Obituary of Bessie Newman

A memorial service was held at Grace United Church, Lloydminster on Friday, June 24, 2005 honoring the memory of Bessie Newman. The service was conducted by Reverend Norm Laird and assisted by Reverend Harold Martin. The organist was Irene Knowlson and special music was provided by the United Church choir singing “Amazing Grace.” “In The Garden,” was sung by Tracey Argue and Marion Newman accompanied by Walter Newman on the guitar. Tributes were given by Bessie’s daughter, Lynn Priest and son, Walter Newman. Pallbearers were: Michael Newman, Stephen Newman, Peter Bygrove, Raymond Bygrove, Earl Priest and Percy Flury. Funeral arrangements were conducted by McCaw Funeral Service. Interment followed in the Lloydminster City Cemetery. Tribute to Bessie Newman, a wonderful Mom, Granny and Great Granny given by daughter, Lynn Priest. (Condensed from original) Good afternoon family and friends. Your presence here is testimony to the many friendships Mom made in her sojourn on earth. Thank-you for coming to help us celebrate and remember 90 years of beautiful memories we have of her. It is difficult to condense 90 years into one afternoon. Walter and I will try to relate some of the highlights – the treasures she has left in our families hearts and minds. We feel blessed to have had Mom with us for so many years. I Often told her that with all the Coke she drank that she was well preserved! We are thankful for her unconditional love, her friendship, her guidance, devotion and trust, her toils, strength and courage. Mom, in her unselfish way has left us so much. Her spiritual values and beliefs of living life the way God would want her to live have provided a model for family and friends to follow. Mom was the only child of Anna and Walter Wigg. She was born at home in the North Bend District on January 17, 1915. She passed away peacefully in the Lloydminster Hospital on June 21, 2005. She was predeceased by her husband Howard in 1996. Bessie is lovingly remembered by her family, her son Walter and his wife Marion, daughter, Lynn Priest and her husband Vernon; grandchildren Karen Young and her husband Greg, and Daron Priest and his wife Leann; step-grandchildren Tracey Argue and her husband, Leroy, and Brian Gower; Great Grandchildren Layne, Jessica and Justin Young, Linden and Grady Priest; Step Great Grandchildren, Kristen and Taylor Argue; two sisters-in-law Dora and Freida Newman, special niece Caryl Coomer in England and numerous other relatives and friends. Friends were a very important part of her family’s life in those early days, especially being an only child with no siblings to play with. The Appletons, the Olivers, Spences, Smiths, Howards, Patmores, Priests, Cooks, and Makins were but a few who Mom often mentioned. Pauline Spence/McAllister had close ties to Mom at school. Not so long ago the two of them were trying to convince me with a twinkle in their eyes that they were “angels” and never got into any mischief. I begged to differ with them on that. Mom attended Gr. 1-8 at North Bend School. She attended Hairdressing School in Edmonton. One experience she related to us was that she gave Mary Shirtliffe a perm when she visited her in Edmonton and Mary’s hair was straight by the time she got home. I think that just about ended her hairdressing career before it started. Later she continued more education in Home Economics at Vermilion College. Mom really enjoyed college life and along with social activities she also played basketball. Following her college days she worked at various places in the Frenchman Butte area and then met that ‘New-man’ fellow. Dad and Mom were married in 1940 and lived in the Hillmond District up until the time of Dad’s passing. Mom moved to Lloydminster to the Hallsholme apartments in the fall of ‘96 and has resided there until her passing. Mom’s life in the Lenwall and Hillmond Districts was full and rewarding. She was a member of the Lenwall School Board, and Red Cross Group, the Hillmond Ladies Club, Hall Board, the Arenaettes, Goodwill Group and the Hillmond Seniors. She was correspondent for the Hillmond News for the Meridian Booster and Lloydminster Times for 55 years and co-author of the Hillmond History book and the Ernie Ford Cookbook. Mom had a passion for writing and photography. We are thankful for that. She left us many written and photographic accounts that helped us in preparations for this day. In addition to community work she enjoyed basketball, tennis and cricket in her younger years. Later she enjoyed curling and square dancing. Mom loved music, too and though she claimed she wasn’t blessed with musical talents, she was always thankful that Walter and I brought music into her home. Mom was a great cook. She entertained relatives and friends often. She would be baffled why one didn’t accept a tart, or a cream puff even after having just eaten a full course meal which included dessert. Mom loved gardening and growing flowers and enjoyed life on the farm. She was proud to watch Dad and Walter with their achievements in the purebred Hereford business. She didn’t get an opportunity very often to get too near any of the cattle because Dad thought she would scare them so she settled for doing the milking chores. Mom loved horses and baby animals, especially kittens and puppies. Mom also had ties to the Hillmond 4-H Beef Club and she and Dad hosted many 4-H achievement days at their farm. Just a couple of weeks ago she attended the Hillmond Club’s achievement day and presented Dad’s Memorial Award. Mom’s involvement in the United Church started back in the days that Hillmond had a summer student minister. Mom was an integral part in keeping this up and going in the Hillmond community, from helping to raise money, prepare the hall for services, clean the church manse where the minister stayed and to entertain the ministers in our home. Mom along with my Aunt Frieda and Elizabeth Kastendieck, were camp cooks at Perch Lake Church camps. They brought a lot of love and laughter to those memorable weeks spent at the lake. She said she was proud that I went into the teaching profession and I give her a lot of credit for getting me through that first college year away from home. Visits, food and letters from home kept me going. Mom liked to travel. She went on many bus trips and often took close friends as traveling companions. My mother-in-law, Julie was one of her traveling companions. They had some fun times with Dudding Bus Lines and the bus drivers, Glen and Ray. I’m sure they could tell you stories of their escapades that we have never heard about. Mom was a born shopper and enjoyed trips to Edmonton with Karen and I just to shop. I always said you could let Mom loose in a telephone booth and she could find some treasure to buy! Mom also enjoyed visits from her English niece, Caryl Coomer and really enjoyed traveling and shopping on many occasions with her. In more recent years, Mom’s shopping trips were to her favorite store, the Downtown Co-op. It took some convincing for Mom to accept that she should use a wheeler walker to assist her mobility. Once she accepted it and started to use it there was no stopping where she would go. Mom enjoyed fun times and pulling pranks that were good clean fun. I’m sure Irma and Betty “Kastendieck” could add some accounts of fun times with Mom as they would come to do jobs for Mom that would end up being fun filled sessions with lots of laughter. Family was very important to Mom. Our family times brought immediate family, extended family, friends and neighbors together to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, New Years or just to get together. When I married into the Priest family Mom and Dad often joined in their family gatherings as did they with the Newmans. Mom and Dad and John and Julie developed a very close relationship which has continued all through the years. Besides relatives, and many others, the Franzs became very close to our family. Joyce and Noreen, Dot and Bill and our family shared birthdays together in the early days. Mom and “Aunt Dot” would always make sure we had that special cake for the birthday and if the weather co-operated there would be a skating party, too. Mom and Dad, Dot and Bill also traveled many miles to transport us kids to Lenwall School. What memories we have etched in our hearts. In Mom’s Life Review she prepared for us she says and I quote “I loved friends and really appreciated friendships. I always enjoyed good, clean humor and a joke, even if the joke was on me. This goes for my family and all my relatives... the fun times, the sad times, the working together times we shared. I truly thank God for all the blessings in life.” Grandchildren, Karen and Daron shared the following memories of Granny: Karen writes... “Our Granny and Great Granny ... what a wonderful lady. Granny has meant so much to us throughout her life. She was always there for us with a smile so sweet and a heart of gold. I am so glad Granny was able to be a part of our children’s lives. They were fortunate to have a Great Granny. I was fortunate to have such a super Granny, too. I remember with fondness many wonderful times spent together at the farm and later at other family gatherings. I remember the two of us giggling and we’d laugh until Granny would snort and then we’d laugh even harder. I remember Granny’s old record player .. Our favorite song was Honky Tonk Man. We’d crank it up and sing and dance. I can remember Granny working hard in her garden and her wonderful yard. We also shared a love of cats and kittens. (Jessica, Karen’s daughter also shares this love). Granny loved the ginger ones. She would put them in her lap and have them purring in no time. Daron and I will always remember Granny’s fridge door... the first thing Granny would say when we came for a visit was ‘get yourself a soft drink.” Of course we’d never refuse! To the very end, Granny always wanted us to take something when we left... whether it was candies or cookies or money to go get something for ourselves! Granny was one of the most generous and kind ladies I have every known. The other most generous and kind lady is her daughter, my Mom. Granny, your spirit was instilled in her and lives on very strongly. (I can guarantee that it is carrying on into the next two generations, by Karen herself and her children, too.) I won’t ever forget shopping trips with Granny. One of her favorite places used to be the Army and Navy and later the Dollar Store. I think the reason why, was because Granny could buy something for everyone at those places. She was so generous that she would want to give away her special finds. She’d always say “What can I buy for _? And I want to buy something for__? I’m not sure that she ever came home with anything for herself. Granny, God Bless You. You have lived 90 wonderful years. You have been a special person in so many lives. We love you and will miss your dearly. We will always remember and cherish our times together. Daron writes: I feel very proud to have had such a special lady for a Gramma. She has been there in every capacity for Karen and I and our families over the years. She always had a fridge full of our favorite treats when we visited. She was always interested in what was going on in our lives. At Christmas and Birthdays, it was always an adventure opening Granny’s parcels. She was born to shop so the parcels included everything from soup to nuts and everything in between. I will miss that bright smile as she seemed to beam when any of us or our little ones came along. Hillmond Ladies: I’ve always admired how Granny and the network of Hillmond Ladies have always been there for one another. Leann came home from her wedding shower commenting on the large group of Hillmond Ladies that attended. A lot of those ladies were friends of Granny’s in past years and times when she hadn’t been well some of those ladies had been with her through the night. My good friend, Dave Roberton used to kid me about our vacations coming out in the Hillmond Happenings. He always wonder why it read Daron Priest and his friends, David Roberton and Jamie Sutherland had traveled somewhere, rather than reading Dave and his friends! I guess I had a little pull with the writer. One of my most memorable Christmases for me came when Granny called me into Mom’s house and gave me an envelope with the title to the 1/4 of land north of her farm home. It just about downed me at the time. I feel very privileged to carry on the farm that she and Grandpa worked so hard to build. Each year we try to sort out a group of Hereford steers to graze on that quarter for the summer. The night Granny passed away I took a drive out on that 1/4 reminiscing. I hadn’t been on it all year and couldn’t get over the amount of grass out there. If Heaven, as I imagine has grass like this, I know Granny and Grandpa will be fine. Thoughts from the Great Grandchildren: Layne (7 yr.): When I think of Granny, I think of her big orange cat. Layne said Granny was pretty, she was helpful, kind and generous. Jessica (3 yr.): I think of the fun times at Granny Newman’s and her piano book that I played. Justin (2 yr.): Remembers the candies and cookies that he loved to eat when he visited. Granny didn’t put a limit on how many he could have or didn’t mind that it was only a short time till the supper time meal. Linden (4 yr.): blew us away with the following: I hope Granny, your safe in God’s arms, with flowers flowing over your heart, owls hooting at night and butterflies in the morning and ... that’s not all. Grady (1 yr.): smiled with a smile that would melt your heart and sums up our feelings in a nutshell Taylor said: “I gave Granny a stuffed lamb when she was so sick in the hospital in March. The lamb slept with her and the next morning she was better. It was a miracle.” (This young lady is the Princess of Hugs. Mom got many, many warm hugs from Taylor that she so loved.) Kristen writes: I have known Grandma Bessie for 5 years since my Grandma Marion and Grandpa Walter have been together. When I first met her it was like normal - you say Hi! and Bye! and everything is fine. But then I thought, she’s probably going to be my Great Grandma so I’ve got to make an effort to get to know her. You know it’s a big difference from knowing a person, to really knowing someone. When I really got to know her it was like she was a whole different person and I know I’m really going to miss her. So Grandma Bessie, I LOVE YOU LOTS. Love, Kirsten Indeed, our family times will continue on. There will be a void and we will miss Mom/Granny a lot. However her values, beliefs and outlook on life have shaped the way we will carry on. We thank her for this blessing. In closing I’d like to talk briefly about Mom’s 8 ½ wonderful years at Hallsholme. The residents there became her Hallsholme family. She so enjoyed all the activities, cards, shuffleboard, bingo, Pot Luck Suppers, meals together, Hymn Sing and musical get togethers. The saying “We do not stop playing because we are old, we grow old because we stop playing” applies to Mom. She played cards the night before she passed away, and delighted in telling me in our nightly phone calls, “I won a dollar tonight.” I would tell her that doubling her money like that was better than bank interest was paying. The fellowship she enjoyed with all of you there made her rich beyond words. Our family is so grateful to all who assisted Mom so she was able to remain at Hallsholme ‘til the time of her passing. The past few years as health was failing she was supported by Home Care Personnel, her special Dr. Snyman, and Co-op Pharmacists, the office staff, the caretakers, meal makers and especially her close friends. Sister-in-law, Dora who has been close to our family over the years and has transported Mom to and from many events and Sunday Church Services. She and good friend, Dorothy Pepper were even called upon a few times to check on Mom because her phone was continuously ringing busy. Dorothy Pepper tells me she has known Mom for 85 years. She has been so kind and caring. Mom so appreciated your daily visits and even sleep overs and all the extras you did for Mom. To all of you, our family extends our sincere gratitude. Your kindnesses allowed Mom to fulfill her deepest desire and that was to live her life out as a resident of Hallsholme. She has been truly blessed as have we been, having a wonderful, Mom, Granny and Great Granny like her. As Louisa May Alcott said to her mother: “If ever I do anything to be proud of, my greatest happiness will be that I can thank you for that, as I may do for all the good that is in me.” May you rest in peace, Mom. God Bless You! Walter’s Tribute Welcome friends to the celebration of Mom’s life. A tribute to Mom. On June the 21st, 2005, across the airwaves came the bulletin, “The Hillmond news is no more.” I thought the other day what way could I most do justice to our mom, and that is what came to mind. Mom dedicated 55 years of her life to pass on the community news to her fellow man. I used to give her a hard time, and say, “Mom you will soon have to get your own paper if you write anymore." Vernon would refer to it as the Hillmond Gazette. Even people who left the area would subscribe to the paper, just to be able to get the Hillmond news. Mom what a wonderful job you did. Also we remember all the great meals. Yes all the traditional ones were good, but the ones that stand out in my mind were the special ones like pickles tongue, or tail soup, shepherds pie, side pork, kidney stew, that I would add that mom would boil the pea out of it. Just mentioning them makes my mouth water. And of course there were those beautiful cream puffs for dessert. Mom also loved to have fun. Betty and Irma Kostendieck would help mom at times, and the house was full of laughter. Betty said that there were eggs flying around everywhere. I’m sure mom couldn’t wait till she had another job to do. Then there were the special days like birthdays and Christmas. Each family member would receive a care package, as the quick wit of Vernon would say. They always consisted of many things. For example there maybe a towel. Wrapped in the towel were a pair of pants, in the leg was a touque, in the touque were socks, in them was a handkerchief and then to end up with a few loonies. In her later years she became forgetful. She would wrap the gifts up, then figure she hadn’t bought someone a gift, so she would start buying more gifts. What a caring, giving lady. Another memory I have is how mom taught me how to run. As kids we invited our grandparents to a tea party in our tent. The conditions were that we do the dishes. Of course, as a mischievous kid I decided to skip that part. Well mom chased after me with a block of wood, and was unable to catch me. I had to be grateful because I won some races, after Mom loved sports. In her early life she would play a lot of tennis and cricket. Later on she learnt how to curl, and she loved it. Eventually her physical body weakened so she did the next best thing and became my No. 1 fan. She faithfully let me know she would be ready to go. She took part in the activities at the Hallsholme. It was cute when I asked her how she did in shuffle board, she would always reply second in the second event. Then there was the time Mom, Caryl from England and myself flew out to Vancouver. We rented a car and toured for 10 days. We were supposed to be at a friends place and our schedule was running late. So we phoned from a payphone to let our friend know. I put the money in and dialed. Mom quickly hung up the phone, and said no, no don’t put all that money in there. She still thought phone calls should be $.10. So I tried again and told her don’t talk for long because we don’t have much change. So the conversation went like this. The friend asked what have you been doing? Mom replied, Well ... we were at Whistler Mountain today. So the money ran out the phone rang saying we owed some more. Mom insisted they had got enough. Mom’s greatest passion was to fish. In the last few years, after I got my life together I took mom on a few fishing trips. We would sit out there all day, not matter how hot it was, and she loved it. Every fish was a good one, and if I would have let her she would have fished the lake dry. Even after fishing for 3 or 4 days she still wanted to go by the one spot one more time. Thank God for the electric motor because we ran out of gas. If there was a most suitable way for Mom to be taken to her resting place it would be by boat. To end my tribute to mom I would like to read this poem that I relate to: My Parents My parents are more precious than, Mere words could ever say. With gentle and assuring love. They’ve helped me find my way. They are the kind of Mom and Dad of which most people dream Each side contributing a part to make a perfect team They’ve taught me by example that It’s never wrong to care That patience, trust and honesty are beautiful to share. When people say good parents and the smooth way they combine. I understand exactly cause They’re talking about mine Within my life they stand apart Two friends of mine in one. My folks and thank you mom and dad For everything you’ve done. We know now the team are united. And we’re grateful that God gave her so many years and saw fit to take her before she suffered. What I’ll remember about you mom is the unconditional love you gave to everyone. Yes, Mom was a little lady with a big heart. We love you and we will miss your mom. The sign on Mom’s door reads “Gone Fishing.” In Appreciation The family of the late Bessie Newman wish to express their sincere appreciation to the many people who have touched our hearts at the time of Mom’s passing. Thanks to the Ambulance Attendants, the Emergency Nurses and Dr. Kerlis for your compassionate care you gave Mom the night she passed away. Over the years Mom has been given kind care and attention from her special doctor, Dr. Snyman, the Home Care Nurses and Home Health Aides and the Co-op Pharmacy personnel. A big thank-you to you all. Mom’s memorial service was capably conducted by Reverend Norm Laird, and Reverend Harold Martin and beautiful music was provided by Irene Knowlson, the United Church choir and Tracy and Marion. Pallbearers were Stephen, Michael, Peter, Raymond, Earl and Percy, the McCaw Funeral Service, Glenn and Dale and staff professionally handled the funeral arrangements and Barbara Gayle and Karen prepared the picture memory board. We express our deep gratitude to you. Thanks to Gabrielle, Arnold, and Carmela and helpers from the Singing Waitress Café for the delicious luncheon. For the cards, gorgeous floral arrangements, donations of memory to charities, the phone calls, visits, and food brought to our homes and to those who attended Mom’s service, we so appreciate your generosity and kindness. Special mention goes to Mom’s Hallsholme family who have been Mom’s friends and have assisted her over the years. We have been blessed by having We have been blessed by having a wonderful 90 year old Mom and Granny and doubly blessed by having all of you give us your love and support in so many ways. God Bless You All. Sincerely Walter, Marion and Family Lynn, Vernon and FamilyDonations in memory of Bessie may be made to the Lloyd Regional Health Foundation Home Care or to the Hillmond Communiplex.