PATRICIA ANN STRICKLAND “CIANN”

PATRICIA ANN STRICKLAND “CIANN”
1933 – 2024
Patricia Ann “Ciann” Strickland (nee Lawson) died a natural death in her home in Little Current on February 29, 2024 at the age of 90 years. Predeceased by husband John Strickland in 2011, she is survived by her three daughters Kathleen (Jerzy), Shauna and Maureen; daughter-in-law Becky; brother Robert Lawson (Jan, deceased); sister-in-law Daphne Stapleton (Monty, deceased); three nieces and three nephews. Ciann was born in Ottawa on July 17, 1933, and spent her childhood years in various locations in Quebec, eventually ending up in Toronto for her teenage years. As a young woman, she trained as a lab technician and worked at a few hospitals before marrying John Strickland in 1957. During their married life they had three daughters and lived in Fredericton, Pickle Crow, Lennoxville, Port-Cartier, Tanzania, Elliot Lake, finally settling on Manitoulin in 1967. On Manitoulin, she was active in her community as a Brownie and Guide Leader and later trained as a life skills coach finding her purpose in empowering and supporting women through her foundation “Seeds of Joy.” Over the years, into her mid-80s, she organized and ran retreats at the Anishnabe Spiritual Centre and enriched the lives of many women. Despite describing herself as “an indoor person,” she loved spending time on the deck of her beloved Lake Kagawong cottage watching birds, butterflies and nature and enjoyed swimming well into her late 80s. She continued to enjoy drum circles and circle dancing and, with a fair grasp of technology at age 90, even attended an online Zoom drumming camp a few weeks before she died. Climber of Mount Kilimanjaro, avid reader of mystery novels, fudgicle-lover, razor-sharp Scrabble player, Farmers’ Market aficionado, televised sports fan, our lives won’t be the same without you. Ciann’s super-power was organizing and bringing people together and she will do it once more during the celebration of her life which will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to Manitoulin Family Resources or any organization that provides empowerment and support to women, would be greatly appreciated. A special thanks to Heather Eadie and Marion Knapp, whose steadfast support meant that Ciann could live independently in her own home until the last.