Dorothy Eleanor Stevenson (Bretsen)

August 26, 1943 – February 20, 2022 

On Sunday, February 20, 2022, Dorothy Eleanor Stevenson passed away peacefully at the age of 78.

Dorothy leaves behind her beloved sons Rob and Tim; daughter in laws Tamara and Jodie; Grandchildren Joe, Jenna, Ethan and Kaitlyn; Sister Evelyn (Dennis) and Brother Roy. She will also be missed by many in-laws, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her loving husband Allan, son Patrick and her parents Rolf and Sigrid.

Dorothy was born on August 26, 1943, at Winnipeg General Hospital and lived in Winnipeg her whole life. She grew up on Spruce Street and although she was the youngest of three children she definitely had no problem taking charge which earned her the nickname of General Ike with her siblings and neighbourhood kids. Dorothy loved to sing and had a beautiful voice. She sang with various choirs since she was 7 years old. Dorothy and her sister Evelyn often sang duets at Our Saviours Lutheran Church.

Dorothy and Allan met when they were 15 years old and had many adventures together as their love and family grew. Dorothy graduated from The Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing. She started her career working at Winnipeg General Hospital and then finished her career working for a family medical clinic. Her main priority and job she loved the most was being a wife and mom. She took care of all her boys right until the very end.

Dorothy would make the boys costumes, volunteer at their schools and read to them everyday. She wasn’t always fond of water but would always spend her days at the pool because her boys loved it. The family remembers their many summers at Wanasing Beach and Victoria Beach.

She was the quiet one of the bunch who loved to keep busy but she did love her phone calls with sister Evelyn and brother in law Dennis and her surprise visits from nephew David. She loved when Joe would bring her donuts and listening to Jenna sing. She loved hearing about Ethan’s cadets and Ethan and Kaity’s lives in Edmonton; and of course she always had a revel in the freezer for when any of them came to visit.

Tim and his mom spent a lot of time together over the last few years, taking care of each other and keeping each other company during the crazy Covid times. Rob always helped mom with figuring out the bills and looking after the house when he’d come to visit. More than anything they will remember and even miss her constant nagging, many “Uff das” and “Mange takks”. She had a quick wit and could quite often surprise them with sassy comebacks.

She enjoyed hosting big and small family gatherings, baking her beautiful cakes, and reading her endless amounts of books. She had a very green thumb and loved growing and taking care of all her indoor and outdoor plants – a love that she was able to share with Tamara in the last few years.

The last 5 years have been hard on Dorothy first with losing Allan and then Pat. Her body slowly started to limit her mobility and unfortunately caused her more pain each day. She was a fighter and remained in her own home with Tim until the last three weeks when she went into the hospital. Her family was able to spend many hours at her bedside in the last five days of her life that brought her and them much comfort.
We would love to thank the amazing nurses and staff at HSC GA4 for their support, care and compassion over the last week. There will not be a funeral service but there will be a small gathering held in the spring to celebrate Dorothy’s life.

Rest Easy MOM! You were our rock and will always be missed.