Obituary of Wanda Gail Hoegl

Wanda Gail Hoegl passed away at the Lloydminster Hospital on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at the age of 59 years. Wanda is survived by: partner: Mark Longman; children: Jonas Hoegl, Marah (Jeff Noble) Hoegl, Daria (Jordan Schneider) Hoegl, Ava (Joel) McCaw; Father of her children: Reg Hoegl; Mother: Shirley Ann Laxdal; siblings: Allan (Cheri) Laxdal, Mona Laxdal; grandchildren: Clara, Jack, Harry and Baby; and Alphonse & Tillie Hoegl. Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, July 18, 2016 at 10:30 AM from Rolling Greens Fairway, Lloydminster Alberta. Donations in memory of Wanda may be made to the Wanda Hoegl Music Memorial Fund. Eulogy Wanda Gail Laxdal Hoegl – A dedicated Mother and dear friend. What an incredible enthusiasm for life! She was always passionate about the beautiful qualities in the fabric of life and was an always present individua. Wanda loved to create, loved the beauty in things and in people, and if there were places that were not beautiful, she would love them too. Wanda was: Ecumenical – Unconditional - Stoic – Fun – Free Thinking – Individualistic – Accepting/Welcoming to ALL. – Artistic – Dedicated to her family – a hard worker – Graceful – Patient – Motherly – Selfless – Humble - She had an: Excellent sense of humour, incredible eye for detail, wonderful sense of curiosity, Open Mind, Strong Faith, and great integrity. SHE WAS ALWAYS PRESENT! She might have underestimated herself at times, but Mark recalls the incredible observation of her Joy and surprise at how good she was at something once she took it on! In this particular instance it was woodworking. As birds make a nest, so too Mom and Mark, in the last 5 years, collected wood and tools and patterns and designs and from it they gave birth to the most beautiful, ornate, detailed and unique items made from all kinds of wood. So often a weekend was spent on shopping for different kinds of wood and turning them into animals, Christmas ornaments, detailed boxes, lamp frames, instruments and signs. 1-9’s Born 1956 in Wakaw Saskatchewan, to Shirley-Ann and Grant Laxdal. Grant was a grain buyer for the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool which led them to live in quite a few rural towns as the kids grew up. Shirley-Ann was a teacher, having went to Saskatoon normal school. Wanda was the middle child, with Allan, her big brother being a profound tease, but also a comrade as they could tease Mona when she joined the family a couple of years later. -They moved to Esk when Wanda was four and it was there that she attended a one room school house of 10 kids. She always spoke fondly of this school room, saying how she enjoyed doing her work along with listening to the stories the other students or the teacher were reading aloud. For 10 years they lived in Esk which was very close to Wynyard (seemed a big metropolis to Wanda and her siblings at the time), where most of their relatives were, and they visited them often. Wanda’s love of nature and creation were nurtured and supported with trips to Emma Lake every summer. Her Mom, Shirley-Ann, took education classes about art. Wanda’s love and curiosity were fed as she was often allowed to take part in what her mom was doing. She loved the water. Wanda taught her older brother how to swim in Good Spirit Lake in Yorkton as well as Crystal Lake. He described how she, his younger sister, had no fear and would show him all of the strokes. Delisle Saskatchewan near Saskatoon is where Wanda graduated from grade 12. Shortly after that she started travelling and working for several years in British Columbia before eventually returning home. Wanda met Reg around 1976 in Saskatoon. Reg was there visiting friends from his University days, and had just returned from his travels to India and. Wanda was taking Art at the U of S and was working at a sign making shop where her eye for detail along with her elegant and steady hand were put to use. At their first meeting, Reg recalls a free thinking individual/countercultural thinker: A woman in a red bandana. She was calm, cool, collected and intelligent. A perfect balance for his wild and outlandish left leaning ways.. She told one of her daughters that it was some of those same qualities.. well, the free thinking individual characteristics of Reg, that drew her to him. In conclusion: Neither had ever met anyone quite like the other and the connection was worth hanging onto. They had fun, and enjoyed people around them. Wanda was easy to like, and so Alph and Tillie, her soon to be parents in law, welcomed her warmly. When she moved to Lloyd she worked at signs and more, and actually designed the first sign to be representative of Sellers and Tuplin RV. 1980 - Wanda married Reg at the age of 25 yrs. A very busy year. She was attending Reeves business college, and they moved into Grandma Hoegl’s house in Lloydminster. Allan remembers a fun wedding, “they were happy kids together”. 1982 - With their friend Brian Zacharias, their house in Hillmond was built. 1985 - After patiently waiting, God blessed her with a child and Jonas was born. 1988 - Marah Wynn was born, the first daughter, an incredibly beautiful and strong girl (not much has changed). 1990 - Ava Maria was born quickly and with ease. Mom said to her once how impatient she was to get out and be in this world. She quickly caught up to her two older siblings and was considered a force to be reckoned with. 1995 - Reg and Wanda were surprised by a third healthy little girl, Daria Ella Hoegl. The three older kids remember well the excitement when Mom went into labour. Mom told them years later how this last pregnancy was so much fun having the three older siblings excitedly anticipating the new baby along with her. Jonas was 10, Marah was 7, Ava was 5. Among all of the things in Wanda’s life, it must be noted that the children were homeschooled. They all recall her incredible patience in teaching them how to read, write, spell, and do math. Wanda was at home on the farm, and neighbours recall her being a helpful wonderful neighbour. Although people welcomed her warmly, farm life was tougher to get along with, yet she was able to tap into strength and stoicism, braving it like a weathered sailer calmly braves a storm. Reg’s sister Lorainne recalls when she experienced a cow chase for the first time! Lorainne had warned her how it might go, the women on foot, the men in the trucks, likely something would go wrong. There was Wanda standing at a gate with the cows making a B-line towards her, and like any normal human being who valued her life, she stepped to the side. Quickly transforming into a skilled farm manager, she never stepped aside from any farm challenges that came her way. 1987-88 was the beginning of Wanda and Reg’s political involvement. At the opening of Lakeland College, a young Reform Party MLA, Stephen Harper, spoke. This lead to a decade and a half of political involvement. Mom managed a household, homeschooled her kids with endless patience and determination, sold grain, notated and helped write many letters to the editor for Reg, sewed and dreamed of doing more creative things. In 2002, Reg and Wanda decided to join the Catholic Church in Lloydminster. Jonas recalls how much comfort and joy she took in learning about the Church through RCIA. We gained incredible friendships and were very involved with church activities. Mom’s passion to learn about spirituality never faded as she pursued knowledge about God and the universe until now. 2005 Wanda moved to Lloydminster and the girls followed along. Not long after she was blessed by a fourth daughter, Katie Cherry, a dear friend of Ava’s. What was originally told to her was that she was going to only stay the week. When that turned into months and years, Wanda never questioned it. Katie recalls never feeling unwelcome or unloved in Wanda’s household. Looking back it seems incredulous that 5 women were living in a 2 bedroom apartment. But the girls recall that it simply worked, they all loved each other and things went smoothly. CHILDREN’S MEMORIES: She loved talking to her adult children as peers. Finding out about each other, what was going on in the web of their lives and also talking about life in general, the spirituality of things. She would learn from them and they would learn from her and their growth was reciprocal, symbiotic, and woven so tightly that without a doubt the kids will still think of their mom and what she would say in different situations, on different topics. Every night when we were children, Wanda would without fail, place her hand on our heads and say a blessing, “God Bless you and Keep You, may His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you, may He lift his countenance upon you and give you peace, Amen”. And sometimes, if there was time, she would sing to us, and a feeling of warmth and richness would fill our bellies as her voice poured like water.. and as a person longs for water, so too would we long for the comfort of her singing voice. Ava: I seem to quote Mom all the time to my friends.. Mom would say it was important to listen to everything a person has to say, and to remember, there was always some truth in it, even if you don’t agree, because it is in everyones nature to learn, to know, to find the truth. Mom ALWAYS breathed warmth and love into every situation. Marah: Whenever mom wrote me a note a card a letter a text or we talked on the phone she would say things such as how wonderful, beautiful or wise I was. How thankful she was for me and that she loved me. She made me feel it. She made me believe it. She made me live it. She showed me how to only look at the beauty or bright side of everything. She gave me freedom to choose on my own and trusted that I would make the right decision and knew for the many times I didn’t, I needed the lesson. She gave me space when I needed it. And held me tight when it was best. She was the inspiration for my greatest desire in life . To be a mother. She lived that dream beside me to the fullest these last 4 years of my three pregnancies and two births Every single moment she was with jack and harry was perfect. She gave me the honor of sharing motherhood with my sisters. And my greatest blessing, that she left this world in my arms. I feel her and I know she is with me. Daria: She was my protector, my friend and the most loving mother. Her voice was so comforting and soothing - the best feeling as a child, as an adult, was resting my head on her chest and hearing her voice, whether it was talking or singing or humming. The strong bond that we shared was life giving to both of us. One of the hardest things looking forward is not having my mom around for guidance and support. Mom’s compassionate and gentle love that she portrayed to everything is the greatest model I could have had. I promise to try and emulate these qualities. Jonas: Mom was my life-long teacher, mother and friend. She exemplified the excellence of Motherhood no matter the situation. She was always the person in your corner and offered great wisdom and support. We found great strength in each other through all of life’s ups and downs. Mark: Early in 2012, Wanda and Mark met. Many people say you only find true once in a lifetime, but Wanda and Mark had an incredible love and connection from the very beginning. Mark recalls inviting Wanda to his acreage south of Lloyd. She was so supportive and helpful to Mark as he was facing the loss of his previous wife. He says she changed his outlook, always pointing things upward in her well known uplifting and warm manner. They did the first of many walks around the perimeter. He shared all the plants and what he wanted to do, and she later shared his vision for the property, helping him make it become a reality. With Mark, Wanda’s travelling dreams came true. That summer they took a trip to Drumheller that continued through Calgary to Nelson, visiting relatives and close friends. Every minute was thoroughly enjoyed, and if ever the trip came up in conversation, Mom spoke of it with great fondness, proof can be seen in every photo as she was beaming. Another of Mom’s greatest dreams was visiting Iceland. In 2014, this became a reality as a great Icelandic reunion was happening that year. Her and Mark left on holiday for three weeks to tour Iceland, and visit the former family farm. Mom’s description of Iceland was beautiful and inspiring, and leaves us all desiring to tour it ourselves. She was blown away by its unique and outstanding beauty of which she’d never seen. They were also able to tour England, Mark’s homeland. Mom would call Ava and tell her about what an incredible experience they were having, tasting Cornish Pasties, Pork Pie, and real fish and chips. Mark was comfortable driving of which Mom was greatly relieved, and they travelled from Lands End to Stone Henge, Castles in Wales, and to the very place Mark grew up. Mom meant the world to Mark, and Mark meant the world to Mom. What an incredible dynamite pair of life travellers and creators. Ava always liked to say to her friends at school how the two would work in the woodshed all winter and garden all summer. Wanda fought the incredible battle of cancer, a common foe familiar to the whole world. She had a wonderful support from family, but also an incredible and humble partner in Mark. She refused to give the cancer any more energy than she needed to. She fought it with love, patience and kindness, but she turned to doctors as well and went through chemo and radiation treatments both times it reared its ugly head. This last time however she had great hope with her treatments in Mexico, and even to the severest skeptic, she showed such overwhelming improvement from it, gratefully proving them wrong. Around this past Christmas she had a great come back, and again in February, when death seemed in the room, she determined to pull through once again for her children and grandchildren. Ava’s wedding was not only a celebration of her and Joel’s love, but also a celebration of Wanda’s health as against all odds she walked Ava down the isle. Her energy was exuberant and her joy clearly written on her face. Her presence… Her presence was appreciated by friends and family, old and new. In these passed few months Wanda has enjoyed many hours with her grandkids, always happy to have them nearby. They meant the world to her, and her greatest sadness was knowing she would miss so much of their lives. Jack, who shared her birthday, Harry and Clara, brought incredible joy to her life. This summer the flowerbeds at her and Mark’s home have continued to grow, and although she wasn’t able to be as much involved, she was in every way involved because of her great joy and appreciation for the beauty of all the plants. Wanda travelled to Vancouver Island only a few weeks ago as Ava was convocating from the University of Victoria with a degree in music. Wanda was so proud and couldn’t be happier that she had followed her musical talents. Wanda got to enjoy the ocean air once again, as well as tour Boutchard gardens of which she had great admiration. When being asked for advice or presented with a problem, Wanda always breathed warmth into the situation, always having the ability to see how the situation could be fruitful and positive. She had funny and antidotal ways of dealing with hardship, and empowered people naturally and with ease. Although she is gone in body, she will forever live in the hearts of those who loved her. Her strength continues to flow and her desire for people to live loving, healthy, joyful and peaceful lives, lives on. Wanda held family and friends in the highest regard, and she was always happy to connect with her extended family and friends near and far. This incredible value for others has been passed to her children who are so incredibly blessed to have had her as their mother.