Rachel's obituary
Below is the an obituary that her family has sent out.
"Our beloved daughter Rachel Ann Wilkes passed away on Saturday the 22nd of January, 2011 in our home town of Baie‐d’Urfe, Quebec in Canada. Rachel made an unfortunate and fateful decision to walk across the frozen Lac St. Louis to Dowker Island on a very cold evening and succumbed to the elements. Although our lives will never be the same without her, we were blessed to have such a wonderful and loving daughter for the 33 years that she was with us.
Rachel was born on 12th December, 1977 in Wichita Falls, Texas. She was starting a new life with us here in Quebec. She had spent much of the last year visiting us here preparing for her new life. In the last 6 months she had become fluent in French studying full time at the YMCA in downtown Montreal. She had been accepted into an internet technology program at a school not far from our home and was looking forward to starting classes in February. Rachel loved music and studied violin and viola from the age of 3. She played viola in the Texas All‐State Orchestra. She also enjoyed playing piano and classical guitar.
Rachel was accepted into and attended the Texas Academy of Math & Science at North Texas State University for her junior year of high school. In 2000, Rachel graduated from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas with a baccalaureate in nursing. Upon graduation, she worked at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota as a neuro‐intensive care nurse. Rachel found much satisfaction in her nursing career but she also found it too stressful for her to continue after several years at the Mayo. She returned to school at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, her home from 2003 to 2009 . She graduated with a baccalaureate degree in Philosophy in 2009 shortly before deciding to join us here in Montreal. She was a member of Mensa.
Those who knew Rachel will always remember her wonderful smile, her compassion and interest in others, her bright personality, her quick wit and quirky sense of humor. She will be missed by all of us who knew and loved her, but she will live on in our memories.
Rachel is survived by her parents Dan and Kitty Wilkes of Baie‐d’Urfe, Quebec, her brother Noah Wilkes of Portland, Oregon, her grandmother Martha Wilkes of Garland, Texas, her grandparents Vern and Helen Powers of West Columbia, South Carolina, her uncles and aunts Steve and Debbie Wilkes of Garland, Texas, Mike and Susie Wilkes of Katy, Texas, Mitch Wilkes of Nashville, Tennessee, Kelly and Barbara Powers of Amarillo, Texas and many loving cousins and great aunts and uncles.
She is preceded in death by her precious grandparents Don Wilkes of Garland, Texas, Nadyne Powers of Amarillo, Texas and her great aunt Ann Maxwell of Waco, Texas whose name she was given. She is with them now in their loving arms.
An informal memorial gathering is planned for Sunday, 30th January at 7:00 PM at the Red Barn Community Center in Baie‐d’Urfe, Quebec at 20609 Bord du Lac. All who can attend are welcome to come and help us celebrate the life of our lovely daughter. It will not be possible to receive flowers at this facility. In lieu of flowers, we ask that memorial contributions be made to any charity that the loving giver finds appropriate. We would be honored to receive notification of any memorial contributions or condolences by email at kitty.wilkes@gmail.com. Cards and letters can also be mailed to our home at 101 Rue Bedford, Baie‐d’Urfe, QC, Canada, H9X 2Z7."
"Our beloved daughter Rachel Ann Wilkes passed away on Saturday the 22nd of January, 2011 in our home town of Baie‐d’Urfe, Quebec in Canada. Rachel made an unfortunate and fateful decision to walk across the frozen Lac St. Louis to Dowker Island on a very cold evening and succumbed to the elements. Although our lives will never be the same without her, we were blessed to have such a wonderful and loving daughter for the 33 years that she was with us.
Rachel was born on 12th December, 1977 in Wichita Falls, Texas. She was starting a new life with us here in Quebec. She had spent much of the last year visiting us here preparing for her new life. In the last 6 months she had become fluent in French studying full time at the YMCA in downtown Montreal. She had been accepted into an internet technology program at a school not far from our home and was looking forward to starting classes in February. Rachel loved music and studied violin and viola from the age of 3. She played viola in the Texas All‐State Orchestra. She also enjoyed playing piano and classical guitar.
Rachel was accepted into and attended the Texas Academy of Math & Science at North Texas State University for her junior year of high school. In 2000, Rachel graduated from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas with a baccalaureate in nursing. Upon graduation, she worked at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota as a neuro‐intensive care nurse. Rachel found much satisfaction in her nursing career but she also found it too stressful for her to continue after several years at the Mayo. She returned to school at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, her home from 2003 to 2009 . She graduated with a baccalaureate degree in Philosophy in 2009 shortly before deciding to join us here in Montreal. She was a member of Mensa.
Those who knew Rachel will always remember her wonderful smile, her compassion and interest in others, her bright personality, her quick wit and quirky sense of humor. She will be missed by all of us who knew and loved her, but she will live on in our memories.
Rachel is survived by her parents Dan and Kitty Wilkes of Baie‐d’Urfe, Quebec, her brother Noah Wilkes of Portland, Oregon, her grandmother Martha Wilkes of Garland, Texas, her grandparents Vern and Helen Powers of West Columbia, South Carolina, her uncles and aunts Steve and Debbie Wilkes of Garland, Texas, Mike and Susie Wilkes of Katy, Texas, Mitch Wilkes of Nashville, Tennessee, Kelly and Barbara Powers of Amarillo, Texas and many loving cousins and great aunts and uncles.
She is preceded in death by her precious grandparents Don Wilkes of Garland, Texas, Nadyne Powers of Amarillo, Texas and her great aunt Ann Maxwell of Waco, Texas whose name she was given. She is with them now in their loving arms.
An informal memorial gathering is planned for Sunday, 30th January at 7:00 PM at the Red Barn Community Center in Baie‐d’Urfe, Quebec at 20609 Bord du Lac. All who can attend are welcome to come and help us celebrate the life of our lovely daughter. It will not be possible to receive flowers at this facility. In lieu of flowers, we ask that memorial contributions be made to any charity that the loving giver finds appropriate. We would be honored to receive notification of any memorial contributions or condolences by email at kitty.wilkes@gmail.com. Cards and letters can also be mailed to our home at 101 Rue Bedford, Baie‐d’Urfe, QC, Canada, H9X 2Z7."