Obituary of Doris McIlwrick

EULOGY Doris McIlwrick 1916 ~ 2011 Good morning. On behalf of the family, I would like to thank everyone for coming to help celebrate the life and pay tribute to Doris McIlwrick. For those who don't know me, I am Raymond's wife Valerie, and I am honored to share some memories of my mother-in-law with you. Doris Kathleen Lane was born on the home farm in Rutland, Saskatchewan on March 27, 1916 to Beatrice and Howard Lane. She took all her schooling in Rutland and attained a grade 8 education. This was quite an accomplishment in the late 1920's. On January 9, 1933, she married Ewart McILwrick (known to everyone as Mac) in Macklin, Saskatchewan. When they were first married, Mac worked as a farmhand for Art Pluman and Frank Parsons in the Rearshill District for a while. At this time, Doris was their cook. Eventually, they bought a small farm in the Buzzard District on the banks of the Battle River, and here they raised 6 children. Times were hard when her children were young and she worked very hard to feed and clothe them. She had a large garden, picked as many berries as possible, hauling all the kids up and down the river hills with her. She raised chickens, tended pigs, cows and horses. In later years, she did most of the farming with the help of the older kids as Mac went to work off the farm. She drove the tractor. Winters were particularly hard for her alone on the farm. Everyday she sent the kids 5 miles to school on horseback. (Uphill both ways and lots of deep snow I'm told). Doris loved to sew. She made all the children's clothes. Tatting was a specialty of hers, and you would rarely see her sit down without a crotchet hook or knitting needles in hand. I shared many stories with her about the antics of the kids growing up. Believe me, she earned every grey hair she had. She was a very hospitable person. When Mae was a young girl, a certain young man named Gabe Fournier was sweet on her, so one Sunday night, he was invited over for supper. When he arrived, he tied his horse in the barn. Somehow, the horse ran away. Gabe had no way to get home. Solution: He stayed all winter. Gabe and Mae were married the next October. Doris was also a rescue squad unto herself. On one occasion she had to rescue Mae and Ronnie from the well. They had crawled in to walk on the cribbing 4 feet below ground. The well was 24 feet deep and they told Raymond they were going to dive down. He got scared and went and tattled. He probably paid for that later. She was a disciplinarian: Mae tells of being chased by her Mom with a shoe for being sassy. She wasn't particularly fond of off color stories, but if one was told, she could be caught laughing in her room. There was a lot of humor too. Doris, brother Jack and his wife Mabel, Doris' sister Joan and her husband Frank came to visit one hot summer afternoon, so everyone went down to the river. After the women took the kids home, the men decided to go for a swim. Of course, they had no bathing suits so they went swimming in the buff. The girls decided they would play a trick on them and Doris snuck back and took all their clothes to the house. It was 3/4 mile back up the hill to the house, a long way for the men to walk warding off them pesky mosquitos. I think Raymond said his Dad came up the hill with the proverbial Olive branch for cover. One night, Doris took the kids to the school Christmas concert. It was dark by the time they got home and their dog (named Dog) came to greet them. Of course he startled the horses and they bolted, breaking the tongue of the cutter and pulling poor Doris over the front. But she hung on for dear life not wanting to lose her horses. They say she had the biggest black eye ever seen, but her horses didn't get away. In 1953, they moved into Lloyd and life became a little easier for Doris. Their youngest daughter Myrna was born here. In 1957, Mac bought her a fancy sewing machine and a new hobby was born. She did the most amazing embroidery on pillowcases and tea clothes. Her favourite were large red roses. We all have some of her handiwork as souvenirs. She was very talented. Another favourite was sewing with deer skin leather. She made many many pairs of gloves and moccasins complete with beading. Doris never complained or asked for things she didn't have. She was very content with looking after her home and family. Her parents came from England and I assume the recipe for Old English Pork Pie came from her Mother. It was simply delicious and was a real treat at Christmas. Everyone of us have tried to duplicate it, but no one can make it taste like hers did. Granddaughter Kathy Hickman can come close and carries on the tradition today. In 1990, she lost her partner of 57 years when Mac passed away suddenly and another chapter in her life began. She didn't go out much before, but now she discovered Bingo. At first, it was an occasional night out, but turned into an every night out. She always told us how much she won, but never how much it had cost her. She would just say "Oh, not too much". About the same time she started going to the mall for coffee on Saturday mornings. In time, it evolved to an everyday outing. She and Donna Dack went everyday from 9 to 4. They had their own special table and held court from there as they were judge and jury to all who passed by. She welcomed her family and friends inviting us to sit and stay a while. She used this space as her personal office for years. No appointments necessary, just drop by anytime. As a small child, she went with her parents to England by ship. She remembered being very seasick. She won a trip to Mexico and though she was deathly afraid of flying, she invited a friend to go and enjoyed her trip. A few trips to Vancouver to visit relatives were also enjoyed. About 10 years after Mac died, she bought a new house, which she enjoyed immensely. She lived there for the next 10 years with her daughter Phyllis. After Phyllis passed away, she decided to move to the Hemstock residence, where she enjoyed playing cards and having the company of others. (And it was close to the mall). When her health failed, she moved to the Dr. Cooke Extended Care facility where she resided until her passing at the age of 95. She is survived by 5 children: Marion Belliveau of Lloydminster, Mae Fournier of Meadow Lake, Raymond and Val McIlwrick of Lloydminster, June Lyons of Lloydminster, Myrna and Marvin Hinke of Lloydminster and daughter-in-law Alice McIlwrick of Lloydminster, twenty one grandchildren, thirty six great grandchildren and fourteen great great grandchildren. Quite a legacy for one small lady. She truly earned the plaudit "Well done thou good and faithful servant". Doris was predeceased by her husband Ewart, sons: Lloyd and Ron, daughter Phyllis and sons-in-law: Robert Bellieveau and Gabe Fournier, her great grandson Joseph Pope and brother Jack Lane. I would like to end with this poem: OUR MOTHER God wanted us to learn some things What joy a gentle touch can bring What kindness and compassion do That a firm hand can help us too. What strength there is in gentleness, What power lies in a caress. To show love for ourselves and others And so he gave us you. Our Mother. CARD OF THANKS We would like to thank the staff at both the Hemstock and the Dr. Cooke Extended Care Centre for the great care that mom received during her stay there. Thank you to all who made donations, for the phone calls, flowers and cards sent. A special thank you to the great grandsons for being pallbearers. Thank you to Dave, Glenn and staff at McCaw Funeral Service for their compassion and professionalism during our time of need. The McIlwrick families Donations in memory of Doris may be made to the Dr. Cooke Extended Care Centre or to a charity of the donors choice.