Skater, nurse.
Born at St. Boniface on 23 August 1936 to Margherita “Rita” Chevrier (1898-1985) and Jean-Joseph Trudel (1882-1968), she took up speedskating at a young age. Spending winter evenings practising at the outdoor oval at the Norwood-St. Boniface Speedskating Club, she soon distinguished herself in the sport, winning many awards across Canada and the US, eventually becoming the Canadian Midget Girls Speedskating Champion. Speedskating gave way to alpine skiing, and she made many trips to notable skiing destinations. She also pursued other outdoor activities, such as hiking and birding, throughout her life.
After graduating from the St. Boniface School of Nursing in 1958, she worked at various hospitals in Manitoba and Ontario before pursuing post-graduate studies at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland. Moving to Toronto, Ontario in 1966, she began her 30-year career at Toronto Western Hospital where she excelled as an operating room nurse and supervisor, playing a significant mentoring role to other nurses. She served as an inspiration to her friends and family as a model of independent living—a career woman who went on exciting adventures around the world, advocated for fitness of mind and body, and exhibited open-mindedness and interest in new ideas and approaches. Firmly grounded in her French-Canadian roots, she was known to her family as the keeper of stories and heirlooms and kept a large collection of newspaper clippings relating to those roots, transmitting this rich heritage to the next generation.
She died at Toronto, Ontario on 23 March 2006 and was buried in the St. Boniface Basilica Cemetery.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 1 April 2006.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 13 July 2024
Memorable Manitobans
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