Obituary of Julie Priest

Eulogy Julie Josephine Priest Born Sept. 29, 1917. Passed away Sept. 15, 2009 September 18, 2009 Read by granddaughters Jewell Robson and Gail Carruthers This time of year was Grandma Priest's favourite. She loved the excitement of harvest, the great taste of meals in the field, the late evening rides in the grain truck, and seeing the family work together to get the grain in the bin. There was always a lot of laughter - especially with Grandpa Priest driving machinery. One time, Grandma, Daron & Kelly were driving up a narrow path on a steep hill at the Westgate place in a ½ ton truck. Grandpa was driving a tractor down the same steep hill. Instead of hitting the brakes to go by the truck, Grandpa planted his foot firmly on the clutch. He shot down the hill like a cannon, the auger banging along behind him, shovels and a ladder flying. Grandpa got off the tractor unharmed, but fuming. As he was spitting and sputtering about whose fault it was, Grandma was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down her cheeks. This week, it was the rest of the family that has been shedding tears as we said our final goodbyes to Grandma. She passed away Tuesday morning, just 14 days shy of her 92nd birthday. She is survived by siblings Pete, Ed, Johnny, Hilda, Josie, Betty & Clara, four sons, their wives, & their families. Julie Josephine Hartel was born September 29, 1917 in Dysart, Saskatchewan. She was the third and youngest child of Casper and Mary Hartel. Granny's father died during the flu pandemic of 1918, and her mother later married George Lang, a widower with five children of his own. George & Mary had three more children before the family moved to a farm in the Meadow Dew district near Paradise Hill, SK, where John & Josie Bielecki now reside in the same home. Four more children were born in the next few years, bringing their family to a total of 15 children. Granny talked about how her mother sat down and cried after they had settled into their new home, because they discovered the house had bedbugs, a pest they hadn't had to deal with in their Dysart home. She also told me that the girls in the family shared one pair of shoes, so on the rare occasion when their dad went to town, he could only take one girl with him. As a result, getting to town was a real treat for the children! Life wasn't easy, but the family always dressed up in their Sunday best to attend church at St. John's Roman Catholic Church. They most often walked the four-mile distance to attend, and only occasionally rode in the buggy, as they only had one horse. Granny attended Meadow Dew School, where she completed grade five before staying home full time to help with the family and chores. In 1933, when Granny was 16, she left home to begin working for Jim and Mae Priest in the North Bend district, where she met their nephew John, and niece Mary. The three of them attended many dances at North Bend Hall, and Granny often said what a treat it was to take the buggy to these outings. John and Julie were married on October 19, 1935, in front of ten other people. They lived on the quarter where John's dad, Pat, had homesteaded in the North Bend District . As of 2009, this quarter of land has been in the family for 100 years. Four sons, Lyle, Earl, Vernon & Donnie were born here. In 1952, in need of a better water source, the family moved down to the spring, ¾ of a mile south. When they moved the house, it split in half where two buildings had originally been pieced together to create the home. Surprisingly, the boys don't recall any tempers flaring, but remember that the movers and Granddad proceeded to chain the two chimneys together, jack the house back up and carried on with the move. Granny & Granddad farmed at this new location until the spring of 1995, when they moved to the Senior Apartments in Paradise Hill. Life in town was a change, but Granny enjoyed coffeeing with many of the ladies in Paradise Hill, and made a new group of friends in addition to all those made in earlier years. Grandad died in November that year, and Granny stayed in Paradise Hill until 2001, when she moved to the Dr. Hemstock Assisted Living residence in Lloydminster. For the past four years, when more care was needed, our Granny lived in the Dr. Cooke Extended Care Centre where she resided until her passing. Hard work was a hallmark of Grandma's life. Milking as many as 20 cows and selling cream, looking after chickens and pigs, cooking meals, baking loaf after loaf of bread, doing laundry, and raising four boys (who may or may not have been perfect angels) kept Grandma very busy. The work wasn't just in the yard, either - the boys remember Grandma out stooking with them, too. I'm sure the work seemed endless. But, there were lots of fun times too! Dances at North Bend Hall, Canada Day celebrations at Onion Lake, ball tournaments on many summer weekends, and evenings spent visiting with friends. Whist drives were popular for a few years, traveling by team & sleigh for these winter outings. My Dad, Earl, remembered another interesting mode of transportation... apparently Grandma would saddle up "Marigold," tie the lariat onto the boys' red wagon, and pull them the 1 ½ miles over to Stringers by the saddle horn. In 1956, power came to the region. Life became a little easier, although there was never a shortage of work. Grandma always said that power was the best invention of all! By this time, the boys were all teenagers, so this meant they were more helpful with the work on the farm, but probably caused many more worries for Grandma off the farm. Grandma was a member and faithful supporter of the Norbion Ladies Club, the Hillmond Arenaettes, the Hillmond Goodwill Group, the Frenchman Butte Legion, the Paradise Hill Seniors Group, and the Paradise Hill Bowling Club. Some of Grandma's hobbies were: knitting, crocheting, and yes, she even did macramé. She was always generous with her baking, and often sent her daughter-in-laws or grandchildren home with a loaf of bread or a dozen buns. She also had a green thumb and her flowers and house plants always flourished. She enjoyed long daily walks, and on a few occasions, even walked as far as North Bend Hall. Grandma always had a big vegetable garden, and lots of raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, and currants to water and weed. Of course this also meant lots of time spent picking, washing, pickling, preserving, and freezing. It's a good thing she did this, because whenever anyone stopped by, Grandpa insisted on feeding them, whether it was two hours before meal time, or two minutes before. Grandma was always able to take a meal meant for two and stretch it to heartily feed four or five. Somehow, she could prepare a wonderful meal, make tea, and dish out the dessert while everyone else ate, and still finish eating before the rest of us. Family gatherings were one of Granny's favorite events, and no reason was too small to get together. Granny was always in her element during these get-togethers. Ours was the only family who didn't live in the community, so when a gathering was planned, we would head to the farm to stay for the weekend. No matter how late Mom, Dad, Jade & I would arrive at Granddad & Granny's, we would raid Granny's fridge and there would always be roast beef or ham to put on the freshly baked buns on the counter. Of course one tradition we always very much enjoyed and looked forward to was our annual get-together on Christmas Eve for Chinese food. Everyone did their best to be there and what great memories of those family get-togethers we will always have. There was always lots of visiting, and a game of 21 at the kitchen table. One year we even got some of the men doing dishes! In earlier years, Granny & Granddad took turns hosting Christmas with Pete & Mary Shirtliffe & their family. Granny loved having people around and never liked to see anyone leave, however when we did go it was always with a smile on our faces. I will forever remember the ever-present peppermint dish in the porch. "Have a peppermint" were always Granny's parting words. Grandma was always happy to hop in a vehicle and go for a road trip. Even when Grandpa would take his famous shortcuts & inevitably get slightly lost or, take twice as long to get to where they were going, Grandma would never complain. Grandma's one priority on a road trip was stopping for meals along the way. It was never long after getting in the car that she would ask "where will we stop for dinner?". As the years go by and our own families grow up, we all begin to understand why going out for a meal was such a big deal for Grandma. With a family of four big boys and Grandpa to feed, it must have felt like she was constantly in the kitchen cooking. Her much enjoyed meals out were very well deserved. Grandma also traveled with Bessie Newman on many bus trips, and once to the Maritimes to visit Joan Price (nee Stringer). The ladies made it home safely, but their luggage didn't. In more recent years, Don & Gloria took Grandma on three trips out to British Columbia to visit Aunty Hilda & Uncle Vernon, Uncle Pete & Aunty Margaret, and long time family friends Dean & Maureen Westgate. After moving to the Hemstock, Grandma really treasured going out to church with Uncle Lyle and Aunt Rosemarie. She joked that the minister was always glad to see another Priest in the congregation! It was in 1981 that Grandma suffered her first stroke. She had many mini strokes over the years, but none of them set her back for very long. Her habit of walking a mile or more every day, no matter the weather, must have paid off. I'm sure all that exercise strengthened her heart and helped her successfully battle many of the other illnesses she faced in the last few years. Sport was one of Grandma's true passions. As for playing sports, she enjoyed curling, and also bowled in Paradise Hill from 1987 to 2001. Her team won the league championship on more than one occasion, earning Grandma numerous trophies. Whether it was on television or in person, she also loved watching sports, especially baseball, curling, and hockey. Grandma rarely missed a game if her sons or grandchildren were playing. She loved to watch her boys play hockey in the winter and ball in the summer, and she often reminisced about coming home late after these outings to find the milk cows standing outside the barn door, bawling to be milked. After Grandma moved to town, Uncle Don, Uncle Vernon and Jade were always phoning her with a time and a channel so she could find the right game on television. Granny was always there for all of us, no matter what was going on. Hockey games, music festivals, graduation ceremonies, 4-H, Christmas Concerts, - the list goes on and on. When we were at her place, we'd read Dr. Suess's Cat in the Hat, make homemade ice cream, bake buns, jump down the laundry chute, enjoy tea and gingersnaps, play Rummy, pick berries, butcher chickens, slingshot rocks at places Daron and Gail should know better than to, and wade in spring puddles that were deeper than our boots. We also helped her put out the odd runaway fire she'd light to cleanup dead grass in the spring. As you can see, she gave us the most important gift a parent or grandparent can give - her time. We are so fortunate to have had such a wonderful mother & grandmother, and will forever cherish the memories she created with us. And when you leave today, don't forget to "Have a peppermint!" Donations may be made to the Dr. Cooke Patient Comfort Fund, Hillmond Arena or to a charity of the donors choice.