Doris Klippenstein (nee Friesen), 81, of Portage la Prairie, passed away peacefully with family by her side, at the Portage and District General Hospital.

          

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our mom, Doris Klippenstein (Friesen) at the age of 81 years. Mom went peacefully in the evening of May 27th with family by her side. Doris leaves to mourn her four children; Darren (Gail), Jamie (Pat) Liss, Dawn (Galen Tibiatowski), and Kevin. She will also be dearly missed by her 5 grandchildren; Joel, Marc (Kayla), Jordan (Alaura), Taylor (Monika) and Morgen (Shayne) and 3 great-grandchildren; Charlie, Ada and Arthur, as well as many brother and sister in-laws, nieces and nephews and friends. She was predeceased by her parents, John and Anne Friesen, and all of her siblings.

Mom was born at home in Stuartburn, MB on April 11, 1942, the youngest of 9 children. At the age of 15 she left her home in Dominion City to work in Winnipeg. She continued to work outside the home for most of her life. Mom had a sharp mind and a flair for numbers and was appreciated for her diligence and efficiency. She was a doer. It didn’t matter the type of work she did, from working as a cook, cleaner, or various office jobs, she approached the jobs with the same conscientiousness. She made friends easily, no matter the age. So many people have told us how our mom immediately made them feel welcomed and put them at ease. They loved her sense of humour, sharp wit, and direct approach.

In 1960, mom married our father, Elvin Klippenstein. By the time she was 22, they had 3 children. Many winter seasons dad worked away from home, leaving mom in charge of the household and three little kids. In 1967, our family moved to the farm near Bagot, MB. In 1972, Kevin, our youngest sibling, joined our family. During all the years on the farm, along with raising 4 children and still often having a job outside the home, she somehow managed to plant a large garden; the harvest, which was canned or frozen to last us through the year.

Mom was an excellent cook and baker and made sure we were fed well. Our bagged lunches were often the envy of our classmates and sometimes even our teachers. There was always plenty of good food on the table and when her kids were grown, she made extra to send along in her care packages. When it got closer to Christmas, Mom would bake goodies for weeks on end. She would bake container after container of cookies, squares, and brownies - with each cookie and square perfectly shaped. Not only would she make up trays of goodies to give to her neighbours, friends, and relatives, but she made sure to make enough for her kids to give to their friends during the holiday season. Mom would also go on perogy making sprees that would last for weeks - all to be shared. Many coolers placed on her deck in the winter became her temporary freezers.

After moving to town, Mom was also known for her immaculate flower and vegetable gardens. It was not unusual for Mom to look out her kitchen window and see her neighbours with their guests touring her back yard. She enjoyed sharing the bounty of her garden harvest, but it had to be picked, washed, and packaged and ready for the fridge before she would even think about giving it to others.

Mom made many sacrifices and always put her kids before herself. She worked hard to make sure our Christmases were special. She also ensured that we were well-dressed and that we had one or two outfits of the latest fashion before starting the new school year. Mom's sense of style was evident whenever a special occasion came up. Her taste in clothes was classic - and her love of shoes, well . . . that would probably require a new paragraph . . . or page.

We would be remiss if we didn't give mention to mom's coupon shopping excursions - "back in the day",she was the Coupon Queen. She clipped and gathered coupons, looked through the local sales flyers for the deals of the week, and off she went to Double Coupon day at the supermarket. At the end of the shopping trip, the sales receipt handed over to her by the cashier had to be folded, and folded, and folded again - just so it would fit in her purse. Mom took great pride in seeing the subtotal of her grocery bill being in the hundreds of dollars - but after the double coupons were deducted, it got quite close to where, at times, if any more was deducted, the supermarket would owe her money! Of course, these bargains were always shared with family and friends.

Mom officially retired in 2004. It was only because of the amazing care and devotion from our brother Kevin, that Mom was able to live in her home right up until the final 5 weeks of her life, when she was admitted to the hospital.

The family would like to thank the Home Care workers and the Health Care staff of the Medical Ward at the Portage Hospital for their dedication and caring of our Mom during the last months of her illness. Mom really enjoyed all of the health care staff that took great care of her - learning their names, little bits about their families, and joking and laughing with them. Knowing that Mom was being cared for and that she was enjoying those around her, gave her family great comfort during this time. As well, we are very grateful to Dr. Gray, Mom's long time doctor, for his dedicated and personal care of our Mom - he went above and beyond.

In accordance to mom's wishes, there will be a private family service. On Saturday June 3rd, from 1:00 - 3:00, there will be a public visitation at the Wiebe Funeral home in Altona. The family asks, if friends so desire and in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Sprucedale Industries in Austin, MB (Box 225, Austin, MB, R0H 0C0). Our Aunt Esther was part of the Sprucedale Family - and Esther had a very special place in Mom's heart. Or, in the spirit of our Mom, do something kind for others.