Christine Rochelle Foster

1968 – 2022

On Sunday, October 23rd, following a tragic accident the week previous, surrounded by loved ones, Christine passed away peacefully, and left the rest of us reeling at her unexpected absence.

She is survived by her mother Lil (Kerry), daughter Chantelle (Dennis), brother Michael (Mary), grandchildren Mason, Madison, Jasper (Aubry), partner Neil, lifelong friend Noel, Joe, Brent, and a myriad of other friends and supporters throughout her chosen community, downtown Winnipeg.

Christine’s journey through this world, while rife with difficult memories, personal tragedy, and mental health issues, alongside the too often coinciding impacts of coping strategies not known for their healing properties, was also one that overflowed with her willingness to love those she chose fully, to give generously to the most frail and suffering amongst us, of her time, of her knowledge and resource awareness, of her advocacy and voice, and of her personal space and belongings, without judgement or expectation. The difficult stories of others whose paths she crossed in her endless community travels were always of great interest, at times at the cost of her own issues’ resolution, but it was this spirit of acceptance and shared experience that brought her the most joy, and kept her hopeful, and often smiling that beautiful smile, while sparking her sometimes inappropriate sense of humour, to the joy of all of us who knew and loved her. Our lives will be darker for her loss. We will miss her terribly.

The following was posted by a close friend of many years, after hearing of her passing:

I met and loved a beautiful soul,

That soul was buried under the weight of the world,

The soul is free of the darkness now,

Free to shine bright and true,

Released from all the pain.

The family has arranged for cremation, and will be holding an informal come and go celebration of life at Christine’s family home, at 222 Chestnut Street, on Saturday, October 29th, anytime between 1pm and 6pm. All are welcome.

The family would also like to sincerely thank all staff at HSC for their efforts on Christine’s behalf, in particular SICU nursing staff Brody and Jill. In lieu of flowers, we would invite a donation to the Main Street Project in her name, in recognition of the exceptional work they do.