With love and sadness in our hearts, we announce the peaceful passing of our dear, sweet mother and grandmother, Edna, at the Victoria General Hospital.

Mom was born at home on the farm near Eriksdale, the oldest of six children, she took on responsibility at a young age, one which she wore well. When she started school, she only knew French as that was the language spoken at home. She went on to speak English and it was humorous to hear some of her French accents and phrases continue in conversation over the years. She and her siblings remained very close, enjoyed trips together and were supportive of each other throughout the years.

When she completed school, she moved to Arborg where she met and married Dad, where they started a family with the arrivals of Lenore and then Karen. This afforded Mom the opportunity to connect with Dad’s Icelandic heritage and become close to his family. And weren’t we fortunate at Christmas to enjoy the best of both worlds with both tourtiere and vinarterta.

From there a business venture took them to Morris, where they worked in partnership until Mom was diagnosed with cancer and Dad was in a serious MVA. Employment and business opportunities then took them to Stonewall and Churchill before they eventually settled in Lundar, where Trudi and Barry were born. During her almost 50 years in Lundar, Mom was active in the St. Olaf’s Catholic Church and Women’s Group, the Merritt Support Centre, the PCH Guild, and in fundraising for the Grettir Arena and the Community Pool.

Mom’s perseverance for life was first evident when she was diagnosed with cancer over 60 years ago with two very young children, she refused to give up. She was a fighter and survivor and determined to see her children and later her grandchildren grow up. In her later years, she met other serious challenges with her heart and when this could not be remedied in Manitoba despite the best efforts of her doctors, she was given the option to go to Vancouver in 2009 where she successfully received a heart valve implant. At that time, it was still considered an experimental procedure. As a result of its success, we enjoyed twelve more beautiful years with her.

Mom didn’t wear too many emotions on her sleeve, as that was Dad’s job. However, within that quiet demeanour was her deep sense of love and caring which was always felt and which we came to count on. She was known to be practical and many steps ahead, she definitely kept us on our toes. Her exceptionally strong work ethic held little tolerance for laziness or a job poorly done, traits she instilled in her children and prided herself in. To say she was punctual, organized and well prepared would be an understatement. It was never a secret what was expected of us. She kept a spotless home that was at the same time, always comfortable, cozy and welcoming with the pot of coffee ready to be put on. She enjoyed gardening, crocheting, knitting, bingo, playing cards, old time music and dancing, and even tried her hand at painting in later years. She was an avid sports enthusiast, enjoying pretty much any game on TV or when she could attend in person. One of her favourite hobbies was her bird feeders, how she loved her birds, especially the hummingbirds.

Mom’s children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and their lives were central to her existence. She will be remembered as a very young soul, who could easily relate to the children, teens and young adults. They could share their deepest secrets with her and know they were safe. She prided herself in knowing about all their activities and everyone’s whereabouts. Until recently, she attended many of their sports, activities, dance recitals and musical performances, along with graduations and whatever other events came along. We joked that she ran “air traffic control” for the family. Her curiosity and caring were so genuinely felt in the connections and conversations we all had with her. She had a giggle and an infectious laugh that would not turn off when something struck her funny.

The same curiosity and strong will served her well after Dad passed. She managed very independently and also learned how to operate a computer and then eventually her iPad which became instrumental in keeping in touch with everyone, up until her final days.

In 2014, she relocated from Lundar to Winnipeg to be closer to her children, grandchildren and her sisters. Again, her determination and resilience in adapting was evident as she readily made friends in her new community.  

Mom loved to travel when opportunities presented themselves. She enjoyed the Bahamas, Hawaii, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, The Maritimes, Western Canada and even a European River Cruise celebrating her 80th year from Prague to Paris.

Mom lived a good, long and fulfilling life and while we’d give anything to have more time with her, we know that she is resting peacefully and leaves us the fondest of memories to cherish.

She will be sadly missed by her children, Karen (Larry), Trudi (Dwayne), and Barry; son-in-law Emil (Ingrid); grandchildren, Lisa, Mark, Kirstin, Brock, Lindal, Brett, Tenneile, and Tatum; great-grandchildren, Kaylee, Kendra, Signy, Soren, Lincoln, Livie, Paisley and Brinley; sisters, Louise, Therese, and Rita (Grant), sisters-in-law, Doreen, Beatrice, and Lily; along with many other relatives and friends.

She was predeceased by her husband Marino; daughter Lenore; sister Evelyn; brother Victor; baby sister Alice; and parents, Frederic and Isabelle.

Many thanks to her various health care providers and professionals. Special mention and our appreciation to Hannah who assisted the family with overnight care and companionship for Mom when her “girls” needed a rest. Mom was forever grateful to her family physician, Dr. Arara for his ongoing care. Also, thanks to her cardiologist, Dr. Seifer and to the cardiac specialists at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver.

As per Mom’s wishes, cremation has taken place, a celebration of life and interment will be held at a later date. In the meantime, please take a few minutes to honour Mom’s memory by visiting her tribute page at EthicalDeathCare.com. A photo-biography, as well as memories and stories published by those who knew her, are available there.

For those interested, memorial donations in Edna’s name may be made to Victoria Life Line, Unit 1-756 Pembina Highway, Winnipeg, MB R3M 2M7 or to a charity of one’s choice

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The Day God Took You Home

In tears we saw you sinking,
We watched you fade away.

You suffered much in silence,

you fought so hard to stay.
You faced your task with courage,

your spirit did not bend,
And still you kept on fighting until the very end.
God saw you getting tired,

when a cure was not to be,
So he put his arms around you, and whispered,”Come to Me”.
So when we saw you sleeping so peaceful,

free from pain,

We could not wish you back,
To suffer that again.
It broke our hearts to lose you,
But you did not go alone,
For part of us went with you,
The day God took you home.