Elaine Isaac

Elaine Marie Isaac (nee Courchene) Ginew Ikwe (Golden Eagle Woman)

It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of our beloved mom. Elaine was born February 09, 1957 and passed away peacefully on December 23, 2025.

Elaine was predeceased by her dad, William George Courchene. She is survived by daughter Dawn (Chris, sons Sacha and Nikolai); daughter Jaimie, (husband Chris, son James). She leaves to mourn her passing, mom Mary, sisters Pamela, children Jonathan (Priscilla), Joel, Stefanie and Jose, Sherri (Pete) and children Alyssa (Ben), and Breanna, brothers Jeff (Audrey) daughters Cheryl, April, Ali, Derek, sons Daniel, Dillon, Jacob, Josh, Josiah, Richard, Wes (Shauna) sons Ethan, Drew, and numerous grandnieces/nephews.

Elaine was raised in Sagkeeng First Nation to parents, Mary and George Courchene. The family moved from Sakgeeng in the 70s and made way their way to Winnipeg. Elaine graduated from Dakota Collegiate in 1975 and went onto attend the University of Manitoba with a bachelor degree in Social Work in 1982, a post-baccalaureate in Educational Psychology in 2002, and a Master’s degree in Social Work in 2008. Along the way, Jaimie and Dawn were born and were often her little companions while she attended her classes, sharing her love of education with them from an early age.

Elaine dedicated her career to child welfare. She cared deeply about children in care and tirelessly advocated for family reunification, the repatriation of Sixties Scoop survivors, the protection of young Indigenous women, and the decolonization of the child welfare system through an Indigenous lens. As a therapist, she helped others work through their trauma and learn to see the very best in themselves. She shared her gifts of insight and human connection to bring hope to others. She was blessed with many talents and, most notably, was a brilliant writer, researcher, and facilitator/public speaker. She believed culture could heal, demonstrated in her commitment to Sundance, ceremony and community.

Elaine’s true passion was her family, and she loved us deeply. She was our fierce Mama Bear, always putting the needs of her children and grandchildren ahead of her own. She made it her mission to give us every opportunity growing up, enrolling us in every extracurricular activity she could find—from music and swimming to skiing, snowboarding, art classes and dance. She was affectionately encouraging and believed we could do anything and be anything. She loved her parents, with her Mom as one of her best friends, she loved her siblings, nieces and nephews, looking after kiddos when she could.

She shared her love of travel with us through many trips to Mexico, the Caribbean’s, Canada and US, and a European adventure through France and England. She soundly appreciated music, sharing her broad knowledge with us through story and dance, sometimes keeping us home from school for dance parties and movie days. A voracious reader of diverse literatures, her bookcase contained a depth and breadth of genres. She could often be found reading into the early hours of the morning, unable to put a book down until it was finished. She was everyone’s mom, always with a car full of her girls’ friends and family, driving us wherever we wanted to go and creating adventures along the way. Elaine had a wicked sense of humour, and was mischievous and disarming in equal measure.

Her spirit was unique and rare - with a fierce protectiveness that was matched by a gentle, nurturing, and loving nature. She listened without judgment and made everyone feel accepted and included. Elaine contained an emotional intelligence and wisdom guided by devotion beyond worldly life. She was self-sacrificing and generous, often giving her possessions and money to those in need. She was more than a mom—she was our best friend, our biggest fan, and our shero. Magnanimous, adventurous, authentic and vivacious.

Mom, our hearts are forever broken, but you have left us with a legacy to live a life of meaningful acts of love and compassion. We love you forever and a day.

A service and celebration of her life will be held January 17, 2026 at Maples’ Collegiate Commons Building 1330 Jefferson Ave beginning at 1:00 p.m.

The family would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation to the staff of area 5 Tyndall building in Selkirk, MB. In lieu of flowers, a donation to Woman Healing For Change for Little Stars Playhouse through the United Way would be valued.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Elaine Isaac, please visit our floral store.