Obituary of Colleen Hall

Colleen is survived by: her loving husband Don; three children: Chad and his wife Darlene of Saskatoon; Carrie and her husband David Baynham of New Brunswick; Todd and his wife Heather also of Saskatoon; eleven grandchildren; seven brothers and sisters as well as numerous other realtives.HALL: Colleen Ingrid Patricia Hall of Livelong, Saskatchewan passed away on June 30, 2005 in Edmonton, Alberta at the age of 62 years. She is survived by her loving husband Don; three children: Chad (Darlene) Hall of Saskatoon, Carrie (David) Baynham of North Battleford and Tod (Heather) Hall of Saskatoon, 11 grandchildren and seven brothers and sisters. The funeral service was conducted from The Good Shepherd United Anglican Church, Turtleford on Tuesday, July 5, 2005 at 11:00 A.M. with Pastor Pat Ribey officiating. The eulogy was given by Edna Sample-Cushman. The organist was Bev Meikle. The hymns sung were: How Great Thou Art, In The Garden, The Old Rugged Cross and We Shall Go Out. The Honorary Pallbearers were: Dwight Hall, Winston Hall, Jason Hall, Greg Hall, Johnny Brett, Ricky Liepp, Owen Brett and Ian Brett. The Active Pallbearers were: Sonny Brett, Kevin Liepp, Lyle Adams, Cameron Brett, Johnathon Conacher and Brett Thompson. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd. Of Lloydminster and Turtleford administered the funeral arrangements. Eulogy Every once in a while in life, but rarely, you come across someone who shines with a very bright light. (I call them shiners.) They shine with a brightness that lights them from within and spreads their grace and warmth to all who surround them, shares it with all who have the privilege of knowing them. This is a light that glows long after the visit is over, long after they are gone. Colleen was one of those people. If all the people on earth were as generous, empathetic, honest, hardworking, humorous, sincere, gentle, and innocent as Colleen, - and in this last battle as brave, so very brave - there would be little or no trouble around in this old world. So when I was asked to say a few words about Colleen today, in this farewell time, a time not only of deep sorrow but of reverence and celebration of her life, I thought my task could not possibly be as difficult as it has proven to be. Eulogy, I learned, was a noun: 1. a speech or writing in praise of a person, 2. high praise or commendation. Well, I thought, never has there been a woman easier to praise! This, in fact, was true. But as I moved through my memories of Colleen and her family, I was filled with gratitude and the humility that knows it cannot possibly bring sufficient honour to such a soul, --- and, of course, a deep and abiding sense of loss. Frankly, I couldn't remember the world without her; I couldn't imagine the world without her. She was my elder cousin, but I had reason to think of her as my older sister, and a better model of human kindness, justice, care and commitment to the world no one could have wished. However my mother, Edith, could remember Colleen Ingrid Patricia Brett, the little girl who came into world on April 11, 1943, and was rasied on the family farm and educated near Turtleford with her bothers, Don, Terry and Stanley, and with her sisters, Hazel, Marie, Diane and Marlene. My mother remembered Colleen's sense of humor and her musical ability. She played the accordion at a dance in the Engish River Hall one night, I remember, for a handsome young man named Don Hall who had come onto the scene when she was fifteen and very beautiful - not only to me, who had watched her and her sister, Marie, set their hair in pin curls before they did the chores so they could go out to the dance on Saturday night - but obviously to Don, whom she later married in the most romantic winter wedding I had every seen (or will ever see, for that matter), complete with brides maids wearing lovely red velvet dresses abundant with the beautiful bouncy crinolines all of us wore at the time. My mother remembered when Colleen was five and had been kicked by a horse, breaking her leg - and my dad made her a little crutch so she could get around - perhaps one reason he came to love her so dearly all his life. He, too, had had to use crutches after the war. My early memories of her are of her kindness toward her younger siblings and cousins, taking us out to the pasture to get the cows, picking pincherries and chokecherries and saskatoons along the way; taking us over to Callbecks for a visit with Fern and Claire and Velma. I remember Don's and Colleen's hospitality to me as a young woman, welcoming me into their home, for dinner in their first suite on the top storey of a house in Saskatoon when they were newly married, and later, when she gathered in the frozen diapers from the line in Estlin after Chad and Carrie were born; then in Regina, taking me along (tag-a-long that I was) when they toured the car lots of the Queen City looking for one of their first ``new-to-you'' cars; and much later, in Saskatoon, North Battleford and Turtle Lake. The deep gratitude I feel when I remember her many gifts of herself to me and to others is shared by her family and many friends, her hospitality, her care for all those who came into her world, from babies and toddlers to her elders for whom she always reserved a good word and profound respect - I think now of her mother and father, Mabel and Jack Brett, my Mom and Dad, Edith and George Sample, Don's Mom and Dad, Everett and Helen Hall, and many others. How many of us gathered here today have, over the years, been cheered by Colleen's wonderful wit. She could always make you laugh, light up your smile with her wonderful voice, a voice like soft brown velvet, a caramel contralto, deep and resonant and (unless you had seriously erred in your ways) sympathetic. She was forthright, honest - you could depend upon her to level with you, sometimes suggesting a lighter perspective, if not a solution - and you could depend on her to give you a cup of coffee and a bite to eat and send you on your way in a far better state, often, than you deserved. Even during those last difficult and painful months, her response to others was always interested, gracious, generous and often still humorous. When I returned from Holland last November, Don and Colleen gave me a ride home to Turtle Lake from Saskatoon. She spoke of the many fabulous buys in children's clothing she had seen in the States, clothes she planned to buy for the grandkids. She and Don had just returned from Graceland. I had just become engaged to Richard Cushman and she remarked that I had better be careful how I waved that thing around - (referring to my new diamond ring) - I was liable to blind somebody! - her way of congratulating me and sharing my joy. Later, as the drive continued after lunch in North Battleford, I became aware how ill she had been on her trip, how seriously threatened her health now was, and at lunch had sadly noticed how Don's hand had begun to shake, a sign that, sadly, the worst was yet to come. But she had loved Graceland. She had loved Elvis - and his music - all her life. When I spoke with Don several days ago, he said yes, she really had liked Graceland, and wasn't it a good thing she had finally seen Elvis. In a sense, though, she had actually been in ``Graceland'' for many many years, most of her life, in fact, in the ``state'' of grace spent in the presence of those who loved her and those whom she loved. Family wasn't just a group of related folk to Colleen - it was a high art. Back to Evis, - she had seen him many many times in her life, - as often as she liked, really, - in Chad, her son, with whom she shared her musical passion. Together with Marie Thompson, her sister, and sister-in-law, Faye Brett, she created the fabulous, authentic, multi-sequined costumes he used in his Elvis impersonations and she supported him in this as in all his endeavours. Love me tender, (he used to sing), love me sweet, never let me go, you have made my life complete and I love you so. Love me tender love me true, all my dreams fulfilled, for my darling I love you and I always will... She shared the aspirations, joys and accomplishments of all her children, as well as their difficulties and disappointments. I remember the day she and Carrie skiied over to my house at Turtle Lake. Colleen wanted Carrie to talk to someone about the profession she was later to make her life's work - psychiatric nursing. And the whole community has benefited from this young woman's decision, supported and encouraged by her Mom. Above all, she loved her family and their families. Todd and Heather's became the source of most recent joy with their family of four, their little girl Jordan, the twins, Benjamin and Jacob, and baby, Hailey. There is a sign on a pole near Faye and Terry Brett's cabin at Powm Beach which depicts a mother duck and ducklings in a ``duckling crossing'' caution formation, which reminded me of Don and Colleen setting out with a little flock of grand-children from their beautiful cabin at Turtle Lake, out for a walk. How she loved them all! What joy they brought her! - Daniel, Tyrell, Kayla, Keesha; Chelsea, Kyle, Corey; Jordan, Jacob, Benjamin, and Hailey. And how proud she was of Chad and Darlene, Carrie and Dave, Todd and Heather. Connie Kaldor's song, ``That's what Mother's do'', comes to mind. May all your friends be true, Everything you do feel right, May all your morning windows Be filled with sweet sunlight. May you always walk with pride, May you never stumble and fall, May every dream you want come true I wish for it all. Chorus I know it's just a wish, And they sometimes don't come true, But that won't stop me wishing Cause that's what mothers do. Yes, she loved them all - the Halls, Lee and Donna and their family, Dennis and Bill and their families. Her nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, their husbands and wives: Hazel and Lyle, Don and Judy, Terry and Faye, Marie and Bill, Diane and Leonard, Stanley and Diane, Marlene and Gary. She enjoyed all her friends and colleagues - Colleen worked as a secretary-bookkeeper at Lift Systems International in North Battleford and Saskatoon Doors and More in Saskatoon. Her friends were legion - she and Don made many over the years in Saskatoon, Estlin, Regina, North Battleford, Winkler and Dauphin (where Todd arrived), and, of course, at Turtle Lake. Speaking of friends, Turtle Lake was one of Colleen's best friends. She loved the lake and the lovely home she and Don had built together. All of us will cherish happy memories of them there, working together, sharing the beach and the spruce forest, playing cards and visiting in the evenings - ``Graceland,'' to be sure. They shared the dream and made it come true, made it real and wonderful. Christmas, New Years Eve, Canada Day, the Labor Day weekend - bonfires on the ice, marshmallows, wiener roasts on warm summer nights - so many fine, fine days and nights. So many fine memories Colleen and Don gave to us. That day I talked to Don and he told me about Graceland, he also said something I'd like to respond to now. He said ``Well, I guess we lost the fight.'' Dear Lord, Don you did not lose the fight - I know we've lost Colleen and you, most of all, realize the magnitude of that loss - but you also know the magnitude of that love, the love of a lifetime. And your terrible adversary learned what all of us already know - that it could not separate you from each other throughout that anguished time. You knew every platelet count, every detail, you were with her in every darkness and danger. Your love for each other was never conquered, that spirit of caring and cooperation that you practised together all you life was constant, to the end. There was really no contest. So. I can hear her voice in my ear, an echo through the years, ``Well it's about that time. I guess I'd better be on my way. You take care now.'' Goodbye Colleen and thank you so very much. We can only hope that we will be able to care half as much for each other as you cared for all of us. Donations in memory of Colleen may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.