Obituary of Kathleen Stewart

BIOGRAPHY STEWART ~ Kathleen Margaret Stewart passed away in the Dr. Cooke Extended Care Centre, Lloydminster, Alberta on Saturday, December 18, 2010 at the age of 92 years. Kathleen will be sadly missed by her two children: Joan and Les Ellis of Lloydminster, Sonny and Peggy Stewart of Kitscoty; ten grandchildren; eighteen great grandchildren as well as numerous other relatives. The funeral service was conducted from the Kitscoty Community Church, Kitscoty, Alberta on Thursday, December 23, 2010 at 2:00 P.M. with Reverend Bob Aldrich officiating. The eulogy was read by Penny Moon and Carmen Bloomquist. The hymns sung were "In The Garden" and "Amazing Grace" accompanied on the organ by John Scott. The Kitscoty Community Choir was in attendance. The honorary pallbearers were All Those Who Shared In Mom's Life. The active pallbearers were her grandchildren: Wendy McGuigan, Pam Simpson, Pat McGuigan, Gale Galenza, Penny Moon, Robert Ellis, Donald Stewart, Tanis Miller, Carmen Bloomquist and Colleen Melchert. The interment was held in the Kitscoty Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. EULOGY Our Grandma went by many different names throughout her life. She was born 'Kathleen'….some people called her Kay…later she was called Mommy, Mom, Mother and I'm sure there was an Aunt or an Auntie thrown in there too. However, that all changed when she had Grandchildren…..it would seem that we all wanted to be different, and as such, had different names for her. She was known as 'Grandma", "Granny" and "Ga-Ga….and she made certain that birthday and Christmas cards to each of us was signed in the proper way. We think she liked the uniqueness of it all. Kathleen Margaret Gordon was born in Vermilion, AB on December 3, 1918 to Harry and May Gordon. She passed away on Saturday, December 18, 2010 at the Dr. Cooke Nursing Home in Lloydminster, AB at the age of 92. She is survived by her daughter, Joan and husband Les Ellis, her son Malcolm and wife Peggy, her son-in-law Bill McGuigan, ten grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren. She was pre-deceased by her husband of 70 years, William, in 2009, her son Willard, and her daughter, Marilyn McGuigan, as well as her parents, Harry and May Gordon. Kathleen grew up on the farm one mile west of Islay and attended elementary school there. Her high school years were spent in Vermilion. Kathleen was, as you can imagine, a top 'A' student. Her high school marks in Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry were 100%! She was also on the high school track team. Because she was too young to start her teacher training, she enrolled in the Honor's Math Program at the University of Alberta. While attending the U of A she was also the goalie on the women's hockey team. She was known as 'Gordie'. Following that she obtained her teacher's diploma at the Edmonton Normal School. Her first and only year of teaching was at Beulah School near Kitscoty in 1938/39. During that year she resided with William and Millie Stewart who happened to have a 19 year old son named William! And so the legacy began….. Kathleen and Willie were married in Lloydminster on June 8, 1939. Their first home was a small 2 room house across the road from Willie's parents. There they raised their family. Their first son Butch was born in 1940, followed by their daughter Joan in 1941. Their family was complete with the arrival of their twins, Sonny and Chicky in 1945. For almost 40 years they lived on the farm until they moved to Kitscoty in 1976. Kathleen and Willie moved to the Hemstock Residence in Lloydminster in March of 2002. After Kathleen broke her hip that December she moved to the Dr. Cooke, where she remained until her passing. As her grandchildren we are privileged and honored to deliver our Grandma's eulogy. Granny wrote in a diary almost every day from the year that she and Grandpa were married in 1939 until sometime in the late '80's. Some of us have had the opportunity to read these diaries, and what a treasure they are to us! Reading her diaries has given us a glimpse into the younger, vibrant woman that she was, a woman that we never knew. She was a hard-working mother and wife…she raised 4 kids, sewed their clothing as well as her own, grew a garden, kept the house, did the cooking and did the washing once a week by hand. In one of her entries she was so excited to have a new washing machine…but the first time she used it she wrote about how she almost gassed herself and was none too impressed with the new technology! She wrote about current events in the world…she always mentioned who won the Grey Cup AND the World Series. She wrote about getting electricity….having a phone installed…buying a black and white TV, and having a flush toilet put inside the house! She took us back to a time when things were so much simpler, but a time when life was somehow fuller. The one thing that she wrote about everyday was HER FAMILY. What her kids were doing, who their friends were, how they were doing in school, in sports, with jobs. She wrote about each of them getting married and then about each of her grandchildren being born. Soon she wrote about each of us and what we were doing, how we were doing in school, sports, and with our jobs. The one thing that is SO apparent in her writings is just how important her family was to her. She was proud of each and every one of us and in her writings, she celebrated all of us. We know she liked our lives and enjoyed being a part of them. We do think that perhaps Ga-Ga missed her calling…she would have made a terrific police woman or perhaps even a private investigator. She knew EVERYTHING that happened in Kitscoty…we have no idea 'how' she knew, she just did! Sometimes it seemed she knew things before anyone else. From her view on the loveseat in the living room, she watched all the going-ons in Kitscoty…she knew who walked up and down the street, and who walked with them. She knew who drove what vehicle….and she knew when there was a new vehicle in town. She knew when a new family moved in and she noticed when she hadn't seen someone in a few days. Little did she know, she had formed her very own Neighborhood Watch program, manned by her and her alone! From her kitchen window she could see one of us driving on Highway 16, going to Lloyd in the morning for work or an appointment and she noticed us come home from Lloyd later in the day. Those of us who went to school in Kitscoty had no choice but to behave because if we didn't we were sure that Ga-Ga would somehow find out about it! But I think she liked that…..keeping tabs on not only her family but her friends and neighbors too. Most of us never knew Granny before she had a stroke. We remember her walking with a cane for years. We all used to like playing with her cane and we're sure that at one time or another we were all hit with it….by each other of course, not by Granny. Then she graduated to her walker and at times could be a bit of a menace with it! She was known to say 'Get outta my way or I'll run over your toes!' ….and no, she wasn't kidding. Grandpa was always telling her to be careful, probably because his toes were always bruised from her motoring by him. It was strange to see her in a wheelchair. Even though we had watched her progress from a cane to a walker, the wheelchair just didn't suit her. It seemed to make her much less mobile than she would have liked to have been. But we needn't have worried, as it didn't really slow her down all that much! She remained fearlessly independent, generally refusing to be pushed but preferring to make her way all on her own. We think that she enjoyed doing both the simplest and more difficult tasks on her own. Ga-Ga loved to knit! We all have something that she took the time to knit or crochet for us. We had sweaters when we were little, sweaters when we were bigger, dishcloths that we all loved, and of course our cherished afghans. When we visited her at the house in Kitscoty, she very enthusiastically showed us what she was working on…something for a baby, a gift for an upcoming birthday, yet another afghan. She would show us the picture of what it was supposed to look like when it was done, and show us all of the different colored yarn she was using to make it. We realize now that Ga-Ga was not just knitting a 'thing' for us, but was putting her love into every stitch that was made. Even some of the great-grandchildren have a cherished keepsake from her. Granny had many, shall we say, 'endearing qualities'. She had an uncanny knack of calling just as we sat down to eat, no matter what time it might have been. She also had the strange ability of knowing when someone had arrived home from a trip. If she called with news and was excited to tell someone, she sometimes forgot to say 'Hello'…but would quickly ask for Joan, Peggy or Chicky. She didn't have time to speak to the boys. During her last few years we realized how much Ga-Ga loved to laugh. Sometimes when we visited her at the nursing home she would laugh when we teased her. We think that she must have laughed a lot when she was younger, before all of her strokes. Sometimes she even laughed when Sonny or Butch was teasing her…if she didn't get too mad to laugh. We think she liked that though, being teased. In a way it made her feel special, even if it drove her crazy at the same time. And we really do think she loved to laugh. The last time we all gathered was to celebrate Granny's 92nd birthday, she had contracted pneumonia and wasn't feeling well. When it was mentioned how great it was that she had made it to 92, she simply said, 'Well, I was hoping to make a few more years than that!'….and then we all laughed, thinking about her sense of humour, her stubbornness, her determination and the quiet strength within her that pushed her forward each day when others may have wanted to give up. She may have not been a 'typical' Grandmother, but she was ours and we all had a unique relationship with her. As we've aged, we have realized all of the special qualities within her, the qualities that each of us share in some small way. And we've all realized just how strong her love for us has been throughout the years, even if she wasn't always able to show it. We would like to share with you a poem that we found in her Autograph Album from High School. "When our lessons in life are all ended, And death says that school is dismissed. May we all meet in Heaven together And not one of our members be missed." We love you and we will miss you! CARD OF THANKS The family extends a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Cavanagh for many years of medical care and kindness to our Mother. A special thanks to all the staff at the Dr. Cooke Care Centre for the care and friendship shown to Mom during her eight years there. We thank Rev. Bob Aldrich for conducting the service and for his comforting ministry. Thank you to John Scott and the church choir for their ministry of music and to the church ladies for the delicious lunch. Thanks to the grandchildren for being pallbearers and for delivering the eulogy. Granny loved all of you! Thanks to relatives and friends for expressions of sympathy - cards, donations, food, phone calls and visits. And our thanks to Glenn and his staff at McCaw Funeral Service for guiding us through this difficult time. Sincerely, Sonny & Peggy, Joan & Les, Bill & Families