Emily Claire Sanche

The unimaginable has broken our hearts: Emily Claire Sanche passed away at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon on March 16, 2022. She was held close by her loving family throughout her 25 days in the intensive care unit at RUH, during which time she received exemplary care. Emily is survived by her parents Dr Stephen and Joanne Sanche; brothers Dr Ryan (Vanessa Wellsch), Daniel, and Evan Sanche; her grandparents Dr Robert and Margaret Sanche; her dear cousin Catherine Sanche; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. She was predeceased by her grandparents Dr Daniel and Lucille Classen.

Emily was born in San Antonio, Texas on October 22, 1996. In 1998, the family moved back to Saskatoon, where Emily went on to attend St Bernard elementary school and Holy Cross High School, graduating in 2014. She completed a Fashion Apparel Technology Diploma at the Calgary campus of Olds College in 2017 before discovering clinical psychology as her calling. She earned a BA in psychology (High Honours) from the University of Saskatchewan in 2020, and she had nearly completed her first year of the Master of Counselling Psychology degree through University of Lethbridge. She had a particular interest in management of obsessive compulsive disorder and planned to include that in her future practice.

While pursuing her studies, Emily also worked part-time as a community support worker at a group home for individuals with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities, and she took joy in making connections with residents in her care and helping them foster interpersonal relationships and engage in their communities. She also applied her creativity and sewing skills to create a successful online business with her cousin Catherine, producing custom-designed bags.

To know Emily was to love her: she was always ready with a smile or a laugh, and people were drawn to her open, loving, and gentle spirit. We will always remember the joy she brought to her family and so many others over her short time with us.

We extend our deep gratitude for the remarkable skill, dedication, and compassion shown by all who cared for Emily during this time: her brave neighbours who provided immediate assistance, first responders, ER staff, surgeons, anesthesiologists and OR staff, and the ICU teams including critical care physicians, respiratory therapists, and her amazing nurses. We particularly thank Drs Geoff Shumilak, Luke Terrett, James Scozzafava, Kevin Stevenson, Bruce Cload, Brent Thoma, Gary Hunter, Dimitrios Coutsinos, Jodi Spelay, and Nathan Ginther. Funeral arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, donations in Emily’s memory may be made to the Royal University Hospital Foundation. A Funeral Liturgy Of The Word will be celebrated on Saturday April 2, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. at The Cathedral of the Holy Family (123 Nelson Road Saskatoon) with Very Rev. Fr. Gerard Cooper as Celebrant. For those unable to attend please visit www.faithproductions.ca/livestream .Arrangements entrusted to David Polzen.