With profound sadness we announce the sudden passing of our beloved matriarch, Nora Jane Sanderson. Mom was called home on September 23, 2021 at the age of 81. She was born January 16, 1940 in Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation. Nora was a loving life partner, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, sister, aunt, godmother, and friend to all whose lives she touched.
Nora was a residential school survivor having attended boarding school in Sandy Bay as a child. Throughout her teenage years and into adulthood, she worked hard to provide for herself and her family digging seneca root and helping local workers in the area with various tasks. She spent eighteen years working with sugar beets in Portage la Prairie, Winkler, and Grafton, ND, and several more years at the mushroom plant in Portage la Prairie where she met her lifelong friend, Ivy. She also worked for a period of time at Carnation Foods in Carberry, MB as well as Amaranth Catholic Church from 1990 to 2008 before retiring to continue her life's work as a helper to family, friends and acquaintances. For a large part of her life and in addition to her years of laborious work, Nora was a homemaker and aide for many people in the Sandy Bay and Langruth areas.
Nora enjoyed spending her days camping, catering, fishing, garage saling, picking berries, and talking on the phone with her special friends Ivy, Delvina and Annie Rose. Mom was a master at filleting fish and was affectionately referred to as a fish filleting professional by her life partner, Douglas. She passed many life skills on to her grandchildren including just recently teaching them how to snare rabbits in the winter and how to can foods in the summer. She loved attending and hosting "Favourite Things" parties with the favourite things crew. She was an animal lover and leaves behind her special pup, Sassy. She was passionate about gardening and loved to travel. Nora's favourite travel spots were California, Las Vegas, Devil's Lake, ND and Black Friday shopping trips to various towns in the U.S. She also loved to make day trips to Sand Hills Casino in Carberry. Nora was always very active whether at home or on the road, you could not slow Nora down.
Nora will be greatly and lovingly missed and survived by her life partner of 53 years, Douglas Sinclair; children, Eleanor (Michael), Donna (Edward), Larry (Anne-Marie), Debbie (Tony), Brenna; grandchildren, Miranda (TJ), Adrian (Lana), Vicki (Donald), Sheena (Kole), Bianca (David), Julian (Alice), Lillian, Cynthia (Bradley), Tamara, Toni (Taylor), Tyler, Hailey, William, Jordyn, Dreyden, Tyra, Quinton, Katie, Erick, Kiersten, Erin, Magnus, Bryce, Kylan; brother, Elzear; sisters, Marie Theresa, Doris (Alvin), Marie Magdeline; special nephew, John "Jimmar" Roulette; godchildren, Colin Roulette and Arthur Roulette; special friends, Maurice and Jenny Sanderson.
Nora was preceded in death by her mother, Mary Jane Roulette; father Jean Baptiste (Sam) Roulette; brothers, Norman Roulette, Robert Roulette; son, Derek Sanderson; grandchildren, Shawn Roulette, Michael Roulette Jr.; niece, Catherine Richard; brother-in-law, Donnie Sinclair; special cousin, Marie Elizabeth Aitkens; and special friend, Mary Evelyn Prince.
All whom loved Mom dearly will never forget her kindness, grace, and unconditional love and care for anyone who had the privilege of knowing her and being in her presence.
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