Kathryn Diana Dyck

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Kathryn (Kathy) Diana Dyck, 70, on January 25, 2026, at St. Boniface Hospital. Up until then, Kathy was at home surrounded with visits from family and friends.

For Kathy, family was the most important part of her life. Kathy leaves behind her husband Ivan (Larry) Laurence Leavens of nearly 47 years, sons Ian (Jema) Leavens and Andrew Leavens, grandchildren Owen and Norah Leavens, her sister Hilda (Robert) Drome, brothers Peter Dyck and Paul (Monica) Dyer, niece Jennifer (Darren Bunce) Drome and nephews Christopher (Kaori) Drome and Noah Dyer. She was predeceased by her mother Katharina Dyck, father Jacob Dyck and brother Kornelius Dyck.

Kathy was born in Halbstadt, Paraguay, on April 25, 1955, and immigrated to Canada with her parents and siblings, settling in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After graduating from River East Collegiate, Kathy travelled to Poland and Germany with her friend Lucy for the summer, which was followed by a trip to Israel in 1976 where she worked on a kibbutz. These trips were the beginning of Kathy's traveling adventures. Kathy continued her education and graduated from the School of Nursing at St. Boniface Hospital in 1975, and worked as a nurse in the pediatric ward of St. Boniface Hospital. Kathy's studies continued while she worked as a nurse and she obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Manitoba.

While attending nursing school, Kathy met Larry and on February 9, 1979 they were married. Kathy and Larry spent a few years living in Yellowknife, NWT, for an engineering work opportunity for Larry. Kathy continued working as a nurse at the Stanton Territorial Hospital, which included travelling to remote parts of the territory. In Yellowknife, Kathy also began her career with the Federal Government, in the department now known as Service Canada. Before moving back to Winnipeg, Kathy became a mother with the birth of her first son, Ian. Shortly thereafter, Kathy and her family moved back to Winnipeg, where her second son, Andrew, was born.

Kathy shared her love of travelling with her family. They traveled to the Rocky Mountains, Disney, Ottawa, Toronto, Europe, Alaska and many places in between. In 2015, Kathy retired from the Federal Government, which freed up more time to visit her grandchildren and travel with Larry. Kathy also had a passion for cooking and baking, which paired well with her travels. Upon returning home, Kathy would recreate her favorite baked treats and the delicious food enjoyed abroad was a frequent topic of conversation with family and friends. She could always be counted on to produce a special cake for family gatherings. Kathy was eager to share her culinary knowledge, but especially loved passing this on to her granddaughter Norah. During every visit, Kathy and Norah spent hours together cooking, baking and sharing recipes.

Kathy was also an avid gardener. Starting in early spring, she would grow a variety of tomatoes from seeds that she had collected the previous fall. Then she would shop for annuals to border the garden and instruct Larry as to which were plants and which were weeds to be pulled. Kathy enjoyed time outside in her yard, as well as the time spent with her brother and sister continuing the garden their mother had kept.

With grown children, Kathy discovered cruising with Larry. Together, they cruised all over the world. This started with trips to the Caribbean to escape Winnipeg winters for a few weeks and was followed by lengthy cruises throughout Europe, the Amazon, Australia and New Zealand. In the summer of 2024, Kathy enjoyed a family holiday cruise along the Norwegian coast, with Larry, their two children, daughter in-law and two grandchildren. Kathy's favourite vacations were these family holiday meetups, with the last one in Maui, for Spring Break in 2025. Before Kathy became ill, she had already been planning the next family holiday for the summer of 2026.

Kathy will be deeply missed by her family and friends.

As requested by Kathy, there will be no funeral service. A private celebration with family and friends will be held at a later date.

Donations may be sent to Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation.