Dr. Renate Eigenbrod (nee Pampel) was born on December 2, 1944 in Goettingen, Germany, and passed away suddenly on May 8, 2014. Renate was wonderful wife, mother and grandmother, a loving and generous friend, and a passionate scholar and teacher of native literature at the University of Manitoba, where she was the head of the Department of Native Studies. She inspired many and will be greatly missed. She is survived by her son Felix and his family Katy, Hannah and Alexander; and her daughter Judith and her fiance Rod.

A celebration of life ceremony will be held for Renate at the Neechi Commons, 865 Main Street, Winnipeg from 3-5pm on Saturday May, 31st. At a later date, her ashes will be brought to Thunder Bay to join those of her late husband, Kurt Dieter Eigenbrod.

In lieu of flowers, donations via cheque or money order may be made to one of the areas Renate cared deeply about and worked devotedly for:

1) Oxfam Canada (http://www.oxfam.ca/donate).

2) The “Renate Eigenbrod Bursary for Indigenous Graduate Students” c/o The University of Manitoba, 179 Extended Education Complex, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2.  The newly named "Renate Eigenbrod Bursary" which will be "given to a First Nations, Metis, or Inuit graduate student in an area of Native Studies, English literature, or International Indigenous issues."

3) The Aboriginal Writers Collective of Manitoba c/o The Department of Native Studies, The University of Manitoba room 204 Isbister Building, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2.