'We will navigate this together:' Funerals begin for seniors killed in bus crash

After months of recovery from an accident, Donna Showdra was excited to venture on her first small trip doing something she loved -- spending a day at the casino. Showdra, 79, was among the seniors on a minibus from western Manitoba travelling to the Sand Hills Casino on June 15 when it went into the path of a semi-trailer truck on the Trans-Canada Highway near the town of Carberry.

After months of recovery from an accident, Donna Showdra was excited to venture on her first small trip doing something she loved -- spending a day at the casino.

Showdra, 79, was among the seniors on a minibus from western Manitoba travelling to the Sand Hills Casino on June 15 when it went into the path of a semi-trailer truck on the Trans-Canada Highway near the town of Carberry.

Sixteen of the seniors, who were from Dauphin and the surrounding area, died in the crash, while nine others on the bus remain in hospital, including four in critical care.

Showdra's family gathered for a private service in Dauphin on Monday morning, which was also livestreamed for the public, as funerals start for those who were killed in the fiery crash.

Cortney Prytula stood next to an enlarged photo of Showdra as she shared stories about her "compassionate but tough" baba, or grandmother, during the reading of a eulogy.

A light brown closed casket sat in the centre of the room. It was flanked by bouquets of yellow, white, orange and purple flowers.

At the end of last summer, Showdra was hit by a truck while walking in Dauphin, said Prytula.