Colleen Klann-Campbell

Colleen Margaret Klann-Campbell

May 22, 1965 – April 21, 2021

The following was written by Colleen:

Colleen Margaret Klann-Campbell was born to Margaret Robinson and Glen Campbell in 1965. She was the 9th child and the baby of the family.

She grew up on Alexander Avenue in Winnipeg, MB. This is where she would treasure her first memories, meeting her first forever friends Lucille, Donna, Cheryl, and Karen. They have remained friends to this day.

Colleen’s work ethic was passed down to her by her hard working parents. She had many jobs over the years and she wasn’t afraid to tackle any of them.

She started working at the age of 14 as a waitress. One of Colleen’s best memories of a summer job was when she was 16. Her mom told her she had to go to work for the summer. With that message, Colleen came home one day and said “Mom, guess what? I got a job!”. Her mom said “Great! What are you doing?”. Colleen then revealed that she was going to become… a mud wrestler, and she did! She wrestled five shows at the Convention Center. Her stage name, “Cautious Colleen”. It only lasted a weekend, but she said it was the best money and the most fun she ever had. Colleen was never afraid to try new things.

She shared her first apartment with her then best friend, Missy. They would go out often and party all night long, getting home at three or four in the morning and having to go to work for six. They did that almost every weekend and the occasional weekday.

Colleen would end up working with her sister Bonnie as a bartender at The Westbrook Inn. She shared many stories about all the great times she had with Bonnie, Joannie, Steve, and Cheryl. Those days made her want to be 19 again.

At 21, she met and fell in love with her future husband Darrin. They would go on to have two boys, Tyler and Terry. They married in 1989, making their home in Lockport, MB. The marriage didn’t last but they remained friends. Keeping the boys in the same area was important to the both of them.

In 2001, Dalton came along and Colleen and her boys settled in St. Andrews, MB.

Colleen and her family would develop some great relationships over the years while living in St. Andrews. Angie and Ludy became great neighbours and remained the best of friends to Colleen and her boys. Having many yard parties, hot tub parties, game night’s, trips, as well as many karaoke nights.

Colleen also loved the get togethers with the Gutowskies. There was never a dull moment in their presence.

Colleen took on some physical activities in her 30’s, joining her first ever ringette team “Black Ice”. She played for many years even though she didn’t know how to skate very well. She learned with help from her teammates and she became a great defense woman.

She went on to play ladies soccer, indoor and out. Her favourite though was baseball. She played catcher and second base and she held her own.

Colleen was a working mom throughout her married life and eventually found her calling working with the Lord Selkirk School Division. Her passion was working with special needs students and teaching speech and language. She often worked with behaviour students and always took on that challenge. She was great at her job and she loved it.

She worked in many different schools over the years. She would often come home telling the boys about her day. Many stories started with Mrs. Hunter, a friend she cherished deeply. Our dinner conversations started with “What did Mrs. Hunter say today?”. Colleen always had a story about Mrs. Hunter.

Colleen would go on to meet another one of her best friends at Ruth Hooker School, Robin Thomas. They would often go to bingo, take long walks through Selkirk Park, or just drive the highway without a plan, talking non-stop. They would share a lot of conversations, cry on each other’s shoulders, and of course end with laughter.

Sharon McKenzie was one of her closest friends. Colleen and Sharon also played baseball together. Sharon is the one Colleen turned to when things got really rough in her personal life. Colleen enjoyed many laughs with Sharon. There was never a dull moment. Story after story every week, they always had something to laugh about. Colleen enjoyed her summer walks down Calder Road with Sharon, trying to figure out daily life while still laughing. She enjoyed many casino trips and always the McKenzie family birthday’s and BBQ’s. The McKenzie’s always made her fell like family. Sharon, thank you for always being there.

Colleen loved being able to say “I’m a Hooker”. She will miss the laughs and hugs from Melissa, Anne, Veronica, and Bridget.

When Colleen turned 50, she decided to retire and work part time at the schools, subbing. She eventually found her way to Ecole Selkirk Junior High. She loved working with the students and the staff so much that she decided to take a fulltime position there in 2017. She developed some very quick and close friendships and often said she wished she would have moved there sooner. Angela, Juanita, and Gail became her closest companions in her last few months there. These ladies were who she confided in. We want to thank you all for getting her through some of her hardest times. Just the small talks and little moments of laughter got her through some of her roughest moments. Thank you all for making her feel like she belonged there. She will miss the laughter coming from the LC with Sharlene, Suzanne, and John, just to mention a few. The chuckles never stopped. It’s not very often that you find co-workers that get you as they did so quickly. They all had this great sense of humour and the ability to laugh often, which is what all of Colleen’s friends had in common. Colleen really appreciated those fun moments.

The boys want to take this time to thank Suzanne Allen and the staff at ESJH for their generous donation. Colleen wasn’t sure how she would survive financially while in the hospital. Money was very tight and you made it so she didn’t have to worry. One of Colleen’s last wishes was to take her boys back to Summerland, BC, to visit Colleen’s mother’s burial and show the boys where they once lived when they were babies. Colleen made this trip in July of 2018. She was able to fulfill one of her last wishes with her boys because of your generosity.

We also want to thank Mr. Loeppky and Mr. Hiebert for their patience and understanding with our mom while she was going through the early stages of cancer.

Our mom believed that everything happens for a reason and even though you might not understand it now, at a certain moment in your life you’re going to come across a time and say “Ah-ha! I get it!”. No matter what a person goes through good or bad, there is a lesson to be learned. Sometimes you have to go through the bad to see the good.

If there is one last conversation left or advice for Colleen to give, she would say this, and always did. Especially with her boys:

“Be kind”

“Stay positive”

“Don’t judge”

“Be patient”

And

“Be honest”

A very special thank you goes out to CancerCare Manitoba; the doctors, nurses, and staff at Selkirk Regional Health Centre, Gimli Community Health Centre, St. Boniface Hospital, Health Sciences Centre, and Riverview Health Centre; Dr. Jonathan Brown and the staff at Selkirk Medical Associates; home care and the numerous palliative nurses.

Robin, Sharon, Penny, Melissa, and Angela. Thank you all for being there for mom and us. We would also like to thank everyone who took the time to check in with Colleen and visit during her courageous battle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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