Obituary of Elaine Rose Mirecki

It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, auntie and friend, Elaine Mirecki (Fisher) (“Elaineski”, “Ski”, “Grandma Grandma” or “GG”) at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Monday, April 17, 2023 at the age of 85. Elaine is survived by her sister Helen; children Richard (Sharon), Brian (Rebecca), Ronald (Marianne), Susan (Claude) and Dale; grandchildren Blair (Vikki), Erin (James), Kyle, Lindsay, Alex (Melissa) and Nicole (Carson); great grandchildren Noah, Lily, Abigail, Juda and Selah. To anyone who knew Elaine (and many did) she was kind, considerate, thoughtful, generous, busy, cheeky, bossy and playful. She was a rare person who enthusiastically devoted much of her life helping people and improving the lives of those around her. Wherever she was, her home (and, later on, her campsite) was always a place where everyone felt welcome, family and strangers alike. She wouldn’t hesitate to give you the shirt off her back (and often did). You would never leave her house or campsite with an empty belly or some gift that she had stashed away. During her life, she enjoyed nature, fishing, gardening, bird watching, feeding deer (Fort Whyte Centre with her grandchildren), sweets, Chinese food, baking and cooking (especially her famous cheese and bacon perogies she made for her family). Elaine’s story commenced on August 17, 1937, where she was born in the town of Swan River, Manitoba, to Clarence and Jean Fisher. Elaine spent her childhood on the family farm in the area of Goodlands, Manitoba. She attended Croydon School, which she claimed commemorates her relative, Duncan S. McLeod, and Lennox School. Elaine moved to Winnipeg in 1953 where she would live for the remainder of her life. Elaine met her husband, Edward Mirecki (Ed) (who passed away in 1990 at the age of 64) in the laundry room of her rooming house on Roslyn Crescent. She would fondly retell this meet cute which inevitably ended with Ed placing Elaine inside a washing machine. They were wed in 1956 and moved to Atlantic Avenue where they would start their life and family, Richard Edward (1957), Brian Henry (1958), Susan Marie (1960), Ronald George (1963) and Dale Lynn (1967). They would later move to Southwood Avenue and then her final home on Campbell Street, where she would reside for nearly 50 years. Elaine spent her work life as a cashier/file clerk at Safeway for over 25 years. She also successfully lobbied the Fort Garry School Division to introduce kindergarten in schools in 1968, to which she received recognition from former Premier Duff Roblin. After retiring from Safeway, Elaine became a world traveler, visiting Alaska (1996), Caribbean Cruise (1998), Hong Kong (1998), Europe (2000), Salt Spring Island (2004) and Jamaica (2005). When she wasn’t in the city, starting in 1994, Elaine spent over 20 years living her best life out of her trailer at her seasonal campsite at the Mantago Bay campground, near Manigotagan, Manitoba. During her time at Manigotagan, she met Steve (Moose), the medicine man who taught Elaine (or “Scotty”, as he would call her) to make a variety of indigenous medicines. She would go on to spend many years in nature collecting herbs, plants and roots to make medicine for people in need in the community. Throughout her life, she cultivated a deep appreciation and love for nature that she eagerly shared with and passed on to others. There are not enough words to describe who Elaine was or what she meant to her family, friends and the people around her. Her pure, genuine kindness will forever be felt and remembered. We will miss you forever.