Born ~ January 29, 1948
Date of Passing ~ October 31, 2021
Until a year ago, Heather was happily living the life she loved near Dharamshala, India. A devastating stroke necessitated that Heather be returned to her hometown Winnipeg to be closer to family and to receive medical care.
After this very difficult year, we are all relieved that Heather is no longer suffering.
Predeceased by her parents, Jean and Somer James, Heather will be especially missed by her beloved children, Rachelanne Arava (Shlomo Arava) and their 3 children Ednah, Aviv Lev, and Lior in Winnipeg, and Sidney Kosatsky in Halifax, as well as younger siblings, David James (Losaline) in New Zealand, Wendy James (Bernard Benoit) in Ottawa, and Keith James (Lori Walder) in Winnipeg.
Wherever she was, Heather was always vitally interested in the lives of her 6 nieces and nephews and their children in Winnipeg, Ottawa, New Zealand and Italy.
Heather was devoted to sharing whatever beneficial practices she learned as a yoga teacher for over 30 years and as a follower of the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She is remembered by loved ones for her particular laugh, her exuberance, her uniqueness.
As a young adult Heather was drawn to an unconfined life that included travel, meditation, yoga and spiritual search. She settled in Winnipeg to raise Rachelanne and Sidney, but with that task well completed, Heather left for India where she spent the last 10 years of her life.
The family especially appreciates the efforts of Heather’s daughter Rachelanne, and her niece Hannah James for their consistent support to Heather over this last year.
Friends are invited to say prayers, send good thoughts and perform acts of kindness dedicated to Heather.
A Celebration of Life will be held in St. John's Park in the Sharing Circle, near the main gate of St. John’s Cemetery at the corner of Fowler and Anderson, on Thursday, November 4th at 1 pm. The service will also be livestreamed on the Temple Shalom Facebook page found here: www.Facebook.com/templeshalomwinnipeg.
The family will be sitting shiva, and invite you to join them via zoom at 5pm on Thursday, November 4th. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82473432091?pwd=bGFuUGlGRkJ0T0lXNHYrbVhhbE1XUT09
Meeting ID: 824 7343 2091
Passcode: 332631
