Obituary of Marlene Gazdewich

BIOGRAPHY GAZDEWICH ~ Marlene Eleanor Gazdewich passed away in the Lloydminster Hospital, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Monday, April 4, 2011 at the age of 64 years. Marlene will be sadly missed by her husband Gerry of Lloydminster; her son Garth and his wife Cheryl Berglund of Calgary; her daughter Melissa and Kelly Studer of Lloydminster; grandchildren: Chloe Studer, Gillian Studer, Rowan Gazdewich, Maddox Gazdewich; siblings: Marion and Ivan Braan of Battleford, Saskatchewan, George and Karen Boser of Lloydminster, Ron Boser and Deanna Maerz of Stoney Creek, Bob and Chris Boser of Lloydminster as well as numerous other relatives. The funeral service was conducted from the St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, Lloydminster, Alberta on Friday, April 8, 2011 at 2:00 P.M. with Father Jan Sobkowicz officiating. The eulogy was read by Garth Gazdewich. Leader of song was Marlene Risling accompanied on the organ by Donna Weston. The active pallbearers were Ron Boser, George Boser, Bob Boser, Joe Wandler, Brian Thomas and John Kopach. The interment was held in the Lloydminster City Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. EULOGY Good afternoon, my name is Garth Gazdewich. Thank you all very much for joining family and friends to celebrate the life of Marlene Gazdewich, my Mom. This truly is a celebration of an extraordinary woman. Seeing all of you today shows me how much she was loved by family, friends and the community. There are many phrases and words that describe my Mom! Words such as loving, caring, affectionate, funny, warm, compassionate, determined, generous and feisty. I would like to use a few of these to celebrate her life here with you today. Aunty Marion mentioned that the wheels were set in motion at an early age. Mom right out of the gate was a good toddler. If set in one place she would stay put. One time, everyone was busy building onto the house on the farm and they would set Mom somewhere nearby. They would check on her every once and a while and her Grandpa Kraft would say “that kid is still sitting in the same spot.” Caring - Melissa, Dad and I can say that she would do anything for family or friends at the drop of a hat. Her family was so important to her. Whether it was calling to see how our day was or to listen to what stories we had to tell. She made it a point to listen to what people had to say and be engaged in the conversation. Her 4 grandkids were a tremendous joy in her life. She loved to talk about Gillian’s competitive gymnastics, Chloe’s swimming, Rowan’s dancing and Maddox’s “busyness.” Nothing brought her greater joy than to be with her grandchildren or to hear of their latest adventure. Cards, gifts and “care packages” were always in abundance. Melissa remembers the days when she was lonely and homesick, living in Whitefox, far from home. Mom and Dad would come visit and stay for DAYS. It was just what Melissa needed. They would bring shampoo, paper towel, cereal...whatever they thought Kelly and Melissa needed. Mom would go into Nipawin to get these items, but I think secretly it was a good excuse to go in for Bingo or the VLT’s. Mom loved to throw a couple bucks into the machines and could find a venue anywhere, even in the sticks. She was always a little bit lucky that way, wasn’t she? Melissa loved the days when she would come home from school and Mom & Dad’s bed would be covered with homemade noodles. Mom would fold the dough and cut it into long, tiny strips. She would then spread them out on a sheet on the bed to dry out. Melissa would sneak in and snatch some of the noodles off the bed to eat and if she got caught Mom would let her know that “it was a lot of work to make these things, now get out of there.” Affectionate - Hugs and kisses were always in abundance and just when you thought you were “full up”, she would plant another one on you. When you were in front of her she would look you in the eye and either shake your hand, give you a hug or a soft peck on the cheek. Loving - well that one is for Dad. Mom was an excellent wife and friend for the past 40+ years. Compassion - Mom was an excellent nurse. She loved her job and juggled shiftwork and family life. Most of her career was spent dedicated to pediatrics and maternity. She could swaddle newborns in the wink of an eye, a skill that she was able to put to great use upon the arrival of her grandchildren. She taught me how to swaddle my firstborn, reminding me how important it was to heat the blanket in the dryer first. She so enjoyed working with all the ladies and forged many long and lasting friendships. Funny - Mom was not one to shy away from the fun stuff and in most cases she would be right there egging it on. From times of trying to play Uncle Joe off of Dad and I over hockey teams we cheer for, to the times she shared with friends and family at bonspiels, dressing up in crazy costumes, get togethers for cards, drinks and holiday festivities. When Melissa and I were young, Aunty Elaine got dressed up in Uncle Joe’s suit that he was married in, she put on gloves so her hands were covered and then an old man mask so that she could not be recognized. She came over to the house, knocked on the door and before Mom knew what was happening, Elaine walked in the door. Mom was not kidding around, she wanted to protect her kids as she did not know who this person was and Mom did not let Aunty even touch us kids. When Aunty revealed herself, the look on Mom’s face was priceless. A few years back, Mom joined Muriel Husch, Glenda Campbell and Mary Ackerman for a bonspiel in Paradise Hill. None of these gals had curled in years, but decided to go for a weekend of fun and entertainment. Paradise Hill always had prizes for entertainment at the banquet. They went as the Beverly Hill Billie’s and won first prize for their skit. They won the Calcutta, but as far as winning any curling games, I don’t think they did, but they sure had fun. All was well, until Mom slipped on the ice and twisted her ankle. Being a trooper she said, “I’ll be okay, I think it’s just sprained.” They finished the game and then took Mom to the Doctor in Paradise Hill. X’rays showed a broken ankle. With a cast from “hip to toe”, Mom was determined to partake in the banquet. She did not want to miss any of the fun. Well the good men catering the banquet helped out and carried her down stairs, upstairs and anywhere she wanted to be. When she arrived home on Sunday, Dad greeted the group at the door, and they said “She is all yours!” The next day, it was back to Lloyd hospital for the ankle cast. Mom, Lou, Wayne, Larry and some others got all dressed up in masks, and robes that looked like an old lady bride, a groom, a priest and attendants. The priest even walked a couple of blocks in bare feet. Imagine seeing these people walking down the street in the middle of summer. People that seen this spectacle must have thought, that is odd to have a costume party so early in the day! This group was heading a couple of blocks away to the Knights of Columbus Hall to Rhonda and Terry’s gift opening. They proceeded to prance around, entertaining the group of people, in a Mock Wedding ceremony and scaring half the kids I am sure. Dad mentioned the other day when Uncle Joe and Aunty Elaine were reminiscing that it took him 3 days to recover from those festivities. She had a fantastic sense of humor and was always up for a great joke, laugh or game. Just recently on April 1st she played an April fools joke on Lou that Lou’s panty hose were stuck in her skirt. Generous - all of you here in this room know of Mom’s generous spirit. She, according to my Uncles and Aunty, set the standard at a very young age. If the others finished all of their treats, Mom was quick to share hers. She always did this without complaint. Feisty - this is my favorite word to describe my Mom. What did she stand, maybe 5'4"? Do not let her small stature fool you. If she was passionate about something, nothing would stand in her way. That brings me to my favorite feisty story and some of you in this room either had seen this first hand or had heard about it over the years. I believe us kids were Bantam age in hockey and we had gone to Strathcona to play the Warriors. Just like any other sporting parent, Mom was passionate about her sports and a very loyal and dedicated fan. Strathcona and Lloyd always had some good battles on the ice, so why shouldn’t there be some competition in the stands by the parents? That weekend the game had been very competitive. Mom had a bit of a run in with a Strathcona parent that was ringing her cowbell constantly. Mom had asked her politely (I am sure) to tone it down. Fast forward to the following week, we were on the raod again this time in North Battleford for a tournament and low and behold we met up against Strathcona again. Knowing my Mom and the passionate sports fan she was, she probably sat behind the lady from Strathcona on purpose. As the game went on the cheering from the stands intensified and ultimately things came to a head. Mom had finally gotten fed up with this lady and her cow bell/noise shaker and again POLITELY asked her to sit down and watch the game. The lady turned around, swung her cowbell and hit mom in the leg. Naturally Mom, as feisty as she was, proceeded to swing her purse, teach this lady a lesson and knock the curling iron right out of the ladies hair. Most of her friends knew she loved purses, but until that day they had only seen Mom carrying hers. There are countless other memories and stories and I am sure all of you have many to share. She was a tremendous woman who was loved and cherished by many who knew her. She will be carried in the hearts of so many. Love you, Mom. CARD OF THANKS Special card of thanks goes to Dr. Gerber for Marlene’s main care, Brenda and all the Home Care Nurses that came to the house, Marion and Liz for the night care, ALL friends and family who helped with Marlene during the day, the nurses, ambulance attendants and Dr. du Plooy during her brief hospital stay. Thank you to Father Jan Sobkowicz for his kind and caring words. Marlene Risling, Donna Weston and all four Boser Sisters for the lovely music at the service. Thank you to Garth Gazdewich for the funny and endearing memories at the lunch. Marlene’s brothers: George, Ron and Bob as well as Brian Thomas, Joe Wandler and John Kopach for being pallbearers. Thank you to those who donated to a charity in Marlene’s honor. Thank you to all the nurses who were in the Honour Guard and Nursing College. Thank you to the ladies who prepared lunch and to all friends and family who brought food to the house. Thank you to Kevin, Verna and Cheryl for organizing the power point presentation. Thank you to Dean Wenzel and McCaw Funeral Service for the help and preparation of the funeral. Thank you for everyone’s phone calls, visits, flowers, card and fond memories of Marlene. We will cherish the moments and think of her often. Gerry Garth, Cheryl, Rowan & Maddox Melissa, Kelly, Chloe & Gillian Donations in memory of Marlene may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Society in Ontario.