Obituary of Gladys Roach

Gladys Roach passed away in the Riverside Health Complex, Turtleford, Saskatchewan on Saturday, April 23, 2016 at the age of 91 years. Gladys leaves to cherish her memory: her children: Terry (Andrea) Roach, Bill (Bernie) Roach, Darryl (Louise) Roach, Debbie (Bob) Blanchette, Cheryl (Reg) Bellanger, Shelley Fenner; grandchildren: Yvonne (Todd) Robinson, Andrew Roach (Shawna Dawson), Leslie (Murray) Rich, Derek (Dayna) Roach, Chad (Alicia) Roach, Ryan (Alyssa) Roach, Stephanie (Joel) Bancescue, Danielle (Doug) Bannerman, Cassie (Brett) Jullion, Brody Roach (Janessa Carrier), Ashley (Josh) Kehler, Lance (Meredith) Bellanger, Kristin (Shawn) Coulter and Rhett Bellanger; great-grandchildren: Liam, Aiden, Keegan Robinson, Robin and Ben Roach, Muriel and James Rich, Haley and Kale Roach, Jax Roach, Barrett Roach, Harvey Bancescue, Jarred, Reid and Jace Bannerman, Bentley Jullion, Rylan and Payton Kehler, Lorraine, Edmond, George and Josephine Bellanger and Hadley Coutler and brother, Ken Elliott; sisters-in-law, Winnie Elliott and Lillian Roach and numerous nieces and nephews. Gladys was predeceased by, her husband Bill, grandson, Jason Blanchette, great grandson Hayden Roach and Dawson Roach, brothers and sisters: Howard Elliott, Etta Palenstein, Dorothy Wouters and Wilfred Elliott. Donations in memory of Gladys may be made to The Enriched Manor, Edam, Saskatchewan. Eulogy for Gladys Roach As we all know Grandma was an avid blue Jays fan so we thought it fitting to say farewell to her in 9 innings. Play Ball! The 1st inning - Grandma’s life started in Edam on April 4, 1925. She was the second youngest of six children born to Ella May and William Elliott. Grandma attended school in Edam. During those younger years she played softball with the Edam Rockets. After graduating from High School she moved to Saskatoon to attend Business College. 2nd inning - Grandma’s life has her moving back to Edam, where in 1951 Grandma married our Grandpa William Roach and together they raised six children: Terry, Bill, Darryl, Debbie, Cheryl and Shelley. Raising six children kept Grandma very busy, but she still found time to do the books for Grandpa’s International Harvester Dealership. She was always gifted at organizing. Whatever the celebration was, you knew if Grandma was involved there would be no details left out. We could all take a few lessons from her. Grandma had a genuine love for sports. As well as playing softball in her younger years, she also enjoyed curling. As her family grew, much time was spent at the rink watching the boys in hockey and the girls in figure skating. She loved to cheer for her kids, but to the boys’ dismay, sometimes she was a bit too loud. Top of the 3rd - in 1966 Grandma started working at the Edam Credit Union. In 1969 she became manager until she retired in 1990. Grandma served on many organizations, some of them being: The Ladies Rink Board, Hospital Auxiliary, and The Edam Historical Society Committee. Continuing in the spirit of volunteering as Grandma did, Uncle Bill and Uncle Darryl spent countless hours coaching their kids in hockey and ball. Bottom of the 4th - Family meant everything to Grandma. As her children grew older, Grandma and Grandpa continued to follow them in their sporting competitions. When Uncle Darryl played for the Battleford Barons they were his #1 fans. In the summer, many weekends were spent at the ball diamonds watching Auntie Shelley play softball for the Lashburn Bluebirds. Grandma always brought a cooler full of food and made sure that Auntie Shelley and her teammates were well fed. When the day was over, she would go home and wash Auntie Shelley’s uniform and socks so they were ready for the next day. Her teammates always wondered how she got her socks so clean. That was thanks to Grandma for scrubbing and scrubbing. In 1977 Grandma and Grandpa attended the Canada summer Games in St. John’s, Newfoundland where Auntie Cheryl and Auntie Shelley were playing softball. Cheryl played for the North West Territories and Shelley for the Lashburn Bluebirds representing Saskatchewan. They were very proud of their daughters who represented two different provinces. Thank goodness they didn’t play against each other so no decision had to be made about whom to cheer for. Heading into the 5th - Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed going to Yuma with Wilma and Ernest Hardcastle. Sadly, it was there that Grandpa passed away. Grandma showed tremendous strength during this very difficult time, but being Grandma she put family first and kept on going. Her family has truly inspired her. Top of the 6th - When Grandma retired she loved spending time at her cabin. She especially enjoyed it when all the grandchildren came over. It would be a cabin full, but that was the way she liked it. Grandma was the best cook. She always made sure we had plenty of food, and would cater to everyone, making sure they had their favourites. Grandma made the best hamburgers and potato salad ever. She really enjoyed watching the grandchildren play games in the yard...especially the ball game with a beach ball. The races with the uncles and grand kids proved to be very entertaining also. Everyone was so competitive and no one liked to lose. Grandma loved to play cards. We always ended the evening that way. Her favourite games were: Up and down the river, Ding, and 3 Up. Grandma was always the scorekeeper. Therefore, you know who won most of the games...Just kidding! In 1990, Grandma travelled to Milestone, Saskatchewan with my parents and me to watch Jason play provincial baseball with The Glaslyn Mosquitos. They won the Provincial Championship and Grandma was incredibly proud of him. Only three short years later Jason was tragically taken away from us. The 7th inning stretch - Grandma loved to go to Vegas. Grandma and Auntie Shelley went there 22 years in a row. Grandma was thrilled when Mom and Auntie Cheryl joined in, because then she didn’t have to go to bed at 10:00. It was even better when Kristin and I were there; she got to stay up even later. We laughingly referred to the casino as her office, with locations in Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon and North Battleford. After an exhausting day at her “office,” Auntie Shelley would pick her up and have a “road pop” waiting for her. Grandmas goal was to always try to play on the “casino’s money”, so in order to keep track, she had a special compartment in her purse for her casino money. 8th inning - Going to the Eastern bullpen; Grandma loved to travel down east to visit Uncle Terry and Andrea. When she was there, she enjoyed visiting with her grandchildren and their families. Terry would get tickets for the Blue Jays game and she was so grateful. We never understood why Grandma would yell at the TV when she was at home, but when she was at a game, she never said a peep. Grandma attended her last Blue Jays game at the age of 88. It was so exciting for her. She got to see her name in the bright lights of the Jumbo Tron. At the age of 89, Grandma was still hosting family holiday meals. This was so important to her. Us grandchildren always knew that our favourites would be served...some of them being chicken cordon bleu, macaroni salad, lettuce and speck, cheese ball, nanaimo and twix bars, and chocolate sauce. 9th inning - sliding into home plate - Home plate for Grandma was when she moved into the Edam Enriched Manor. Sports on TV progressively became more important as she aged and she became an armchair manager and coaching consultant. For a person that wasn’t very vocal you could often hear her SHOUTING advice to the Blue Jays coach “You’re leaving him in to long.” Grandma that was a well-played game. Thank you for everything you have taught us. You demonstrated the true value of family. You were an incredible role model for all of your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Grandma, we will all be okay because you have taught us how to be strong, independent, and loving individuals. Grandma, now you and Jason can finally finish the game you started many years ago. We love you so much! “And that’s the game.”