most important. We were so lucky to have mom stay at home to raise her seven children. After dad’s passing and her children were done school, Yvette found other things to fill her days, like taking swimming lessons at age 55 and joining a ladies five pin bowling league where she bowled a perfect game. She loved her darts and was a house league champion several times. At 80, she played shuffleboard and enjoyed her twice yearly casino trips with the Charleswood Legion. Yvette’s favourite times however were spent with family. She especially enjoyed watching her children and grandchildren play baseball at the annual family barbeque on her birthday (coaching and laughing on the sidelines); Wednesday drives with her brother Donat and sister Jeanne; lunches with her brothers and sisters; weekly outings for lunch at the Paddlewheel; breakfast at Sal’s; shopping on Saturdays; and weekend visits with the grandchildren. Mom loved her routines, up at 4:30 making sure coffee was percolating (mom enjoyed nothing more than her black coffee and burnt toast) and breakfast was ready for everyone. Yvette kept an immaculate home, which included freshly waxed and polished floors every Friday. She always had food waiting for you when you visited. She was famously known for her crispy bacon and meatball recipes and sneaking treats to her grandchildren. Mom never left the house without being dressed up and looked forward to her weekly hair sets and monthly haircuts with Ligaya. Yvette had a softness about her, a sense of calm, humility, and genuine kindness, but also, an incredible strength. She was a woman strong in her faith who always put others first. She had a quiet sense of humour, which showed through the twinkle in her eyes and the shrug of her shoulders, especially when you least expected it. She cherished her family more than anything, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Yvette loved all her grandchildren the same, unconditionally, and made a point to have a unique, individual relationship with each of them. It’s no wonder that they loved to spend “too sick for school” days with their grandma. Some of their memories include up at the crack of dawn, listening to CJOB, playing Solitaire, watching the Golden Girls, ordering McDonald’s take out, always dressed to the nines, her quick wit and Fais Dodo. Mom reminded us to be grateful every day, to love life and be happy and to never leave home without Kleenex, scotch mints and lipstick. Words cannot express how grateful we are to the staff at Calvary Place Personal Care Home who truly made mom feel she was home for the last five years. Thank you for the compassion and care you gave to the entire family and for treating our mom with dignity and love from day one. Thank you for putting on her lipstick, making her black coffee and giving her hugs when Covid would not allow us to be there. You truly are the best!!! In keeping with her wishes, cremation has taken place and a private family service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba or Calvary Place Personal Care Home Recreation, at https://calvaryplacepch.com. We love you to eternity Mum. Fais dodo.