Obituary of Kathryn Baynton

Funeral Services for Kathryn Marie Baynton were conducted from First Baptist Church, Lloydminster on September 8, 2005 with Pastors Ta Tumu and Bryan Summerhayes officiating. Honorary Pallbearers were: Diane Beaulac; Pamela Forbes; Laureen Guenther; Terri Lautermilch; Kelanie Lumbard; Christine Muyres; Barbara-Gayle Shirtliffe; and, Pat Wyand. Active Pallbearers were: Mark Breitkreuz; Murray Forbes; Brook Hubbard; Scott Lumbard; Ron Muyres; and, Mark Thompson. --- Eulogy given by Doug Baynton: Kathryn Marie Baynton was born to Fred and Linda Baynton on October 25, 1968 in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. Kathy took all of her elementary and secondary education in Lloyd, and graduated from high school in 1986. Her plans for a teaching profession then took her to Saskatoon where she graduated in 1990 from the University of Saskatchewan with her education degree. That fall she accepted her first teaching position in Hillmond, SK where she taught for the next several years. Kathy then took a hiatus from her teaching career and moved to a secretarial position at FBC. She stayed as church secretary until the early spring of 1997 when she took another teaching position covering a maternity leave at Father Gorman School. From there Kathy moved to the Lloyd Public School Division and she finished out her career there after teaching at E.S. Laird, Barr Colony and Rendell Park Schools. Kathy was diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2002 and she began what she called her “Cancer Adventure”. That adventure came to an end on Saturday, September 3. She was predeceased by her maternal and paternal grandparents, an uncle, Harold Davis, two cousins, Larry Baynton and David Scovill, and her father, Fred Baynton. She leaves to remember her passing numerous relatives in the Baynton, McKerihan, Kent, Waterfield families as well as many colleagues and friends. --- Kathy was a wonder to me. Three years ago just shortly after Kathy was diagnosed, she sat down Fran and I to lay out for us some of her funeral plans. It will come as no surprise to many of you that Kathy had most of the details outlined even then. She had prepared the lists of her pall bearers, and the music etc. And, she had contingency plans in place should circumstances dictate that there be changes. But when it came to whom she wanted to do the eulogy, she had not yet made that decision. And so, before she could say anything more, I impetuously and naively asked for the job. I was motivated by a sudden fear that no one else would be able to do justice to my sister. Ironically today, I stand here recognizing how utterly I too have failed to accomplish the task of defining and capturing the scope and essence of Kathy. For the thing about wonders is that they can only be experienced. They can’t adequately be described or defined or explained. The true appreciation rests in the eyes of the beholder and their first hand experience. And so it is with Kate. Yet this realization now does not abscond me of my duty, and so I will press on as best I can. In Kathy one found the best of our parents: Dad’s gregarious personality; Mom’s ability to see the details; Dad’s sense of humor; Mom’s work ethic; Dad’s passion for people; Mom’s sense of service. God blessed Kathy with an incredible mix and then He put her own unique spin on those traits. Time does not allow for me to expand on all these different aspects, but even if it did I suspect my bias would quickly carry me into violation of Kathy’s trust. For at the outset of her notes came the explicit instruction: “NO SAINT KATHY GARBAGE.” That being said there are a few things that merit comment. From the earliest memories I have of Kathy I remember her planning to be a teacher. Each day her room would undergo a metamorphosis and turn into a school. She would have each of her dolls lined up and ready for class which she then would commence teaching with no small amount of enthusiasm. I’m sure that our house was home to the most educated dolls found anywhere. Most of them probably still know more than I do. I always thought Kathy was going to be a great teacher because she would literally fill notebooks full of work on behalf of those dolls. She would give them their assignments, do their assignments, and then she would proceed to turn around and correct those assignments until her hands actually hurt from writing cramps. Imagine my chagrin when I started school and found out that I had to fill the work books up myself. Kathy approached her own school work with the same diligence. Whenever Kathy graduated it was always with distinction. Her averages were inevitably in the top half of the nineties. I recall her receiving marks on some of her assignments that were 100 out of 100 and then all these pluses behind it. Early on I came to be so thankful that I was the older child because had I been the second it would have been such a disappointment to Mom and Dad. It was no surprise then that Kathy did accomplish her goal and became a teacher. And as she embarked on her career we again saw her work ethic and determination. I think the facts speak for themselves. In approximately 11 years of teaching, Kathy taught in 3 school divisions and 5 schools. She taught grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, grade 7 and some courses in grade 8. As best I can ascertain, she taught the same grade no more than twice and only once consecutively. Each August as Kathy headed back to school she would say to us, “See you next June.” And that was pretty much the case. Following dismissal for the day it was usually an hour or two of work followed by a quick run to grab supper, the mail and of course a Slurpee, and then it was time to head back to school for an evening of correcting or prep work for the next day ahead. Weekends were rarely much different save for Church on Sunday. My most effective method of getting in touch with her during the school year was to walk around the school and knock on her classroom window: a task made most difficult whenever her room did not have an external wall. The trials of moving schools and switching grades however were offset by the colleagues that she met along the way. God was good to put some special people in Kathy’s path at each of her stops. And those folks were spread not only among the teaching staff but also amongst the secretaries and custodians as well. I may not know all of your faces, but I do know your names because Kathy talked of you often and it was clear that you meant a lot to her and thus you mean a lot to us. Kathy’s colleagues were important to her because Kathy was a people person. Nothing energized Kathy like a room full of strangers. She was always intrigued to meet someone new. And she inevitably found ways to meet the most interesting of people. In her house was what we called her wall of fame. And on it was picture after picture with her and individuals of note. Each time she went away on a trip or holiday she inevitably returned with another picture to hang on the wall. And with each picture there was always a story. I’m not sure if she was blessed with an extra dose of “hutspa” or just an above average level of obliviousness, but one way or the other she found ways to meet people that I would never dream of. It seemed that while most of us use the front door, Kathy would look for the back door knowing that the back door more often than not leads far faster into the kitchens of people’s lives. Perhaps she found ways to meet these folks because of the fact that she saw us all as equals. To Kathy, regardless of position, everyone had strengths and weaknesses and that put us all in the same boat. And in her mind, if we were in the same boat we might as well get to know each other. In getting to know Kathy it was hard to overlook her sense of humor. Kathy had a few simple rules for life, one of them being, “Keep it simple.” Her approach was to major on the majors and minor on the minors, and to Kathy, most things were minor. As such, in her mind, most circumstances allowed for a laugh. I witnessed this bare out in even the most difficult events of her life - right up to and including her diagnosis with cancer. For example, one day shortly after Kathy had been diagnosed, someone was talking to her and as carefully as possible they inquired as to what kind of cancer she had. Kathy paused for a moment, and then with as serious an expression as she could muster, she leaned in and said, “Well, they have ruled out testicular, and we’re pretty sure it’s not prostate.” All that to say, despite the circumstances, Kathy felt life went better with a laugh and a smile. And speaking of smiles, one of the fastest ways to get Kathy to smile was to turn on some music. While almost any music would do, Southern Gospel music was best. Over the years Kathy has traveled hither, thither and yon to attend concerts and southern gospel conventions. Her love for the music and a fascination with the music business soon translated into numerous contacts and then true friendships with many of the groups and individuals in the industry itself. Armed with only a case of Smarties and her knack to find the back doors I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t long before she was working behind different group’s product tables and assisting them with their promotion And while she helped out with a number of groups over the years, one group held a special place in her heart, and that was the Circuit Riders. In them she found a group with talent and no end of potential, as well as a group that she thought could benefit from some of her administrative skills. It was a thrill for Kathy to work with them over the past three years as she volunteered to handle some of their bookings, put together promotional material and helped them out with general office support by organizing flights, hotel accommodations, etc. Emmett, Tim and John are each past or present members of the Circuit Riders and we are so pleased that they could be hear to help us with the music. Kathy would be impressed. There are just two last aspects of Kathy’s life that I want to touch on today. The first is her love for her nieces and nephews. Kathy would have loved to have kids of her own but after a while I think she was almost relieved to orbit strictly within the realm of Auntie. In any event, her perspective on family shifted as she found herself in that role. Her nieces and nephews, particularly the ones here in town, provided Kathy the opportunity to contribute to the parenting process, and it was a role she took seriously as she recognized the size of the stakes in raising kids. She tried to be intentional in the opportunities she had and prayer was a currency that she spent liberally on their behalf. Auntie Kathy wanted each of you to know that she loved you very much. The last aspect of Kathy’s life that I will address today was the most major of all her majors, and that was her faith in Jesus Christ. Kathy’s faith was foundational to all of the areas I have already mentioned. Her faith motivated her to be the best teacher she could be. It fueled her interest in people. It is what allowed her to laugh even with diminishing health right up to her death. Her faith was reflected in the music she loved. And it was of prime importance to Kathy to nurture the faith of her nieces and nephews. Early in her life, Kathy made the decision to trust in Jesus Christ as her personal savior. In essence she found that there is a God, and that He wanted to play a part in her life. And she found that the only way for that to happen was to accept what God’s Son Jesus Christ had done for her. That decision shaped the rest of Kathy’s life as she found both her purpose and a path to follow. Not that she knew exactly what was going to happen, but that she found the framework by which she could live. Whatever life could throw her way, she had an anchor to which she could hold. Did her faith make her perfect? No. But she tried to live her life in such a way as to be changing in that direction. Did her faith solve all her problems? Obviously not, but it helped her to get through them with peace and an underlying confidence. Many folks have commented to Kathy about her faith over the last number of months and Kathy wanted me to make it clear that her faith was not only her own (I think you teachers call that singular possessive.) Kathy wanted you to know that her faith stemmed from God and as such it is available to us all should we choose to accept it. To Kathy there was no more important decision for us to make. --- I have just two duties left today. Dave: You long ago earned our love and respect. But over these last three years you have elevated them to new levels as you fully engaged in this adventure with Kathy, and as you enabled Mom care for Kathy all along the way. Fran and I join with Kathy and offer you our thanks. And Mom: Though I wouldn’t have thought it possible, today we love you even more than ever before. Kathy appreciated more than she could express all that you did for her. And similarly, I can not express how much it meant for me to watch you nurse my sister. Again, Fran and I join with Kate and say, “We love you.” and, “Thank you.” --- And lastly: if I have violated Kathy’s trust and ventured into “Saint Kathy” territory, I apologize, and offer as my one and only excuse that … Kathy was the perfect sister for me. --- Card of Thanks: Thank you to all of the health care professionals here and at the Cross Cancer Institute that Kathy encountered on her Cancer Adventure. Your care and assistance have been much appreciated. Thanks to everyone that has expressed love and support, in numerous and special ways, at our time of loss. We have been overwhelmed by your care. Thank you to all that took part in Kathy’s service and the lunch following. And to the team at McCaw’s our special thanks for all of your care and efforts on our behalf. Linda, Dave, Doug, Fran and Family.