Bidawtee (Daya) Ramgoolam

Beloved wife, mother and grandmother, Daya Ramgoolam passed away peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, April 23. She was surrounded by her husband of 55 years, Rajen, and her two children, Deon and Mekhul. They bid her farewell in a private cremation on Thursday, April 27.

Daya had a zest for life and was most recently spending her days planning legendary trips for her family and supporting her beloved grandchildren Raj, Meena, Mila-Claire and Maxwell in their many pursuits. She was recently able to fulfill a dream of returning to her homeland of Mauritius with her grandchildren to share her childhood memories and introduce them to their heritage.

The centre of Daya’s life was her family. Her devotion to Rajen was beautiful and complete. She adored him to the end of her days. They met over half a century ago when he was a teacher in Mauritius, and she was a secretary in a bank. He left soon after to travel to Dublin to pursue his medical degree. For seven years, she waited patiently for his return, and they were married soon thereafter. In the early 70s they made the bold decision to move to Manitoba to pursue a better life for their family and never looked back. Daya spent her career helping Rajen to build his thriving medical practice, first in St. Pierre Jolys and then in Winnipeg. Her devotion to her children was equally as great. She did everything possible to guarantee them every opportunity imaginable to ensure their future success.

In her later years, Daya’s pride and joy was her four beloved grandchildren. There was not a single grandparent’s day at Havergal, Sterling Hall or Crescent that was ever missed. Report cards from Stanislas were always followed by a celebratory card with a gift. Every single birthday, graduation, academic award and sports championship was celebrated with a card or bouquet of inflatable balloons to any one of her beloved grandchildren. Most recently, her heart swelled with pride as her eldest grandchild, Raj Verma, decided to follow in Rajen’s footsteps and pursue his medical degree at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland in Dublin - the same medical school Rajen attended sixty years ago. She never hesitated to indulge her granddaughter Meena and Mila-Claire’s shared love of fashion with shopping trips in Toronto, Montreal, and Paris. Deon’s son Maxwell also held a very special place in her heart as her youngest grandchild. She would never cease to marvel at his talented artwork. Her home on Wellington Crescent was a refuge for her grandchildren and they would often travel to Winnipeg from Toronto or Montreal - on their own - to spend weekends with their grandparents that would feature dinners at 529 Wellington, mini doughnuts from The Forks and movies in front of the fireplace. A hallway in Daya’s home was lined with hundreds and hundreds of photos of her grandchildren, a constant reminder of what most filled her heart with joy every single day.

Daya’s devotion to her family also extended beyond her husband, children and grandchildren. She helped many nephews, nieces and extended family from Mauritius move to Canada to pursue the same dream of a better life. She was also very involved in the Indian community in Winnipeg and was a benefactor of the Hindu Society of Manitoba.

Daya’s family would like to extend their appreciation and gratitude to the extraordinary team of physicians and nurses at Winnipeg’s Health Science Centre who provided her with exceptional care. Her family would also like to extend a special thanks to the head of neurosurgery, Dr. Patrick McDonald as well as the trauma team in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Health Sciences Centre Foundation to help support the work of these devoted physicians and nurses.

From very humble roots on the island of Mauritius, Daya went on to live a beautiful and fulfilling life. She married and grew old with Rajen, the love of her life, and accomplished what mattered most to her - taking care of those she loved.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.thomsoninthepark.com for the Ramgoolam family.