Obituaries

JANET LYNN RINGER
    After a long, arduous battle with cancer, Janet Lynn Ringer passed away on Monday, May 23, 2016 at Grace Hospice in Winnipeg, Manitoba.   Left to cherish Janet’s memory are her brother, Lawrence Douglas Ringer; nieces, Jennifer Yamamoto (Domenico) and Wendy Chapman (Terry); great-nephew Noah Chapman; great-niece Kyla Chapman and brother-in-law Toshio Yamamoto…as well as her extended “Winnipeg Family” – her “Soul Sisters”, and numerous relatives in the U.S. She was predeceased by her parents, Douglas and Ethel Ringer (nee Thrasher), and her sister, Patricia Yamamoto.   Janet was born on July 8, 1947 at Grace Hospital in Hutchinson, Kansas. She attended the University of Kansas, living in Douthart Scholarship Hall, and received her BA in Speech Communications and Human Relations in 1969. When her sister Pat married Tosh and moved to Toronto, Ontario Janet soon followed. She began her career with CBC Radio at Toronto’s “Metro Morning”, becoming the show’s producer. In 1982, she moved to Winnipeg to work at CBC Radio for what she thought would be three months. She underestimated by about 25 years. Janet proved her mettle, working as a current affairs producer/director on every edition of “Information Radio”. Her intelligence, creativity, writing skills, sense of humour and fun made working with her a joy. She was proud to be a self-declared, incurable “punster”.    Janet loved to take the show on the road. Broadcasts from the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Brandon were a highlight of the year for her. Janet loved to travel…abroad to Europe, to the US to see friends and family and do her genealogy research, or back to Ontario to visit with her brother and sister and their families. She also produced and directed “The Medicine Show” for the CBC radio network. Janet loved and supported the arts. As the CBC Arts Reporter she gained the respect and admiration of all those whom she featured in her stories. She also loved music…in her earlier years she played the piano and flute, and later in life enjoyed being a member of the choir at St. Andrew’s River Heights United Church. She made lasting friendships everywhere, through work, church and her cancer support group.   A celebration of Janet’s life will be held on Friday, July 8, 2016 at 7:00 p.m., in St. Andrew’s River Heights United Church, 255 Oak Street, Winnipeg.   Special thanks to Dr. Elisabeth Giesbrecht, the medical staff at Cancer Care (St. Boniface) and the palliative care staff at Riverview and Grace Hospice.   Donations in honour of Janet can be made to the Grace Hospital Foundation, Hospice Fund, 300 Booth Drive, Winnipeg, MB, R3J 3M7, or to the Canadian Cancer Society, 193 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg, MB R3C 2B7.   Wojcik’s Funeral Chapels & Crematorium, Winnipeg, 2157 Portage Avenue, 204.897.4665 www.wojciksfuneralchapel.com