Obituary of Holly Wells

B I O G R A P H Y WELLS: Holly Neiley Wells passed away in the Jubilee Home, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Saturday, April 8, 2006 at the age of 93 years. Holly is survived by: one son, Brian and Renee Wells of Calgary, AB; one daughter, Marilyn and George Mann of Lloydminster; five grandchildren: Jared and Lisa Wells of Calgary, Jonathan Wells of Vancouver, Morgan and Leah Mann of Lloydminster, Merv and Ramona Mann of Lloydminster, Melissa and Derek Wright of Rivercourse; six great grandchildren; one brother, Garry Bradshaw of Lloydminster; one sister, Joyce Reid of Saskatoon as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Holly was predeceased by her husband Marshall in 1989 and by her brother Wallace in 1966. The celebration of life for Holly was conducted from the Grace United Church, Lloydminster, Alberta on Thursday, April 13, 2006 at 2:00 P.M. with Pastor Anne Laird officiating. A tribute was given by Granddaughter Melissa Wright. The Grace United Church Choir sang “Amazing Grace.” Hymns sung were “I Was There To Hear Your Borning Cry,” “The Lord’s My Shepherd,” and “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder,” accompanied on the organ by Irene Knowlson. Honorary pallbearers were all those who shared in Mom’s life. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster administered the funeral arrangements. I would like to start by thanking the family for granting me the honor to give this tribute. Gram was the eldest child of Max and Ruby Bradshaw a farming family from Senlac, Saskatchewan. It was Christmas Eve day 1912 when Ruby, unattended as Max had gone to seek assistance from a neighbor lady, gave birth to Holly Neiley. She received the name Holly for the season and Neiley as that was Ruby’s maiden name. Gram was then joined by her brother’s Wallace in 1916 and Garry in 1917. To complete the family Joyce arrived in 1926. Gram was a natural homemaker who preferred domestic chores over farm work. She was a big help to her mom while attending to her younger siblings. While Garry and Wad rode the mile and half to Airdale School Gram chose to walk. I have always marveled with the close relationship Gram had with all her siblings. Despite Joyce living miles away and the two being 14 years apart, they were best friends and confidants. As Gram would say “Joyce is quite an operator.” For grade 11 and 12, Gram boarded at Battleford’s Collegiate Institute. Limited visits to her home in Senlac were much anticipated by Gram and her family. At graduation Gram was recognized with the highest IQ for the school at that time. The following spring Gram attended Normal School in Saskatoon. On the train to Saskatoon she met Martha Mathias who was also on her way to Normal School. The two became life long friends. Gram went on to teach in one room school houses at Longlake and Winter. A former pupil once told mom, “Oh we just loved her! We all cried on the last day when Miss. Bradshaw announced to the class of 50 pupils that she would not be back the following year. It was during that time that Gram was being courted by Marshall Wells or better known as “Curly” or to us grandchildren as “Buck.” On December 11, 1937 Gram and Buck were married. Following a honeymoon to Edmonton, they lived with Buck’s parents. While Buck was dragging his feet with getting moved to their own farm site, Gram’s mother, Ruby insisted he had “till sundown to get moved”. They then settled into a three room house on their own farm 1 mile from Senlac. Brian arrived in 1940 and then Marilyn in 1945. In 1950 they moved to a much larger home with power and eventually plumbing to follow. In many ways Gram was treated with royalty. Her day would often start by Buck delivering the first portion of her breakfast, a grapefruit to her in bed. Her driving during these days was limited to going to ladies aid meetings or for tea at her sister-in-laws Vera or Phil’s as well as to other neighbor ladies. In preparation for her 1 mile drive into Senlac, Buck would be sure to have all the controls such as the air-conditioning or heater set on the car. He would seldom leave Senlac, only 1 mile from home before stopping at the store to phone Holl to see if there was anything more she needed from town. Brian and mom recall their dad often feeling that some things were too much work for Holl – never wanting to overburden her. Farming and ranching in the 50’s and 60’s provided a comfortable income that enabled them to travel. Summer vacation during those years involved car rides to such places as Vancouver, Banff or Waskasiew. Once the children were grownup Buck leased out the cows so that winter holidays to Hawaii, Mexico, Barbados, Arizona and Toronto Royal could be taken. In 1985 Buck became seriously ill on a flight home from Palm Springs. When the plane had to be emergency landed in Vegas Gram found her self in the position of having no signing rights to cheques or credit cards. Buck was later transferred by air ambulance to Saskatoon where he remained in the hospital for a period of time. Gram utilized her time in Saskatoon by taking driving lessons. She was then quick to have all accounts changed to include her name. Later in 1985 Gram and Buck started a new chapter in their lives when they moved to Lloydminster. This provided Gram with the opportunity to have a brand new house. The transition was smooth as she found the community and neighbors to be as friendly and supportive as they were at Senlac. Gram became involved with activities at the senior centre and Grace United Church. Gram and Buck’s home soon became a common meeting place. They took interest in our activities and personally knew all of our friends. Their home had a hidden key which was well known to most of these friends. There was more than a few occasions when part way through the morning they were greeted by an unexpected but welcomed overnight guest that had unbeknown to them arrived during the night. While Buck was quick to provide us with a pop and chocolate bar, Gram was more satisfied when we could get some rest. I recall various occasions when I arrived at her home or even her room at the Jubilee and was met at the door with instructions to be very quiet because someone was resting. In December of 1989, her husband of 52 years past away. This chapter of Gram’s life brought a new form of independence. With her new 1991 Taurus car Gram took daily drives out to mom and dads, downtown or to Senlac. This was fairly impressive considering she had never done major city or highway driving. Garry was particularly impressed considering her early driving skills when she drove their 1926 Chrysler 70 straight through the garage and knocked out the entire end wall. I have fond memories of going with Gram to visit friends in neighboring communities or taking road trips to visit Brian and his family in Calgary. Of course it was always the loveliest drive. Some of Gram’s last big trips involved traveling with mom twice to Nova Scotia where Morgan attended University and once to visit me in Arizona where I was nursing. Often these trips required making a few connections. Each time, on exiting the plane Gram would thank the captain for the nicest flight she had been on. A couple of hours later while exiting the plane the Captain was once again told it was the nicest flight she had ever been on. I think this must be a Bradshaw trait because I have often heard Garry announce after a family supper that “it was the best meal (he) had ever had.” I know Ken Warriner would concur that you do not find a more solid person than a Bradshaw. Gram only saw the good in people. She was never jealous or envious of others. Rather she would boast of their accomplishments and provide praise. Gram coped with life events by never worrying. In recognizing this she once said “maybe I have my head in the sand.” She could always keep everything in perspective. Brian recalls his own feelings of being overwhelmed when Gram was diagnosed with cancer. Gram remained strong and controlled as she reassured Brian that it was “better her then Marilyn or Renee.” Beyond Gram’s intellectual mind, her sincere interest in other people enabled her to remember names, events and dates. Even into her later years she astonished people by calling them and their children by name. When she did not know someone’s name she was prompt to ask. We all recall this creating a few uncomfortable moments when in earshot of the person Gram would ask “now who was that?” For Gram and her failing eyesight this was an appropriate question. For us, who do not have Gram’s knack with names, it was fairly embarrassing when we could not answer back. Gram lived a very controlled life. Her house was kept immaculate by avoiding clutter and keeping all items organized. You could open any drawer in her home and find each item neatly placed and quite possibly wrapped in paper for safe keeping. When deciding to participate in an activity Gram would state “well we will see.” She was astute to the sky, birds and the changing moon. Gram enjoyed sitting outside and taking slow walks. While she enjoyed flowers, her flower beds were kept to very a limited area. Hours could be spent trimming one hansa rose. Gram cooked to perfection by focusing on small portions, measuring ingredients precisely and cooking over low temperatures. Quality over quantity reflected Gram’s furniture or clothing. In recognizing Gram’s great taste in cloths my dad, George often suggested that my mom should take her mother with her when shopping. Us five grandchildren feel very blessed to have a Gram who we knew was our number one fan and support. I recall feeling overwhelmed prior to writing one of my finals in first year University. Gram in her quest to find some way to assist me, decided that she would send me vibes and prayers during the period of the exam. To this date I have not done poorly on an exam when Gram was on board. While my roommate Joan got quite a kick out of this, she soon sought Gram’s assistance when faced with a challenging exam. This same support was directed to the boy’s when playing hockey. Gram would look at her watch and note “the puck will be dropping” or “the first period should be coming to an end.” The staff at the Jubilee soon learned that they needed to find out the Border King score before going in to work the night shift. Gram always seemed to have a little extra concern for Morg’s welfare. As a young man working in Lloyd, Gram would have a bagged lunch prepared for him to pick-up every morning. Years later when Gram made the difficult move to the Jubilee Home, Morg eased the transition by having lunch 2 to 3 days a week with her and the other residents at the home. Over the last few years, Gram in her kind and gentle way made small comments that implied Leah was to take very special care of Morgan! With the welcoming of spring Gram was always eager to note the blooming crocuses. Faithfully Merv ensured that Gram was the first to receive a “hatful” of crocuses from the creek at Senlac. True to form each year she would tell Merv they were the nicest crocuses she had ever seen. I have a feeling Romona and Mom will be the beneficiary of the spring crocuses as Merv carries on the tradition in Gram’s memory. Jared and Jon did not have the privilege of living geographically close to Gram. What they do have is fond memories of summer vacations to the farm at Senlac. Gram’s attention would be completely devoted to spending time with them by playing various games and going for walks. They distinctly recall that when it was time for her favorite TV show the Front Page Challenge with Fred Davis all activities came to a complete halt. Despite the distance Gram maintained involvement in their lives through regular phone calls and cards. The last chapter of Gram’s life was in 2001 when she moved to the Jubilee Home. Gram adjusted to this transition with the same grace and dignity that she had throughout life. She showed remarkable resilience with an ability to fight back as her body deteriorated to a mere 62 lbs. Back in the fall Merv spent a night at Gram’s side. During their discussion Gram stated that she “knew where she was going and that it was a better place.” Over the past few months, despite periods of confusion she managed to recall who had been in to visit and continued to take interest in our activities. About a month ago I had dosed off in Gram’s chair when I awoke to “Melissa, Melissa I think this is a bit risky.” Here my daughter who is just learning to walk had worked her way to Gram’s wheelchair and was holding on to the wheels. Considering Gram’s failing health I was pretty impressed with her assessment of the situation. A couple of days before her passing while being fairly unresponsive and in a debilitated state, in an effort to get Gram to take some fluids Mom was instructing Gram to suck on the straw. Gram’s strong mind shown through when from her depressed state she asked “are you saying (spelled out) S T U C K or S U C K.” Mom, taken by surprise had to give it some thought. As my one year old daughter Holly grows she will learn life value lessons through stories of her Great Gram. She will learn the true value of being a sister, of friendship, sincerity, good stewardship, of having a caring loving attitude, of how a woman should be treated by a man and of equal importance how a woman should treat a man. The value lessons in these stories will lead little Holly to be very proud to carry the name of such an outstanding woman. Thank-you Gram for loving us, supporting us, believing in us and the values you instilled in us by the standard to which you lived your life. Truly a fine Christian lady had been called home. Thank-you to the staff from all departments at the Jubilee Home for your care of Holly over the past five years. As a team you excel at making it a “home” rather than an “institution”. Afternoon coffee being open to family and friends is an added touch. Thank-you to Dr. Canvanagh for the excellent medical care and for treating her with respect and compassion. Thank-you to Home Care for your services that allowed her to remain in her own home for as long as possible. The funeral service brought deep satisfaction to the family as it was truly a celebration of Holly’s life. Thank-you to Glen and the staff at McCaw Funeral Home for your professionalism, guidance and patience. Thanks to Pastor Ann Laird, Grace United Church Choir, organist Irene Knowlson and the UCW ladies for the lunch. The expression of sympathy by cards, visits, food, flowers and donations from family and friends was greatly appreciated. Above all thank-you for the kindness and friendship shared with Holly during her life. Sincerely, The Family of Holly Wells Donations in memory of Holly may be made to the Grace United Church or to the Jubilee Gems.