Obituary of Thelma Churn

Thelma Churn (Granny) Eulogy CHURN ~ Thelma Isabell Churn passed away peacefully in the Lloydminster Hospital, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Thursday, February 10, 2011 at the age of 89 years. Left to cherish her memory & her random acts of love & kindness is her son, Gordon Churn & Penny Moskowec, daughter, Pheona Churn & Ken Glazebrook, 4 grandsons Marty Campbell of Edmonton, Jodi & wife Shawna Campbell of Edmonton, Kent Churn of Toronto & Arden Churn & fiancé Marina Vinek of Calgary. Granny is survived by her precious great-grandchildren, Alysha, Jenna & Darien Campbell all of Edmonton. Thelma is also survived by her sister Pearl, sister in law Mabel & several nieces & nephews. Thelma was predeceased by her husband, Richard (Dick) Churn in January 1976, her parents Alex & Ethel Scoular, her brothers Walter & wife Hef, Bud & wife Marnie & Edgar Scoular, sister Jean McKenzie & brothers in law: Malcy McKenzie, John "Jack" Churn, sisters in law: Florence Churn, Margaret & husband Hubert Watson along with a nephew and niece. The memorial service was conducted from the McCaw Funeral Chapel, Lloydminster, Alberta on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 2:00 P.M. with Pastor Tim Acey officiating. The Eulogy was presented by her grandsons, Jodi Campbell and Kent Churn. A tribute was presented by her nephew, Kevin Scoular. The Mennonite Singers were in attendance singing Thelma's favorite hymns "Precious Lord, Take My Hand", "One Day At A Time", "How Great Thou Art" and "Amazing Grace". The organist was Thelma's friend, Mildred Benkendorf. The Honorary Pallbearers were Grandsons: Marty and Jodi Campbell, Kent and Arden Churn; Great Grandchildren: Alysha, Jenna and Darien Campbell. The interment will be held in the Maidstone Cemetery at a later date. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. Eulogies Grandson Kent Churn Thank-you for coming to remember the life of Thelma Churn, known to many as Granny. She never liked somber funerals, so today we celebrate her life like Granny would have wanted. You can tell Granny was a wildly social person by the number of personal connections & loving relationships she made including young and old here today. Granny was born Friday, August 19, 1921 near Winter, Sask to Alexander & Ethel Scoular into a family of 3 brothers: Walter, Owen (Bud), Edgar & 2 sisters, Jean & Pearl. She enjoyed going to school up to grade 8 when she quit to work. Her dream was to be a teacher which she indirectly did throughout her life to countless friends & family. Her first job was near Kindersley on a farm through the winter of 1937 helping a mother care for a large family while her husband was in an Ontario logging camp. Her brother Edgar learned the Churns were looking for help for Great Granny Churn, so Granny arrived at the Lilydale farm in June 1939. By November, Grandpa had proposed and a summer wedding was planned for June 12, 1940. I am told Granny was elegant in her long soft pink gown, the veil our Great Granny brought from England and had her sister Jean standing up with her. It must have been a full house after the wedding. Granny & Grampa lived with our Great Grandparents plus Grampa's brother, Jack until John & Lottie Churn moved to Lashburn in 1943. Jack moved out in 1946 after marrying Florence. They filled the house again with their first child, my father, Gordon in November & their daughter, Pheona five years later. Christmas was a special time for Granny with a week long celebration - Christmas, Pheona's birthday, and New Years. I am told the house was always decorated and she loved entertaining with her abundant meals and baking - her homemade bread, buns & pies were amazing. Christmas was spent with the families of Clem & Margaret Wakefield, Bob and Millie Paton, Ed and Elma Peart along with Paul and Mildred Benkendorf for many years. August brought another reason to celebrate several birthday's including Granny's on the 19th & Grampa's on the 20th. The Churn families, Freestons, Pearts, Jeffreys and the Hindes would gather at Birch Lake or the Battle River for a feast & fun - although Granny never liked being in the sun or getting wet, she enjoyed her friends. Granny was involved with the Lilydale school Gord & Pheona attended by helping the new teacher, Claire Paton. Granny played the piano & sewed costumes for Christmas concerts & other school events. Given her artistic & musical abilities, Granny continued this as Room Mother after Gord & Pheona transferred to the Maidstone schools, and by sewing costumes for Pheona's figure skating carnivals. Granny's tenacity and determination shone in Aug of 1957 when she managed their farm with the help of Ed Peart & friends while Grampa was hospitalized after severing his Achilles tendon. In 1959, they moved into Maidstone for the winters. Granny welcomed the move as it meant more opportunity to socialize - like hopping in the car for a drive with her friend, May Donald, to pick up parts for Donald's garage. By the late 60s, they transitioned into retirement & took advantage of this time to visit family who had moved west to escape the Sask cold - her brother's families Walt & Bud, sister's families of Jean & Pearl, & sister-in-law Margaret (Churn) Watson & husband, Hubert in Vancouver. In 1970, Granny and Grampa moved to their new house where she lived until moving to the Dr. Hemstock 9 years ago. A new & exciting chapter in Granny's life started with the arrival of her grandsons. My cousin Marty was born on Feb 1971, weeks after Granny had back surgery. I was born in Sept 1973, my cousin Jodi in July 1975 & my brother Arden in July 1977. In January 1976, my grandfather passed away. Although I was too young to remember, Granny often teared up re-telling the story of me roaming the house not being able to find Pa to roll cigarettes on his knee. I want to share a few memories with you that I remember of her. Growing up my brother Arden & I spent many nights at Granny's in town with our after-school activities which she keenly showed interest in & passed on her competitive spirit. Even before harvest, she would sign up to ensure she was on the bus with Arden's hockey team regardless of date. She kept many referees and scorekeepers in line at Arden's baseball, volleyball & hockey tournaments. I can remember evenings when I joined Granny, May Donald, Alice Martin & Mabel Curry for a very intense session of "May I" - a card game using 5 decks. Granny was a card shark with a memory to track every discarded card or card in your hand based on what you had played. Granny loved music! She even taught herself to read music & learned to play the fiddle, the guitar & anything with a keyboard: the piano, the pump organ, the electric organ & accordion. For years, she sang in the church choir and played the organ for church at the Pine Island Lodge. With her love of music came dance. I am told Granny and Pa were a very graceful couple on the dance floor. Granny later toured both provinces to enjoy the evening on the floor or share her passion by teaching others how to dance. Although she passed her aptitude for music & dance onto the next two generations, it seems there can be exceptions like my father. We have lost a natural historian. She had an incredible memory being able to recall details, birthdates, anniversaries or family trees dating back 80+ years. Even during her last couple weeks in hospital, when we showed her black and white photographs, she could identify everyone without needing to read the back. I marveled how when she talked with Keith Paton, they would recall details of the past, jumping back & forth in time without ever completing the story, both often talking & no one was listening. Granny will not be forgotten for her smile, her laughter & her genuine love for those that knew her. Grandson Jodi Campbell I am honored to speak today about a great lady. To some she was known as Thelma, but to most was simply, Granny. Gran embodied the whole definition of 'Grandmother'. She was what a Granny was meant to be. We are all very lucky to have had the opportunity to spend time with her. As I recalled & discussed with family the details of her life, I was proud of this fact, no matter what Gran was doing - she did it with joy, love and great care for others. She was an amazing example of what is really important in life & having good relationships with people. In January of 1976 Granny's resilience was tested when Grandpa passed away. Granny was only 54 & as anyone can imagine, was heartbroken as she learned to cope with life after Grandpa. Mom spoke of times when Gran would spend hours playing her piano or the organ to help ease the grief of loosing him. Gran's love for singing & playing Hymns became a real source of comfort. As she regained her balance after the loss of Grandpa, she entered a period in her life in the 80's and 90's, where Gord, Pheona, her young grandsons, her friends & the Maidstone community became her focal point. Gran refocused her life & continued to live it with the same enthusiasm she always had. Never one to complain when things got tough or when she was in pain; Gran would go to the doctor's office & ask about his family instead of telling him about her medical problems - she not only survived this time but thrived! The 70's brought her 4 grandson's - Kent & Arden born to Gord and Jill, & Marty & I, born to Pheona & John. I sure hope she wasn't wishing for a granddaughter. If she was however, she would have to wait until 1995 when I would be the first grandson to get married. My wife, Shawna was immediately adopted by Granny & they quickly developed a special bond. Recently, Gran was thrilled to meet Arden's, fiancée Marina & told us Marina had a smile that could light up the room. Always young at heart, Gran would have water fights with brother, Marty & I, she'd play ball hockey with us in our basement when we were kids then beat us both at cards as we got older. She spoiled us with her incredible baking! For me, it was all about the carrot cake. She always had one ready in the freezer when I visited. A close second were her cinnamon buns & homemade bread or her pies. It didn't matter what it was…it was all good! Gran, always the true lady, wearing her brightly colored dresses and skirts, was also a true competitor when she played sports in her younger days. Her dresses often covered up skinned knees from sliding into second base. She re-directed her love of sports towards being a spectator at her grandson's sporting events. As a great athlete herself playing softball & later curling, she was now an enthusiastic fan & proud Grandmother cheering us grandkids on in hockey, softball, baseball, slo-pitch, lacrosse, rugby…. she loved them all. She naturally adopted whatever team we played on & became Granny to every player on the team. She knew all their names & positions. Knowing her, she could probably tell you when their birthday was as well. Her infectious laugh & big smile was readily given. You felt special to be on the receiving end. Gran always welcomed friends or family in her home; tea, coffee & cookies were always ready. Her friends, Alice Martin, May Donald & Mable Curry had weekly card games involving a little trash talking & several cups of tea & snacks. I loved going to Gran's place! When you knocked on her door, you were always greeted with a cheery "HELLO". I credit Granny with all my dance moves - the good & the bad - as myself, Marty, Kent & Arden were often her date for the Old Time Dances. This is where I honed my skills to the 2 step, the waltz & of course, my favorite… the 'heel-toe & away we go' dance. That was the way she taught us to remember the dance steps, she sang them to us. Gran's zest for life was evident in her many travels. Over the years, she visited Grampa's family in England, enjoyed New Zealand, Alaska, Fiji, the States & all over Canada but was always happy to return home. Not being one who enjoyed the heat - I remember her telling me Fiji was just too hot! Knowing Granny, as fascinating or beautiful any place was, it was the connection with her friends she travelled with & the new friends she made that were most thrilling to her. Many times Gran travelled to Lake Louise with our family to spend Christmas in the mountains. We would be out skiing while she spent the day in the Chalet. We would come in for lunch & she would be surrounded by all her 'new friends' from all over the world, telling stories about her family & enjoying their company. I specifically remember a time when we came in to see her & she was surrounded by half of Europe; people from Norway, Sweden, Germany & England...it was impressive! It was hard not to love her, even if you were a stranger! In 1996, Granny's family grew once again when she welcomed her first great grandchild! Marty's daughter, Alysha was born. Then equally proud days for Gran was Marty's 2nd daughter, Jenna's birth in 1999 followed by her first great grandson, Darien in 2001. She adored them! Her love & connection to them was evident when she talked about them. She cherished time spent with the kids & loved to hear details about lives, their sports, dance recitals or if they were giving Dad a hard time! When you visited her home, you saw her pride of "her little ones" as she happily showed off their pictures. In 2002, Granny made a big move to the Hemstock. Once again her easy personality, love of people & desire to be helpful came through. She quickly became a vital & loved part of the Hemstock family. As one of its longest running residents, Granny extended her family to include her fellow residents but especially the young people on staff. She was often folding napkins & loved doing it. She said it kept her active plus she loved socializing with the girls. Gran easily made friends & was very involved in the day-to-day activities. These relationships were most evident when she was in the hospital when many of the staff visited her. Going to Lloyd always included a visit to the Hemstock, to have tea with Gran. I could count on Gran for the latest community news. She often knew what my school friends were doing more then I did! In a world of computers, Internet & Google, Gran saved newspaper clippings. She came from a generation where nothing was more reliable than the local paper, therefore, she often had a stack of clippings for Mom, or Gord or us grandsons. Over the years, Granny's vault-like memory never wavered! Like Kent mentioned, she had an uncanny ability to remember the facts of her life & others; birthdates, anniversaries or significant events. If you were in her circle, she undoubtedly knew when you were born & whose family you were connected to. If you made it into her Birthday Book you felt special & you always knew you would get a call on your birthday. Not only was all of this recorded in her legendary Birthday Book, but locked in that vault-like brain! What a memory! Who needed Google when you had Granny? I remember when she was given a book telling her what day of the week a person was born ... she now not only knew the month, date & year, but the day of the week as well. One of her favorite things to do was to play what I liked to call; "The Name Game"! A conversation with Gran meant her tossing out names & events sharpening our skills recalling a person she met once, back in whatever year, who married 'What-cha-ma-call-it' who was the parent of 1 of your friends who farmed near… Who-eya-call it? If you were able to come up with even one name, you felt proud to be able to participate in the game, but Gran would out do us time & time again. Some of my favorite times with her was catching up on the latest sports. Few Grandsons can say when visiting their 89 year old Grandmother that sports would be the first topic of conversation. Whether it was curling or hockey & the Calgary Flames, or baseball & the Toronto Blue Jays - any team with a Canadian Flag on their Jersey, Granny was not only an enthusiastic fan, but a historian & statistician. Gran loved curling. She knew all the player's names, where they were from & their averages. She would have loved watching Saskatchewan win the recent Ladies Scot Tournament of Hearts. She was pumped when she attended the Brier with Mom in Edmonton. Gran loved the Calgary Flames & Jerome Iginla was her favorite player. I had the opportunity to know Jerome while I was a golf professional where he was a member. I bought a picture of Jerome, send it to Calgary in the hopes he would sign it for Gran. In the letter, I told him about Gran, about him being her favorite player & that she was soon turning 88. I figured this would be the perfect gift ….. I might have also told him this would certainly put me in the running for the 'Grandson of the Year Award' for sure. Not knowing if I would get it back, I was pumped when Jerome sent the photo back with the following written on it, "To Thelma…All the Best, Jerome Iginla". I couldn't wait to give it to her & she didn't disappoint. She loved it & carried it around with her for the entire time we were visiting, stopping conversation periodically to steal a glimpse of it. The photo here in the chapel is the picture I took after she opened her gift. It's priceless! Gran loved the Olympics & team Canada Hockey Games. She wore her Canada T-shirt with pride. Just this past December, I received a distress call from Gran at the conclusion of the World Jr. Hockey Championships. Canada had just lost the gold medal game. She called me to vent her dissatisfaction with the outcome. I didn't even get a hello that day. Instead, she just said "Oh Jodi, I feel so bad for those kids". She then went on to tell me she just had to call because she knew I would have been watching it. I loved that about her. Granny loved the underdog. Unlike Marty & I, she wasn't a Crosby or Gretzky fan but liked to hope for the guy who wasn't expected to win - which is probably why she liked to cheer for the Flames. Sorry, Arden. For all the sports she loved, the one I couldn't get her to like was golf ... although it wasn't for not trying. It is difficult to sum up in a few minutes all she meant to me. I know you each have your own special memories & feelings for this amazing woman. Gran loved color, every spring color imaginable, the brighter the better! It is not surprising while living her life with so much exuberance, only the most vibrant shades could keep up & this is how I would urge each of us to honor Gran..... live as 'brightly & boldly' as she did. As I leave here today, I will carry her example with me & use the question she always asked when she saw me as a way to guide my life, "How ya livin' kid? And my answer, if I am lucky will be, "With as much love, joy & care as you, Gran!" As we express our gratitude for your support & prayers, we won't forget the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them as our Mom & Gran did. We humbly 'thank' the folks who shared their talent with Mom during this difficult time - to the 'Mennonite kids' who sang for Gran & everyone at the hospital & again at her Memorial, to dear friend, Mildred Benkendorf for playing the organ, to friends, Dean Wenzel & Dave McCaw for their guidance & to Pastor Tim for sharing his love for Jesus with her & us. Thank you to all of 'you' who called her Granny & were quick to offer prayers, hugs & help. God bless each of you, abundantly! o Pheona & Ken o Marty & great grandchildren Alysha, Jenna, Darien, o Jodi & Shawna, o Gordon & Penny, o Kent, o Arden & Marina Donations in memory of Thelma(Granny) may be made to the Charity of the donors choice.