Valerie Elaine St. John

It is with sadness that the family announces the passing of Valerie St. John following a brief illness. She was predeceased by her husband Don and is survived by her children Philip (Christie), Ian (Ashley) and Elaine (John), and grandchildren Elizabeth, Kai, Catherine, Hattie, Kalani, Brendan and Julia. 

Valerie was born in Selkirk and raised in Cloverdale on the family farm. During her very early years, her parents worked at a lumber camp. After dinner, the men would clear the long table, put one-year-old Valerie at one end, and pass her from hand to hand down the length as she learned to walk.  She shared a very special bond with her sister Nadine. Valerie was the somewhat reluctant companion to Nadine as they got up to mischief in Cloverdale. The most memorable incident perhaps being the two little girls attending a funeral at the church across the road as uninvited guests. The two sisters spent a lot of time together travelling and visiting with family. Nadine was a beloved aunt to Valerie’s, and their brother Tom’s, children. 

Valerie attended school in a one room schoolhouse until she went to high school in Selkirk. Always a strong student, Valerie attended medical school at University of Manitoba, graduating as one of two women in the class of 1963. She was in many ways the ideal woman to attend a male dominated faculty at that time. When male attending physicians told her women didn’t belong in medical school, she would inwardly reply with a very matter of fact ‘why not?’, while outwardly maintaining her calm composure.

Debt from her education prevented her from attending an Internal Medicine residency immediately, and instead she went to Minnedosa to work as a general practitioner. She only planned to stay long enough to erase her debt. She would end up working as a GP in Minnedosa until 2004, and lived there for the rest of her life. Shortly after moving here, she met Don St. John, and following a whirlwind courtship, they married. After the birth of her children, she cut back on her medical practice, working a couple of mornings per week. When her youngest child was in high school, she went back to school for a few months to refresh her skills. She then returned to full general practice in Minnedosa, delivering many babies, and providing exceptional medical care to the people of Minnedosa and the surrounding region. She was honoured for her years of service by Doctors Manitoba (then the Manitoba Medical Association) in 2008 as a CMA honourary member. 

Following her retirement from clinical practice to enable her to care for Don, she took on several different roles on a part time basis. She worked for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, the local Health Authority, and Veterans Affairs Canada. After her retirement from all medical practice, she took on many volunteer roles in Minnedosa. Her travel, book clubs, friends and family filled her life with purpose and happiness. 

Valerie took pride in her work. She enjoyed the intellectual and sometimes physical challenge of general practice, providing service to her community, and the camaraderie shared with respected colleagues. But her greatest pride and joy was her family. She was a caring wife, a loving and devoted mother, and the best grandmother a child could ask for. She loved spending time with her grandchildren. They all enjoyed a special bond with her. Valerie’s loyalty, kindness, and compassion meant she was a dear friend, wife, aunt, mother, sister, grandmother and colleague to all who were lucky enough to know her. She will be missed. 

The family would like to thank the staff at the Minnedosa hospital for their excellent care of Valerie in her final days. Special thanks go to Dr. Dan Onyshko, her longtime colleague and friend. Thanks also to her many friends who were a source of constant companionship and support. To celebrate Valerie’s life we will hold a come and go tea on Saturday, July 26th, 1-3 p.m. at the Minnedosa Legion, 34 2nd Ave. SW. 

Flowers gratefully declined. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Valerie’s memory to the U of M Faculty of Medicine Bursaries Fund https://give.umanitoba.ca/ , the Minnedosa United Church https://minnedosauc.ca/ , or the Minnedosa Legion www.legion.ca  Funeral arrangements handled by White’s Funeral Home-Minnedosa https://www.whitesfh.ca/

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