WARKENTIN, Claire

Dec 19, 1935 - Jan 9, 2019

On Wednesday, January 9, 2019, Claire Warkentin (née Chouinard), beloved mother of Alexandra Warkentin Berkin and Elizabeth Warkentin, passed away at the age of 83.

Claire was born in Quebec City on December 19, 1935. She began her career as a social worker at the age of 19, working with disadvantaged clients in Old Quebec before moving to Montreal, where she married Alfred Warkentin of Steinbach, Manitoba. A woman ahead of her time, she returned to work a few years after having Alexandra and in 1978 became Director of Social Services for the City of Dorval, where she worked until 2002. After separating from Alfred in 1976, in 1978 Claire met Gerald O'Neill, with whom she remained until his death on January 9, 2012.

Claire firmly believed in the importance of helping others, continuing to volunteer in the community after her retirement and serving on the Board of Directors of the seniors' residence La Maison Donalda Boyer until 2013.

A lover of culture, history and politics, Claire caught the travel bug early on, travelling to Italy, Morocco, Portugal, France and more. The rest of her spare time was filled with reading and seeing movies, attending classical music concerts, museum exhibitions and lectures, dining out with friends, and hosting lively family dinners. Claire was loved and admired for her quick wit and quirky sense of humour, her bright smile and generosity of spirit, and her unfailing grace in relating to others.

She will be dearly missed by her daughters Elizabeth and Alexandra (Deniz Berkin); her youngest brother, Marc Chouinard; the O'Neill children, Peter, Norman, Michelle and Louis; and several nieces and nephews and many devoted friends.

A celebration of Claire's life will take place in the spring.