Viola May Wolanin
December 1, 1934 – December 31, 2021
Funeral services for the late Viola May Wolanin will be held on Friday, July 29, 2022 at 10:00 a.m., at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church. Interment will follow at the Dryden Cemetery.
Viola May Wolanin passed from this earthly world on December 31, 2021, with her son, Craig, at her side. Her best friend, Marilyn Titze, and daughter Jeannie were also by Vi’s side during her final moments. Viola will reunite with those who have gone before her: her beloved husband Ed and daughter Debbie (Lepine); parents Jack and Margaret Burns; grandson Gerrit Lepine; siblings Bob (Lil) Burns, Con Burns, and Pat (Al) Ripley; brother-in-law Martin Euler; as well as Ed’s father, Nick, and siblings Chuck and Mickey Wolanin, and Josephine (Jo) Chesaitis.
Vi is survived by her beloved son Craig; grandsons Nicolas, Michael and David Lepine; six great grandchildren; son-in-law Gerry Lepine; sister Mona Euler; and sister-in-law Ann Burns. Vi is also survived by her cousins, and nieces and nephews on both the Burns and Wolanin/Chesaitis sides of the family, as well as many close friends.
Vi was born on December 1, 1934, in Wabigoon, Ontario, the youngest of the five Burns children. The family moved to Dryden when Vi was young. She met and married the love of her life, Ed Wolanin, and they were blessed with their two children, Craig and Debbie. The four of them enjoyed a very close family bond, with family and home always being Vi’s priorities.
Any family celebration was always enhanced by the attendance of the “Burns sisters”, which included sisters-in-law Lil and Ann. Stories of their antics will continue to be told for generations to come. Vi enjoyed a very special relationship with Ed’s sister, Jo, and her family; learning Ed’s Ukrainian traditions and cooking from Jo.
In later years, Vi and Craig enjoyed trips to Winnipeg, but especially to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, to visit with Debbie and Gerry, and their family.
A Celebration of Life and interment of ashes will be held at a later date. If friends so desire, donations can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation online or through Stevens Funeral Homes, PO Box 412, Dryden, Ontario, P8N 2Z1.
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