Obituary of Margaret Brassington

BIOGRAPHY BRASSINGTON ~ Margaret Anne Brassington passed away at the Jubilee Home, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Sunday, December 14, 2008 at the age of 89 years. Margaret will be sadly missed by her four children: Anne Orwig of Portland Oregon, Alan George of Waterloo, Ontario, Lynda and Barry Gibbs of Phoenix, Arizona, Art & Shirley-Ann George of Ottawa, eleven grandchildren, fifteen great grandchildren as well as numerous other friends and relatives. The funeral service was conducted from the Grace United Church, Lloydminster, Alberta on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 at 2:00 P.M. with Reverend Sue Hertell officiating. The eulogy was given by Alan George & Lynda Gibbs. Eulogy for Mom First, we want to thank all of you for being here to share in our celebration of Mom's life. We have been losing our Mom bit by bit over the past several years, as the terrible Alzheimer's disease robbed her of her memory and her ability to function normally. She finally gave up the fight on Sunday morning. Although we are sad to have lost our mother, we are here today to remember the wonderful person she was. Mom was born May 5, 1919, the only child of Florence and Studley Brown. She grew up on the family farm in the Devonia Lake School District. Mom's family and Dad's family saw much of each other as Mom grew up, going to Devonia Lake School with them, and eventually being taught and tutored by the eldest, Aunty Ethel George, as Mom finished her grade eleven. In June of 1939, Mom married our Dad, John Edward (Ted) George and they moved to the Hogan farm two miles south of Blackfoot to start farming on their own. Mom lived there for sixty five years until moving to the Jubilee in December of 2004. Mom and Dad had four children, all of whom are here today. Anne was born in 1941, Lynda and I were born in 1949 and 1943 respectively, and Arthur arrived in 1952. Mom and Dad were active in the community through the Blackfoot Ladies Community Club and 4H, and were the quintessential "good neighbours". Running the farm was very much a family affair, with all of us assuming responsibilities around the farm and home during weekends and summer holidays. As you all know Mom was a petite lady, and Dad, recognizing this, had Mom drive the combine, because that was easier than shoveling grain. Mom loved farming and could back up the manure spreader with the best of tractor drivers. We had a 1946 international truck with a crash box transmission - that is, no synchromesh. Mom could shift gears in that truck as well as anyone - with rarely a snick of the gears whether shifting up or down. Beside the farm activities, her gardens were huge and immaculate, providing vegetables for the family year round. Any weed that thought to grow in her garden didn't last long. Her great love was her flower gardens, her peonies, gladiolas, lilies and many annuals always gave the yard lots of color. Beside all the things she did outdoors, she was the consummate homemaker. She was the ultimate organizer, her lists and schedules were without equal. She always had a plan for the days and weeks to come, and the neat thing about Mom was that she normally got things done that she planned. I remember, growing up, the Saturday ritual was, the house was cleaned, the floors were washed and we had baked macaroni and cheese with beet pickles for dinner. Then we would go to town Saturday afternoon. Mom sewed clothes for Anne and me, and for herself and spent hours knitting and crocheting. Many family members have slippers that she has made. Because I was the daughter that was still at home, when Anne had gone away to university, Mom and I would periodically take day trips to the city (Edmonton) to shop. That was always a special event for me. Tragically, Dad died in a traffic accident near Blackfoot in 1962. Mom and the rest of us kept the farm operating, and three years later, Mom married Bill Brassington from Paradise Valley, and from then on they jointly operated their two farms. Bill shared Mom's love of gardening and he built her a tomato house, a little green house where a dozen plants produced pails and pails of tomatoes. For nearly 40 years, until Mom went to the Jubilee Home in 2004, Mom and Bill shared a wonderfully full life of work and play together, spending many evenings dancing, dining and playing cards with their many friends in Lloydminster and the neighboring communities. Mom was about the most even tempered person I have ever known. I don't recall her ever really being very exasperated, except for the time my pigs got out while we were away one Sunday afternoon, and they made a mess of her garden. Things were a bit tense for a few days! Another time Anne remembers Mom chastising Dad when the cows got in the garden, because he should have done a better job of fixing the fence. Mom was a little lady with a big heart - she was always ready with a helping hand if a friend or neighbour was in need, and spent many hours visiting those who were hospitalized. She taught us by example to work hard, play hard, and make honest moral decisions. She delighted in our successes and was always there to support us when we struggled. As the grandchildren arrived, she enjoyed them immensely although most were spread over various parts of Canada and the US. Eight of the eleven are here today in person but the rest are here in spirit. Scott Gibbs is here to share some memories of Granny. Mom's incredible sunny smile would warm your heart, and in these last years when her health was failing, a smile was a great reward for all of us, family and caregivers alike. It has been a great comfort for the four of us being so far away, knowing that Mom was so well loved and cared for by every one of the staff at the Jubilee and especially by her personal caregivers who were with her every day. Jeremy could often get Mom to smile and this past Saturday night before he went off shift he came in to say goodbye to Mom. A few minutes later he came back with his harmonica and played Silent Night for her. Today Jeremy is going to play for her again. A tribute from the grandchildren was given by Scott Gibbs. I am Scott Gibbs, the 2nd of eleven grandchildren. I was asked to share some memories of Grandma with you today. As I was reflecting on what I wanted to say today and was thinking about all the time I spent with Grandma when I was growing up, it occurred to me that a couple of things from Grandma's early years had a significant impact on the way she led her life. I remember clearly sitting with Grandma in the kitchen at the farm after supper one evening looking through an old picture album. There was a picture of Grandma with her parents and this was the first time that I realized that Grandma was an only child. She remarked that she had often wished that she had brothers or sisters. I was 8 or 9 years old at the time with two younger brothers and must confess that I had a hard time seeing her point. However, many years later I think I understand what she meant. I wonder if this void in her childhood was a factor in her lifelong dedication to her family. I will come back to some thoughts about family in a moment, but first I would like to reflect on another important influence from Grandma's childhood. Grandma was born in 1919 and grew up on a farm just a few miles outside of Lloydminster. She lived her teenage years through the Great Depression, or Dirty Thirties as she often referred to the period. Grandma wasn't above telling some of the same tall tales that we have all heard from our parents and grandparents about walking ten miles to school, up-hill both ways, in a blinding snow storm (some versions of this story include carrying the horse, but I digress…). Nonetheless, these were challenging times and her persistent positive outlook on life came from her knowledge that no matter how bad a situation that life throws at you, it could always be worse. She often quoted things like "Don't cry over spilled milk" and "Waste Not, Want Not". She worked hard on the farm helping in the fields, making a home for her family and she never took anything for granted. As a child, I have many happy memories of summer vacations at the farm in Lloydminster. There were often many cousins and Aunts and Uncles at "Home". The grandchildren were all raised in the city. Coming to the farm and having a ride on the tractor was a coveted experience. We all anxiously waited for our turn to make a couple of laps around the field on the tractor with Grandma or Grandpa. Grandma looked forward to these annual visits too. She was never happier than when she was scurrying around the kitchen preparing a big meal. She made a point of making everybody's "favorites" - lemon meringue pie, onion pickles, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and gravy and homemade brown bread were some of her specialties. There was never a reason to leave Grandmas table hungry! In later years, I had the privilege of living and working on the farm in the summer times. I was able to relieve Grandma from some of the work in the fields, but she was always keen to help when needed. During harvest time she would bring meals out to the field and drive the combine while Grandpa and I ate. During harvest time when the weather was good the combine was kept running pretty much around the clock. One summer when I was about 15 we were trying to finish harvesting a field late at night. It was a dark moonless night and I hadn't had much sleep for several days. I got disoriented in the field when I was trying to find the truck to unload the last hopper of grain from the combine. To my horror, I found the truck by driving the pickup of the combine into the back of it! That kind of put an end to the harvesting for that night. The next morning, after some much needed sleep, Grandma asked me what happened. I explained as best I could and I'm sure she realized that I felt terrible about it. She said something about not crying over spilled milk. We fixed the combine later that day and carried on to finish the harvest. I have many other happy memories of Grandma and my experiences with her on the farm. Life has taken me on to other pursuits far away from here. However, I will always cherish the time I spent here growing up. I will remember Grandma's love of her family, her positive outlook on life and her seemingly endless supply of energy. Grandma is gone from our lives, but she will not be forgotten. Leader of song was the Grace United Church Choir. The hymns sung were "In The Garden", "Lord Of The Dance" and "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" accompanied on the organ by Irene Knowlson. The honorary pallbearers were all friends and relatives present. The pallbearers were Kyle Orwig, Greg Orwig, Lisa Hagedorn, Todd Orwig, Geoffrey George, David George, Scott Gibbs, Guy Gibbs, Michael Gibbs, Jason George & Karen George. Interment will be held at the Lloydminster City Cemetery at a later date. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. Card of Thanks A special thank you to Mom's private care aides who nurtured her as if she were their own. To Dr. Dry and to the very compassionate staff at Jubilee home. Thank you to Rev. Sue Hertell for her warm compassionate handling of the memorial service and to the choir and Irene Knowlson for leading the music. Thanks to Glen McCaw and staff for their caring and professional assistance before, during and after the funeral service. To the United church women for their delicious lunch. Thank you to all the grandchildren and other family members who traveled great distances to honour their Grandma and Auntie Marg. Thanks to Linda and Bob Dennett, Alice Clark and Diane Davies who are always available to help out, a huge item when we all live so far away. Thanks to all our friends and relatives for the cards, flowers, phone calls, emails, visits and food sent to the house. And finally, thanks to all those who sent donations to many charities in Mom's memory. A donation to the Lloydminster Health Foundation, for the Jubilee Home Equipment fund, has been made in lieu of thank you cards. Donations in memory of Margaret may be made to the Jubilee Home Equipment Fund, Alzheimers Association or charity of choice