Charlann Elizabeth Winking

She was born on January 1, 1952, in Quincy, Illinois, to Charles and Mary Ann Hoffman Winking, who preceded her in death. She was a 1969 graduate of Notre Dame High School in Quincy and a 1981 graduate of Saint Louis University. In 1983, now the mother of a one-year-old son, she entered William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, and graduated first in her class in 1987.

Although she was recruited by some of the top law firms in the Twin Cities, she chose the career of public defender and fought fiercely for her clients in Hennepin County (Minneapolis) and the state of Minnesota for 20 years. After moving to Victoria in 2007, she went to work for Greater Victoria Police Victim Services, where she served for a time as interim director and worked to establish a program that helped crime victims navigate the court system.

In her youth Charli was a talented musician, touring France with the Illinois All-State High School Band and Orchestra. She also played flute and sang in the rock band Melon Fields. Throughout her life she loved cats and flamingos.

With all her accomplishments, her family and friends remained most important to Charli, especially her two little grandkids.

She is survived by her husband, Bob McIntosh, of Victoria; her son, Al McIntosh, daughter-in-law Maggie Such and two grandchildren of Austin, Texas; siblings Rick (Kristi Lindsey) Winking of Bozeman, Montana, Kent (Patty) Winking of Round Rock, Texas, Sue (James Turkowski) Winking of Crestwood, Kentucky, Keith (Devon) Winking of San Marcos, Texas, and Jeannie (John) Deluca of Ballwin, Missouri, as well as nieces Laura Turkowski Yeoman, Kelly Winking Torres, Audrey Winking and Annabelle Winking and nephew Nicholas Deluca.

A party and celebration of Charli’s life will be held in May in the Austin area.

To honour Charli’s life, please consider a donation to the Food Bank at St. John’s in Victoria, which she supported with her time and money.