Chris Erlendson

With profound sadness, the family announces the passing of Chris Erlendson, youngest son of Arnold and Olavia Erlendson of Lundar Manitoba.  Chris’s immediate family was at his side the morning of Mother’s Day, Sunday May 12th, 2019.

Left to cherish his memories are his wife, Wendy, elder  son Jarrod, (Shelley), daughter Jillian (Todd) and younger son Chris (Dianna), five granddaughters, Elyssa, Sierra, Jazilynn, Milayna and Taylor, mother Olavia, brother Fred, brother-in-law John, two nieces and two nephews . He was predeceased by his father Arnold and sister-in-law Ilona.

Chris was born in Winnipeg on August 5th 1944, but grew up in Lundar, Manitoba.  In his youth, you could find him on the baseball diamond in the summer and on the ice hockey rink in winter.  Later, he enjoyed golf, hunting and the annual fishing trip with his best friend Jim Spokes, “Spooker”.  Most summers were enjoyed at the beach on Lake Manitoba with family and friends, boating, fishing, water skiing, around the fire pit, enjoying a cold one and playing some music. Anyone who knew Chris... knew he had a passion and an incredible talent for dancing. He moved to Winnipeg and studied to earn a Certified Management Accountant degree, along with certification in Fundamentals of Life Estimation, The Branch Manager’s course and the Canadian Securities Course.  He worked in the Rates Department at Manitoba Hydro, and since he was an avid ball player, joined the Hydro slow pitch baseball team.  Incidentally, he married the team’s scorekeeper. He worked at Qualico Homes for a time period and then moved to Calgary to be partnered with Carriere Securities. Since he missed family and his lake so much, he moved back to Winnipeg and established his own company, Lakeshore Financial Services, where he consulted those from Winnipeg and the Interlake area where he grew up.  Chris also liked to go RV’ing, so he bought a trailer for travelling to Texas and Florida, visiting the sno-bird in-laws. While vacationing, Chris and his father-in-law enjoyed golfing, the children loved swimming, and the ladies loved shopping. He especially liked to go Grand Forks and get the heads up on the newest Christmas decorations.  After his father had passed, he commuted from Winnipeg to Lundar to look after his mother.  When she went into a care facility, he decided to move back to Lundar where he continued his business and had offices in both Lundar and Ashern.  As his children had grown with families of their own, he sold his business and moved to be closer to the grandchildren.  Later in life, his health diminished and he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the spring of 2016.  By September, he was restricted to the use of a wheelchair and required long term care.  Despite the Alzheimer’s and dementia, the sparkle in his eyes and his laughter always showed he knew who you were and that he was having a good time.  Even the wheel chair could not contain his love for music and dancing.  Whenever he heard anything with a good beat, he would bounce his foot and party in his chair.

The family wishes to thank the staff of both the Douglas Campbell Lodge and the Portage District General Hospital for their care and compassion, especially whoever turned the music on for him.

A private family service will be held at a later date.

As expressions of sympathy, donations in memory of Chris may be made to a charity of your choice.

A tree will be planted in memory and cared for by McKenzies Portage Funeral Chapel.  204-857-4021 www.mckenziesportagefuneralchapel.com