First of all, we want to express our heartfelt sympathy to you Darren, Junell, Edmund, Reyneldis, Myron, Kelly, Brenda, Colleen and all of your families. The loss is so great but we are now all under her watchful care. We can all use an extra guardian angel. We want to take a few minutes tonight to celebrate Donna’s life.
Donna Rose Hendriks was born on January 5, 1967 to Edmund and Reyneldis Hendriks. The fourth of five children, I’m sure there never was a moment of peace and quiet in Donna’s family. Yet, somehow along the way, the Hendrics family found room for one more and “adopted” Kevin into their family. It started as a bit of a joke at Brenda’s 40th birthday party where Brenda needed a brother to stand in for Myron who couldn’t be there that night and was feeling sorry for Kevin not having any sisters of his own to torment. Somehow, over the last few years that “adopted brother” status spread to the whole family – thanks to Donna who insisted that if he’s Brenda’s brother, that makes him her brother too and with that we were welcomed into their world.
Donna was baptised on January 13, 1967 by Fr. Lawrence Demong in a beautiful afternoon service with St. Augustine School children singing under the direction of Miss Louise Dale. Donna received first communion, reconciliation and confirmation at St. Augustine Church, while also attending St. Augustine School and later HCI in Humboldt. Donna grew up in a faith-filled home, attending mass regularly. Donna confided in me that her faith in God was all that was carrying her through the difficult battle with cancer and the knowledge that it would ultimately take her life. It brought her closer to God in a way that she never knew before. She deeply regretted that she would not be around to pass her faith on to Junell so she has to rely on all of us to help Darren in that task. Junell too will need God’s strength to help her through the tough moments without her mommy around.
Like most of us “second last” children, we sometimes got a raw deal in the family. To hear the stories, you may wonder how she made it to the age of 41 at all. Not only did she end up in the hospital at only a few weeks old but she had life threatening food allergies in her teen years and managed to drive over her own legs as an adult. She survived being stuffed down the laundry shoot to drop to the basement laundry pile below. She even managed to make it through a ride on Myron’s new skateboard being pulled by a bike only to lose concentration long enough to wave at her spectators while she passed by the front window and “splat” ran right into the back of a parked car. She came away with a broken arm and a concussion but it didn’t stop her from continuing her daredevil stunts.
Always the show-boater she never missed a photo op, she managed to sneak her way into practically every one of the pictures in the Hendrik’s family albums and squeezed her way in between her Mom and her Mom’s friends so they actually had to lean around Donna to talk to one another.
One day, poor Donna had just about as much as she could take so she packed her little bag and announced she was running away. To her dismay, Mrs. Hendricks just kept on working in the kitchen. Straight down the street towards the villa Donna trodded with her head down – always in Mom’s watchful line of sight. Low and behold, before too long she turned around and started back home. When Donna walked back into the house good old mom asked, “What are you doing back home?” Donna replied in frustration, “I walked and walked but I just couldn’t get lost”.
Back in the day Donna sported a very short boyish haircut. With her skinny little body and tiny face Myron pointed out how she resembled “Kojak”. The name stuck. Along the way she picked up the name “haywire” because - well quite frankly the name fit, then it somehow changed to Jagwire – though memories are a bit sketchy, I think it’s something about scratching like a Jaguar. Out of all this the name we all know and love for our dear “Jag” evolved.
Jag’s gift of the gab made her countless friends. She seemed to know everyone and made them all feel special. She was always there for her friends – the first one on their doorstop when they needed a shoulder to cry on and the first one in line when a party was in order. Her warmth and affection attracted people to her so the friends she’s made in her short life are too numerous to count. She will be missed in so many circles.
We all know that the phone was Jag’s passion and many here today were the recipient of her calls. When the endless phone calls kept her from getting her rest, Kelly had to put her foot down and limit her phone time. She still sneaked the cordless phone and spoke in hushed tones when she got the chance and started the blog to keep everyone up to date on her situation. It not only fed her need to be communicating with the world but the outpouring of warm wishes and heartfelt words of encouragement everyone posted there really helped her and her family deal with the difficult hand she had been dealt.
Oh, how we’ll all miss those long late night phone calls. We know how long she can talk. She often called her mom and dad around 11:00 interrupting the late news. Dad usually answered the call and got the “what’s new” from her, then passed off the phone to mom and went to bed. “Oh, for sure” 15 minutes, ½ hour passed and mom would say she’s getting tired but Donna never heard it and kept on talking. Then later Mom would fall asleep holding the phone and stop answering Donna but on she would go on, seeming not to notice. After usually an hour or more, Mom would insist she had to go to bed and Donna would reply “oh well okay then” and sign off until tomorrow.
Always a jokester, she could pull a prank with the best of them. Mrs. Hendricks started off the busy day of Brenda’s wedding by going along with the girls to get dolled up. The kind soul that she is, she let the bride and bridesmaids go first so she was cutting it close to get home in time to get herself ready. A last minute soaking of her false teeth was in order so they sparkled in all the pictures. She put them in a glass and proceeded to get dressed. Anyone who has been in the household of the bride knows, the last hour is utter chaos and poor Nell, rushing around goes to put in her false teeth. Wouldn’t you know it but they weren’t in the bathroom. Trying to think where she could have put them, she frantically raced to the bedroom – but they were not there. Asking Donna if she had seen the teeth, Donna innocently replied a simple “no”. As time drew closer and closer to the wedding, nearing panic, poor Nell searched wildly from room to room looking for the glass holding her false teeth when she looked up and there stood Donna, glass in hand and grinning from ear to ear – holding the teeth.
Donna once cavorted with Kelly – dressing up with black shoe polish on her face and neck, even in her ears making her look almost like a genuine black person, then sporting black turtleneck and tights and a bonnet and diaper she went off to the German Carnival masquerade dance. Sitting alone all night at the end of the table where her parents and their friends were living it up, she sat sucking her soother or drinking a few beers from a platex baby bottle. Reyneldis wondered who that strange black lady was sitting there alone all night, with no friends. Kelly bought the poor girl an occasional beer with Mom saying “leave that strange lady alone.” Donna managed to keep up the charade and surprised the heck out of the gang at the end of the night.
Donna always enjoyed playing dress up. Poor cousins, Reggie and Ronnie, were put into Donna’s dresses when they came over to play. She loved dressing up for Halloween or the famous Strueby mock weddings. She even put on a full Santa costume one Christmas eve and went to surprise Ryan at Brenda & Al’s house in Saskatoon, then got in her car, still in full Santa gear and drove to Humboldt to perform her “Ho Ho Ho” routine for the rest of the family. There were probably a few confused kids that year thinking Santa gave up his sleigh for a Chevette.
Donna loved to light up the dancefloor, two-stepping all night long. Darren Sorotski caught her eye at the Longbranch one night about 10 years ago. She gave him her number and waited for the phone to ring. When he called saying it was Ernie and she had no idea who he was – she had been anxiously waiting for a call from a guy named Darren. Once she realized Darren and Ernie are one and the same, the rest is history. The two of them spent countless hours kicking up their heels at the Long Branch. On June 18, 2005, Donna married Darren at a beautiful service at St. Augustine church in Humboldt and became Mrs. Donna Sorotski. She was the happiest and most beautiful bride, looking just like a princess that day. The vows stated, “in good times and in bad, in sickness or in health, for richer or poorer, for all the days of our life”. Darren and Donna had no way of knowing then how quickly they would have to live out those words and how difficult it could be.
With the arrival of Junell on November 15, 2006, Donna was now a mom and Junell was the center of Donna’s world. She treasured every moment of the last year teaching and playing with Junell constantly, and just spending time with Junell and Darren. Junell loved Jag’s perfect imitation of “the Count” from Sesame Street. Donna lived to see Junell walk, and found it very hard to think of having to leave her. Maybe a year or more she was originally told, but God had other plans and it has been just 6 months since she was diagnosed. Donna quickly had to let go of being the center of Junell’s world, so Darren could prepare to take over as both Father and Mother. As hard as that must have been to step back, she was very appreciative to Darren for all he did and how he rose to the challenge. He had a lot to learn about being a mommy and a short time to learn it. Darren, this church full of people today, are here to love and support you and to help you along the way. I know Donna loved both Darren and Junell very much.
Junell, honey, I think your mommy is going to be a guardian angel watching over you very closely as you grow up. She’ll be the one whispering in your little ear, guiding you on your way. And we all know how much Donna likes to talk so lets hope she keeps that whispering to a minimum so Junell can hear herself think. Junell, I hope you know how much you helped your mommy through the last six months. Every ounce of fight she had, was there to give you more time to spend with her. And someday if you find yourself standing up at a hockey game for our national anthem and tears start to roll, don’t worry, you’re not going crazy, O’Canada was Mom’s famous song to get you to stop crying. Colleen says the whole family practiced O’Canada about 60 times on the trip to Calgary.
Donna, the proud mother she was, took countless pictures of Junell and used them to create cards, calendars, and picture boards. Brenda and Colleen both say they have more pictures of Junell than they do of their own kids. Donna always enjoyed crafting things. She made beautiful albums for her family members filled with all kinds of wise cracks – combining her crafting with her fabulous sense of humour.
Junell just loved rubbing mommies bald bristly head. Jag was the only girl I know who could sport a bald head and still look amazing. Brenda said it made her look like Myron but Jag quickly pointed out to her brother one difference – his hair is never coming back. Even the last few days in the hospital Junell sat on the bed and rubbed mommies head and tried to open her eyes. Donna always responded in some way when Junell was around. In the hospital gift shop Junell spotted a doll and hugged it tightly to herself saying, “Mommy, mommy”. After that who could resist buying it for her. Trying to figure out what made Junell connect that doll to her mommy, Colleen pointed out the short bristly hair on the top of its head - just like mommy.
Donna’s family deserves a lot of credit for the ongoing support and endless bedside nursing during the whole of Donna’s illness, especially the last few weeks in the hospital. Darren and many other people also gave her lots of love and support but Jag’s parents and three sisters cared for her every need day and night. And there were nights when they put up with a lot, Brenda and Colleen took some abuse, but clinging together, they poured out their love for her and nursed her through thick and thin. Those moments, however trying, will be something each of you treasure in your heart for a lifetime. Kelly tried to keep her looking good by applying lip gloss constantly until Donna finally grunted between clenched teeth “ I’m gonna take that tube of lipstick and shove it… the rest of that sentence may not be appropriate to repeat in church.
As Donna clung to life in the last few weeks, hanging on longer than expected and having several close calls with death, only to regain her strength again, Lee sent a text message that summed up one of her most notable traits and brought a smile to those who read it. He said, “tell everyone to hang in there. You all know how long it takes Jag to get ready to go somewhere”. And she did take her time in getting ready to go home. She waited until she was good and ready. She managed to bring Myron is home for Easter and she may have started Donna McDonald on her way to becoming Catholic having walked in on the family praying the rosary at Donna’s bedside and experiencing the peace and serenity in the room. She even managed to get Janice praying more, like Jag had once pointed out that she should.
Donna finally succumbed to the illness and was welcomed home into Gods loving arms on Monday, March 17th – St. Patricks day. Earlier that morning Reynedis made sure Donna was ready for St. Patties day by changing her gown, bed sheets and pillowcases into St. Patricks day green. There she lay completely surrounded in green and wouldn’t you know it, sitting neatly under the bed were Kelly’s black buckled “leprechaun shoes”. Jag finally found her pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
At stations of the cross just over a week ago, this passage brought me to tears and I’d like to share it with you now. It goes like this: I beg you, Lord, help me to accept the partings that must come – from friends that go away, my children leaving home, and most of all, my dear ones when you shall call them to yourself. Then give me grace to say: “As it has pleased you, Lord, to take them home, I bow to your most holy will. And if by just one word I might restore their lives against your will, I would not speak.” Grant them eternal joy.
Jag we will all miss your bubbling personality, that amazing laugh and priceless smile, your spunk and positive outlook on life. You had a gift to be able to touch the heart of everyone you met and each one of us here is better off for having known you.
You have fought the good fight and in the process, have left your daughter a legacy of love that will carry her through life. You have given your husband and family love and laughter to carry them through the hard times, and memories that will forever live in their hearts.
Lori-Anne & Kevin Earis
