Cornelius "Cornie" Furdievich

Cornelius Vincent Furdievich

With his wife, Edith, at his side, Cornie passed away in the early morning of April 15, 2017 at The St. Boniface Hospital.  He was 78 years old.

Left to treasure his memory are his loving wife, Edith, immediate family Trina Furdievich of Kelowna, BC,  Tricia Howe (Keith Haddad) of Didsbury, AB, Tanya and Ryan Meikle and their children Megan and Karli Meikle of Stony Mountain MB.   There are also several nieces and nephews, many former students, teachers and community members whom he considered special friends.  Cornie was predeceased by his son Martin, first wife Shirley, his parents Michael and Mary and two brothers, Walter and August.

He was born at home in Pine River, MB and raised on the family farm.  Early education was in the Fletcher District School.  He then went to St. Joseph’s College in Yorkton for grades nine to eleven.  He went to Minitonas High School for grade twelve, graduating in June 1957.  In Sept of 1957, a school trustee stopped in at the farm to see if Cornie would be interested in teaching at the school in Waterhen.  He accepted and taught on permit for one year.  He enjoyed his year so went to Manitoba Teachers’ College in 1958 – 1959.  He then applied to Currie School near Rosendale and taught there for one year.  He began teaching in Portage in the fall of 1960.  He taught and was an administrator in several Portage la Prairie schools; Victoria, North Ward, La Verendrye, Prince Charles and Crescentview.  In Crescentview he was Vice Principal for six years and Principal for twenty-four years.  He retired in June of 1999.  In his message in the Crescentview 1999 yearbook he wrote,” As I look forward to new experiences in my life, a part of my heart and mind will always be with all of you and the school that we shared for so many years.”  He truly loved his profession and the people he met because of it.

Cornie married Shirley Norton in 1960.  Together they had two children, Trina and Martin.  In 2001 he married Edith Howe and gained two daughters and a large extended family.  He became a much loved Poppa in 2003 and again in 2006.

Cornie was a very caring man and would do anything to help others.  For about fifteen years he was very involved in canvassing for Heart and Stroke and for Central Plains Cancer Care.  He usually canvassed three or four streets for both organizations.  People who lived on those streets looked forward to his visits as he sat and had conversations with them.  He was patient, kind, warm and loving.  He was also appreciative of things others did for him and always expressed his gratitude.  For many years he enjoyed being a Rotarian. Being a part of Cabaret was a special part of Rotary.  A new activity in 1998 was square and round dancing.  As part of this activity he served on local, Association and Federation Boards for a total of seventeen years. The square dance motto is “Friendship Set to Music”.  Cornie really loved this activity and all the new friends he made.  After retiring he started another new activity.  Golf quickly became a passion.  He enjoyed walking the course at Southport and again enjoyed and appreciated the people he met.

Throughout his life Cornie loved new experiences and meeting new people.  After retirement, he and Edith travelled to Branson, Nashville, the Cayman Islands, Key West, Churchill, Newfoundland, England, Scotland, Hawaii, Arizona and several “tracing their roots” trips in Manitoba.  The RV Park in Mesa was a special place because of the caring and supportive people who became friends.

As a family we want to express our sincere thanks to the doctors, nurses and support staff in the ICU in Banner  Baywood Medical Center in Mesa, AZ , the air ambulance flight crew, ICU and Palliative Care in St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg.  The care we received was excellent and the warmth and concern shown to us will always be remembered.

A celebration of Cornie’s life will take place at Trinity United Church on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 2:30 pm led by Rev. Julie Baker.  A family interment will take place in the columbarium at Evergreen Memorial Gardens.

As expressions of sympathy, if friends so wish, donations may be made in Cornie’s memory to Trinity United Church, 15 Tupper Street S, Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 1W7, Central Plains Cancer Services, 318 Saskatchewan Ave. E., Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 0K8, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba – Central Region, c/o #3 - 2430 Victoria Ave, Brandon, MB R7A 5B7 or Herman Prior Centre, 40 Royal Road N, Portage la Prairie, MB, R1N 1V1.

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