Sykes: Joyce Maxine (Lenora), 87 years, passed away in Souris, Manitoba on Tuesday, February 5, 2019. A celebration of Joyce’s life will take place at a later date. In memory of Joyce, donations may be made to Souris Hospital Palliative Care Fund c/o Prairie Mountain Health Box 10 Souris, Manitoba R0K 2C0.
Category: S
Skoc, Gladys Jane
Skoc: Gladys Jane, 71 years, beloved wife of Alex Skoc, mother of Dwayne, Trevor, Kim and Susan, passed away suddenly at her residence in Souris, Manitoba on Tuesday, January 29, 2019. A private family funeral service will be held at a later date. In memory of Gladys, donations may be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.Swaenepoel, Robert James
Bob passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 28, 2018 at the age of 85. He was born in Carroll, Manitoba, the youngest in a family of 15 children. He farmed with his brother John before starting a career in the lumber business. After retiring at the age of 62, he then enjoyed few years working at Hart’s Shell Service in Souris. He volunteered many hours at the rink for the Southwest Cougars. Time on the golf course and coffee time in the afternoons filled his weeks. Bob is survived by his wife Rose, children Duane (Brenda) Swaenepoel, Maureen (Dwayne) Kirkup, Valerie (Gaston) Godbout, Lori (Clair) Scott, nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren. The funeral service was held at St. Paul’s United Church in Souris on April 4, 2018 with interment in the Souris and Glenwood Cemetery. In memory of Bob, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.
Stewart, William Charles
Stewart: Charlie was born on December 12, 1929 in Virden, Manitoba to parents William R. B. Stewart and Sarah (Ashley) Stewart. Bob Stewart was Charlie’s older brother. The family grew up in the Rural Municipality of Pipestone.
Growing up in the dirty 30’s, the family had it tough. Charlie and Bob would run around in their bare feet. Charlie would often comment that thistles would never hurt the soles of their feet as the soles were like shoe leather!
Charlie and Bob went to Lambton School which was about a three mile walk across the fields or sometimes, they would ride a horse. In the winter months, Charlie and Bob would start the fire to have the school warmed up ahead of time before the school day started. In his early teens, Charlie and his brother would work for their Uncles, Joe and Charlie Ashley, out in the fields threshing, cutting trees for fence posts, and digging holes just to name a few of their designated tasks. Charlie would tell the story how his sledge hammer to drive the posts, was a big piston filled with cement on a stick which he could barely lift. During this time, Charlie also worked for other neighbors and helped carpenters shingle and build houses. Charlie enjoyed playing baseball, going to dances, and hanging out with his friends.
In 1953, Charlie went to Fort Francis, Ontario to a bush camp where his friend and neighbor, Bill Jacques, also worked. Charlie loved it there! He would describe how the air was so fresh cutting jack pine trees in cord lengths and using his horse, Jerry, to pull the cut trees. One time, Charlie had a log that he had stood up on end and was about to carry this large, heavy log when he slipped. Bill Jacques was beside him. Charlie yelled out, “Look out Bill!” as the log hit the mud. Bill got splashed with mud. The mud completely covered Bill and a few seconds later, with his white teeth showing, all he could do was laugh. Charlie worked at the camp for two winters and was asked by his parents to return to the farm. By this time, Charlie had met a really nice, hard working girl, Jessie Henderson from Oak Lake so the decision was not a difficult one to return to the farm.
On December 5, 1959, Charlie and Jessie were married and the next thing you knew, three boys were born: Bill, Tom, and Brian. Charlie and Jessie milked cows, shipped cream, raised cattle, and grew some grain. Mother, Jessie, had a big garden and worked very hard on the farm. Dad’s two favorite machines were his Farmhand loader and stack mover which made putting up the stacks of hay and straw a lot easier. He would often help move stacks for his neighbors with his favorite toy.
Charlie and Jessie always had names for their cattle which seemed to get more bizarre as the herd grew in numbers. One morning, as they were finishing up milking the cows, their neighbor, Bert, opened the barn door and a “soon to calve” heifer jumped over the panel into the back of the barn from the front when she heard Bert’s voice. Hence, this heifer now became known as “Cow Afraid of Bert”! Charlie’s boys advised Charlie that they would have to start using ear tags and numbers as the cows names were getting longer. Charlie and Jessie hesitated with this new technology but went along with it going forward.
Charlie always liked to attend the cattle sales and see his cattle sell. One time, Tom was with Charlie and they were a little late getting to the Virden Auction Mart to see their cattle sell. As they walked in, auctioneer, Ken Wilkinson, said, “I hope you brought your big truck!” Tom noticed Dad had a concerned look on his face for a few seconds. Ken then added, “Sold already! You are ‘gonna’ need it to carry your cheque home, Charlie!”
Dick and Nel Van Buuren were very good friends of Charlie and Jessie. Dick would phone Charlie on a regular basis, sometimes every night, to see how the haying and calving was going and what was happening in the area in general. Before the cattle trailer era, Charlie and his three ton truck would help to deliver some of Dick’s cattle to market. Charlie and Dick frequently enjoyed ice fishing on the lake at Oak Lake.
Charlie loved to watch wrestling on the TV and would often point out that the bad guy was usually cheating during the match or inform onlookers how bad the ref was performing at his job. In fact, Charlie’s love for wrestling found himself and some of his neighbors watching “Hulk Hogan” wrestle at the Keystone Centre in Brandon! The boys and Charlie enjoyed spending time at bull and cattle sales whenever there was a need to purchase some more stock. During calving time, Charlie opted for the early 6:00 a.m. shift to mind the cows while calving which provided a break for both Tom and Brian to get some much needed sleep during the very busy and cold calving period. Charlie and Jessie would go to the local dances, fiddling contests, and generally, they just liked to spend time together and visiting with friends.
Charlie and Jessie found themselves on an Alaskan bus tour in 1998 but really enjoyed driving the back roads closer to home instead. In fact, the back road drives became known as “taking a drive around the block” to the family!
Tragedy struck as their eldest son, Bill, passed away at the age of 50 years on September 23, 2011 leaving behind a son, Alex, and his wife, Sally.
After 56 years together, Jessie passed away on February 16, 2016. Charlie passed away January 13, 2018.
Charlie leaves to mourn his sons; Tom (friend Grace); Brian; daughter–in–law, Sally; and grandson, Alex.
Funeral service was held at the Pipestone Community Hall, Pipestone, Manitoba on Friday January 19, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. Interment in the Pipestone Cemetery. In memory of Charlie, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.
Simonson, Jordyn Cianna
Simonson – Jordyn Cianna, 14 years, beloved daughter of Lindsay and Trisha, sister of Zaiden and Rihanna, passed away accidentally on Sunday, October 15, 2017. A celebration in memory of Jordyn will be held at the Souris & Glenwood Community Hall on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. In memory of Jordyn, donations may be made to the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre Foundation or to the Lions Dog Guide Foundation c/o Lions Foundation of Canada 152 Wilson Street Oakville, Ontario L6K 0G6.
Smith, Minnie H.
Smith, Minnie Henrietta passed away at the Souris Personal Care Home on October 9th, 2017 at the age of 92. Born August 26th, 1925 on the Sellers’ farm in the Bunclody district, she was the second living of five children born to William and Jennie Sellers. She went to grade school in Bunclody, high school in Souris, and went to college at the Angus School of Commerce in Winnipeg. She worked in the Accounting Department at MTS, until her marriage to Alex Smith.
Alex and Minnie grew up across the road from one another, and attended Bunclody school together. They married on April 17th, 1948, at St. Paul’s United Church in Souris. They welcomed their first child, Sharon Lynn, in 1951 and Murray Alexander soon followed in 1953. Minnie loved keeping house and cooking. Devoting her life to family, Minnie was overjoyed to become a grandmother to five children, and five great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her son, Murray Smith; her grandchildren Sean and Teresa Howe, Lindsay, Erica, and Amy Smith; great-grandchildren Kyra and Dillion Outhwaite and Hallie and Ava Howe (Sean’s children), and Alice Troister (Amy’s Daughter).
Minnie was predeceased by her husband Alex and daughter Sharon; her parents and siblings.
In memory of Minnie, donations may be made to the Souris Fellowship Club Box 996 Souris, Manitoba R0K 2C0 or to the Souris Victoria Park Lodge c/o Municipality of Souris-Glenwood Box 518 Souris, Manitoba R0K 2C0.
Stewart, Karen Doreen
STEWART: KAREN DOREEN Karen Stewart (nee: Schultz), a loving wife, mother and Nana, died unexpectedly on April 7th, 2017 at the age of 61 in her home in Hartney, Manitoba. Karen is survived by her husband Wilf; her children Christopher, Michael and Caitlin, daughter in law Kim, grandchildren Deegan, Mckaela and Katie, and her brother Allan. Karen is predeceased by her mother Deloris.
Karen was born in Winnipeg on September 2nd, 1955. She graduated high school in Winnipeg at Nelson McIntyre high school in 1973. Karen lived in Tuktoyuktuk, NWT from 1980 – 1982 where she worked as the Post Master. In 1986, Karen was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Her and Wilf then settled in Gillam, Manitoba where they raised the family. In 2004, Karen moved to Hartney, MB. In 2010, she was diagnosed with Lung Cancer, and had been Cancer free until her passing.
Karen was a devoted wife, mother and Nana. She enjoyed cooking, reading, sewing and being with her grandchildren. She will be deeply missed by her friends, family, and all who knew her.
The family will be having a private service. Flowers or donations can be made in Karen’s name to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada – Manitoba Division.
Stephenson, Isabelle Eva
Stephenson: On July 14, 1926, Isabelle Eva Hamelin, wife of the late Mart Stephenson, was born on a farm near Jasmin, Saskatchewan. Schooling was in a two room brick school, St. Joseph de Dauphinais, District No. 17. The last born of 13 kids to Suzanne and Albert Hamelin, Isabelle left the farm at the age of 17 and went to Carberry, Manitoba to work at the Chinese restaurant. One of her sisters was already living and working in Carberry. She later moved to Souris because she heard from her friend, Bessie Caughill, who she originally met in Carberry, that there was work at the Chocolate Shop. In Souris in 1946, she met the love of her life, Mart Stephenson on a blind date and they were married on February 12, 1947. She was raised in the Catholic faith but joined the Anglican Church in 1947 because that was where Mart was attending. She was a faithful member there, helping at many functions. She was a woman of strong faith. She was predeceased by her parents, her beloved husband of 61 years and all her brothers and sisters.
She leaves to mourn her passing two children, Terry (Linda) Stephenson of Seal Beach, California and Janet (Sig) Eiriksson of Brandon, Manitoba, three grandsons Jeff (Arlene) Morrison of Brandon, Allan (Larissa) Morrison of Winnipeg and Victor (Jamie) Eiriksson of Brandon, three great-grandsons, Keagan, Tanner, and Haddon Morrison and numerous nieces and nephews.
Isabelle was a charter member of the Legion Auxiliary since 1959, long time member of I.O.D.E. until it disbanded in 1990, member of the Hospital Auxiliary and the Drop In Center. In the Drop In she was news correspondent for about four years and was president for a two year term. Her and Mart also looked after shuffleboard for nine years, playing as well. She was president of the Souris Fellowship Club for nine years. Isabelle also worked for many years at Tanguay’s with her good friend Shirley Newton.
Isabelle and Mart travelled to Brandon weekly to bowl for 19 years. She loved to play cards, especially bridge and did that regularly until about a year ago. She enjoyed travelling and liked doing home care for the elderly and spent 12 years doing that for one lady in Souris. She enjoyed many years travelling with her husband, Mart, and close friends Doug and Edwena Currie. She was credited with starting the Strawberry Tea over 50 years ago when it was first called the Peony Tea. It was held in Mrs. William’s yard and later in Mrs. Stewart’s yard (June Kowalchuk’s mother). The Hospital Auxiliary took it over and it is still going. Her family meant a lot to her and her only regret was not seeing them as often as she would have liked.
Cremation has taken place. Funeral service was held at Kowalchuk’s Funeral Chapel with ashes interred beside her beloved husband in the Souris and Glenwood Cemetery.
Donations, if so desired, maybe made to the Souris Beautification c/o Municipality of Souris-Glenwood Box 518 Souris, Manitoba R0K 2C0 or a charity of your choice.
Bartley, Carol Margaret Ida
Carol M.I.Bartley – nee Shier
On the 19th day of December, a very strong person, kind hearted, fighter until the very end.
Carol was born June 15th 1950 in Oxbow SK. She grew up in Glen Ewen SK. In September 1970 she met her lifelong husband Harvey. Married November 20th 1970. The 2 of them resided in Carroll MB. In August 2004 they decided to move to Brandon MB.
Carol passed away peacefully with her family by her side at the Assiniboine Centre.
She was predecesed by her parents Carl and Evelyn Shier of Glen Ewen SK. Carol was their only child. Leaving to mourn her passing are her husband Harvey Bartley, oldest daughter Carla (Dallas) Dufrat and 3 children Bryanna and Rylee McRuer and Zach Dufrat. Youngest daughter Marla (Chris), Sierra, and Trinity Rouire. Along with extended family.
Most of her life has been a battle. In 1981 she was diagnosed with kidney disease which then was followed by peritoneal dialysis. In July 1986 she was blessed with a kidney transplant which lasted for 26 years. In October 2012 the transplant had failed and had to go on hemodialysis. The last 4 years have been a struggle for her with other diagnosis also. With all the struggles that she went through, you would never hear her complain! She has taught us all great life values and how to never give up. Her favourite saying was,” it’s never so bad that it can’t be worse!” With all the struggles and hurdles that she went through, she would be the one to know this.
May you rest in peace Mom, your struggles are over!
A graveside service will take place in the spring.
If so desired donations may be made in memory of Carol to either the Dialysis Unit or Palliative Care Unit in Brandon c/o Brandon Regional Health Centre Foundation 150 McTavish Avenue East Brandon, Manitoba R7A 2B3.
At this time we would also like to extend a heart warmed thank-you to all the staff at the Dialysis Unit and Palliative Care Unit. For all the tender loving care that you gave Mom. She considered you all like family!
Saunderson, Elizabeth (Betty) Evan
Elizabeth (Betty) Evan Saunderson (nee McBurney)
Betty passed away peacefully at Souris Personal Care Home on Dec.10, 2016 at the age of 93. Betty was predeceased by her husband, Harvey, her brothers, Don and Jim, and her sister-in-law, Shirley.
What Betty valued most was time with her family. She leaves to cherish those memories her daughter Carol (Bill) Potter and son Brian (Kathie); grandchildren Tara (Harley) Waddell, Ryan (Allison) Potter, Colin (Melanie) Potter and Kelly Saunderson; great grandchildren Brayden and Parker Waddell and Liam and Norah Potter. She is also lovingly remembered by her brother Terry (Suzanne) McBurney and sister-in-law Jean McBurney, as well as nieces and nephews.
Betty was born to Joyce and Harriet McBurney and grew up on the family farm southeast of Hartney. Following grade 12 she went to Winnipeg to Normal School. During her years teaching and boarding in the Whitefield district she met Harvey. Following their marriage in 1945, Betty settled into life on the Saunderson family farm west of Souris and enjoyed involvement with the Whitefield-Breezelawn district and working with the Guild women. Betty took pride in homemaking and in her yard and garden. As well as being involved in her children’s activities, Betty supported and worked for her church and was also a founding member of Beta Sigma Phi in Souris. The continuing involvement and friendship with her “sorority sisters” remained a special part of her life.
Betty and Harvey enjoyed their Souris retirement years, many in their home overlooking Plum Creek. Retirement allowed time for them to be active volunteers at Hillcrest Museum and to enjoy square dancing. They spent a number of winters in Weslaco Texas where they made many new friends. Other valued times were spent closer to home in their motor home, camping in spots in Manitoba with friends, and often with grandchildren.
Betty lived with Parkinson’s disease for over 20 years. She bravely continued with her activities for as long as she could but eventually the disease robbed her of most abilities. For her last seven years Betty was a resident of Souris Personal Care Home and the family wishes to thank Dr. Cram and the staff at PCH for the care and support she received.
A memorial service was held on Saturday, May 13, 2017 at St. Paul’s United Church in Souris. If friends and family so desire donations can be made to Hillcrest Museum Souris or to the Parkinson Society Manitoba.