April Dawn Lahn-Ladobruk

Leaving to mourn are her two sons, whom she deeply adored, Jordon (Korina) and Cody and Marc (father of the boys); wife Linda, brother Brian Beck, sister B.J. Williams, as well as her mother Linda Lahn. She also leaves to mourn her dear grandchildren Chanti, Dante and the apple of her eye, Isaac. In acknowledgment, April also leaves her dear friend Anna who became a fixture in her home and helped her through all of life’s challenges, as well as an abundance of friends, far too many to list. April was predeceased by her Nanny and Papa and her first-born child, Diedre. April was also a dog lover and left her two pups, Phoebe and Chandler, a nod to her love of the show Friends.

April was born on April 28, 1970 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her early years were spent growing up in the West End and summers spent out at the farm with her Nanny and Papa. Due to family trauma, at the young age of 12, April went to live at Marymound. Through her years at Marymound, April made deep connections with the other children and staff alike, so much so that she maintained lifelong relationships with many of them. She eventually was fostered by two of her caregivers for the majority of her formative years. Anneliese Serzu and Deb Fast became surrogate mothers to April and she loved both of them dearly. It was through their relationships that she began to experience the meaning of family, celebrations and nonjudgmental support.

Due to her early years, April chose to work in the field of child welfare. She began working in group homes for Winnipeg Child and Family Services, and then became employed at Marymound, going full circle from being a client a long time ago to being an employee. April was absolutely hands down an amazing youth care worker, educational assistant and outreach worker. Her ability to have deep, genuine meaningful relationships shone through in her day to day interactions with the youth. She loved them; they knew it and they loved her. Her position as Marymound’s outreach worker was exceptional. She supported and diverted many, many youth who were entrenched in sexual exploitation and did it with respect and relationship. Her early experiences, growing up in care helped develop her skills and natural abilities and she deeply understood the impact of family trauma. April was a hard worker and as a single parent through much of raising her boys she often needed to work two jobs so in addition to this, fostered many teenage girls in her home raising them alongside of her own children.

Jordon, Cody and Isaac, her firstborn grandson, were the loves of her lives. She dedicated her life to supporting them and raising them. She provided them an exciting, bright and joyful life teaching them the importance of relationship, kindness and loyalty. She spend much of her conversations talking about them either in worry as a parent naturally does, or celebrating or happy when they were doing well. She welcomed all of their friends and their personal relationships into her home and many of them thought of April as their second mom. Her three men took care of her, loved her, and will miss her dearly.

April touched the lives of many, many people. She collected friends and made each and every one of them feel special in their own way. April’s hobby was socializing and there was nothing more she enjoyed doing then spending time with her friends and family. Her door was always open, the gazebo fire always lit, and on a hot summer day, the mister blowing in your face. A glass of wine or a cold drink was always offered, and a laugh and a song to share. Sometimes these were great bitch sessions and if you wanted to commiserate and complain about anything terrible going on in your own life, she always was there to listen and join in on the action. She was hilarious, loyal, generous and kind.

April also loved to travel. She loved the way she felt while away and used this time to rejuvenate. She also knew it was a special time to get away with her boys and often organized trips on their behalf. Most times with very little notice or recollection! April travelled the world with one person or another and was lucky enough to make several trips to Europe, Mexico, and all over the United States and Canada. Even in her final years when she was struggling with health issues, she continued to push herself, as she always felt better while away and for long periods after.

Special thanks, to the staff at the St. Boniface Palliative Unit and a special acknowledgement to Tamara her palliative nurse who quickly became part of the family.

A Celebration to honour her life will take place on Friday, October 15 at 10:00 am at Thomson “In the Park” Funeral Home, 1291 McGillivray Boulevard. Those who wish may follow this link to view the livestream: https://youtu.be/lKs-HXsTZbo

Attendees are required to present vaccination QR codes and identification.

There are some who bring a light so great to the world, that even after they are gone the light remains.

Rest in Peace