It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Dianne (Deed) Lawless nee (Daniels). Deed passed on January 30th surrounded by her loving family. She fought a courageous battle against pancreatic cancer after being diagnosed in late September 2020. She is now reunited in heaven with her beloved parents John and Gwen Daniels. She will be lovingly remembered forever by her husband of 54 years Gary, daughter Leanne (Kelvin), granddaughters Ivory and Amber, son Alan (Heather), grandsons Nolan, Ryan, Tyler and Will, and her brother George (Edie).

 

Deed grew up on Thompson Dr in St James.  She loved reminiscing about her old neighbourhood.  In the spring of 1961 during a Starlight Canteen dance at the Sturgeon Creek community club, Deed met her future husband Gary and their destiny was set.  Deed was very proud of the various career paths she had during her life.  She was a head cashier at the Polo Park Kresge in 1961, followed by an administrative position at the Manitoba Hospital Commission.  Deed then took time to raise her children as a stay-at-home mom.  She loved her Wednesday afternoon bowling with her friends at the Westwood Village Inn.  After raising her family, she was very proud to get back into the workforce with a position at Northern Images in the newly built Portage Place mall in 1987.  She loved selling Inuit art and this allowed for her to move onto a much-loved position at Arctic Co-op.  This permitted her to have very unique experiences with travel to Columbus, Atlanta and Sanikiluaq in Nunavut. 

 

In 1994 Gary and Deed moved to Kitchener, Ontario as part of a transfer and promotion for Gary.  This was very hard on her, but it was there that she had the proud accomplishment as being the only family member to get a hole in one at Galt Golf and Country Club.  It was here that she celebrated the birth of her first grandchild, Ivory.  She lived for every moment that she was able to spend with her. After 8 years in Ontario, Gary and Deed moved back to Winnipeg and celebrated the birth of their second grandchild, Amber, who embodies the very essence of Nana. 

 

Family was of utmost importance. Deed always looked forward to Payne and Lawless family get-togethers.  She enjoyed dancing and music.  Her fun-loving nature was always on display at family gatherings where she was often the life of the party.  She cherished every family memory from Twin Lakes Beach. With her extended family, Deed loved shopping in the states, trips to the casino and was an avid restauranteur.  She always made her many connections feel more like family than acquaintances.

 

The most important and fulfilling aspect of Deed’s life was her grandchildren. She shared in all of her granddaughters’ milestones and was present for every part of their lives.  She went on trips with Leanne, Kelvin, Ivory and Amber and was an extension of their nuclear family.  There was nothing that Nana missed.   She was a regular fixture in the stands for hockey, ringette, football and softball. As her granddaughters graduated and move on to adulthood, she could not have been prouder of them. 

 

In 2012, she had another big addition to her family when Alan and Heather met and she inherited 3 grandsons, Will, Tyler and Ryan.  She immediately accepted them as her own.  She attended all their school concerts, sports and major life events.  In 2014, Nolan was born.  Both Nana and Papa have been there throughout his life, helping in every way they could.  They loved their Thursday afternoons with him, and Nolan would light up every time he saw his Nana.

 

Deed spent the last few months of her life at home on palliative care. From her diagnosis to her last breath, her daughter Leanne was devoted to her care, fulfilling Deed’s greatest wish to be cared for at home during this difficult and unprecedented time.  A heartfelt thanks to her niece, Lori Daniels and her closest friend Heida Bottrell who helped provide care and her cousin, Gordon Payne, for providing spiritual guidance. The Lawless family would like to extend a sincere thank you to the staff of the Palliative Care Program and Cancer Care Manitoba for their kindness and dedication.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation.