Sandra Gay (Cloutier) Plesh

Sandra Plesh, longtime resident of The Pas, Manitoba, passed away at age 70 on Monday, September 2, 2019 with family and friends by her side. Sandra lived life with resiliency and courage, and the past 2 ½ years exemplified this as she bravely fought cancer for the second time in her life. Sandra defied timelines that were given to her by doctors and overcame many medical obstacles. Throughout it all, Sandra never complained once. She will be forever remembered for the love that she shared with her family and friends and for the heroic way she lived each day with grace and dignity.

Sandra was born on August 29, 1949 to Sylvia & Wilbur Cloutier. Sandra married Morris on December 30, 1971 and together they had three children. Sandra was a dedicated stay-at-home mom to Shawn, Allison and Brent, raising all three children before deciding to enter into the work world. Sandra worked at a variety of jobs before retiring from The Pas Health Complex.

Sandra spent her life with Morris, seeing the world, mostly in search of the perfect beach and ocean. Sandra visited exotic places such as Columbia, Venezuela, Cuba and Puerto Rico to name a few, where treasured time was spent traveling with family and friends. Her last trip to the ocean would be traveling to her son Brent’s wedding in Mexico where she spent hours upon hours floating in the ocean, basking in the sun and enjoying coco locos. In recent years, Sandra experienced life as a snowbird in Arizona. Her Arizona winters are also treasured memories as Sandra met new friends and reconnected with many friends and family from The Pas, who also
vacationed there.

Sandra also enjoyed simple weekends of camping with friends and family in the bus that Morris renovated (back in the day) and in their trailer, where she is remembered for the amazing camping food that she’d prepare and serve to all who visited.

Sandra also learned to love “country living” when she and Morris moved out to the Carrot Valley in 1985. While leary at first, Sandra eventually embraced farm life, learning how to can and freeze all of the garden goods and even learning how to pluck and clean the farm chickens.

Sandra was an amazing cook and loved to host huge family meals. This was her way to bring family and friends together. Sandra was renowned for cooking way too much food and somehow made it look effortless to host a meal for 25 people and still have enough leftovers to feed another 25 people. Her biggest worry was to never have enough food, something that would never happen when Sandra was cooking. Sandra’s Ukrainian feasts were the best and while not born with a Ukrainian background, she spent countless hours learning from her mother-in-law so that these family traditions would be passed on for generations to come.

Sandra prepared her kids and grandkids well and in recent years when Sandra was too sick to prepare the meals, she was able to witness her kids and grandkids preparing these family meals, giving her peace that her traditions and feasts would continue.

Sandra loved to spend her time at her cabin on Clearwater Lake, something she also enjoyed during her younger days. Her new cabin was a labor of love that Morris built for her to enjoy. Sandra was happiest during happy hour on the patio deck while enjoying lake life with her kids and grandkids. Even when Sandra was sick, the cabin was her favorite gathering place all to enjoy time with her. This past summer, she was even able to enjoy a beer with her best friend, coincidentally also named Sandra. Sandra and Morris’ cabin will continue to be a place where her memory and traditions will live on through her kids, grandkids and friends.

Sandra was grateful for her the many people who offered their love and support throughout her lengthy cancer journey. She felt blessed to be able to enjoy her 70th birthday party with so many family and friends just a few short weeks before her passing. Upon returning to the hospital on the evening of her party, a nurse asked her about her birthday celebration. Sandra replied, “My birthday party was superb”. It was truly a day where her family and friends were able to celebrate the wonderful life of Sandra Plesh.

Sandra was also so grateful for the love and care that her and her husband, Morris, shared throughout their 48 years of marriage. Morris’s care for Sandra was beautiful, self-less and was a testimony of ‘til death do us part. Sandra was also blessed with countless other friends and family who made it a priority to just simply spend time with her and be with her until her final moments. These acts of love and compassion will be forever remembered and appreciated by Sandra’s family. Sandra lived her final moments of life knowing she was loved by so many.

Sandra is survived by Morris Plesh (husband), Shawn (daughter) & Wayne Yaremko; Allison (daughter) & Chadwick Parkinson; Brent (son) & Jen Plesh; Grandchildren Hayden, Hudson, Halle Yaremko; Ava & Eden Parkinson; Max Plesh; Shirley (sister) & Ab Streit; Kelly (sister) & Peter McAree; David (brother) Cloutier; Irene (sister-in-law) & Larry Paterson; Ollie (sister-in-law) & Ralph Moshenko; Phyllis (sister-in-law) Plesh; Doris Buck (Aunt); Sandra & Raymond Kotz (lifelong friends) and countless other family and friends that extend far beyond this list of names.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. If you so desire, donations can be made to The
Pas Health Complex Foundation, Box 541, The Pas, Manitoba, R9A 1K4.