Donald Austin Williams 1937 – 2017,  Don peacefully passed away at the Stonewall Hospital with his family at his side. He was a loving husband, father, Poppa and great Poppa. He leaves behind his wife Joan of 60 years, their three girls, Joy (Jack), Nancy, Karen, son in law Randy; ten grandchildren, Pam (Daryl), Ryan (Candy), Jennifer (Carel), Beth (Danny), Lori (OG) Darren, Becky (Craig), Bryon, Blair, Kyle (Mel) and numerous great grand children.  Predeceased by his parents Margaret and Austin, daughter Lynda, grandson Chris and great granddaughter Emma. Don was born and raised on the family farm in the Stonewall area. The loves of his life were his family, driving truck and his horses. Grandma says horses came first. The family would like to thank the doctor and nurses of the Stonewall Hospital for the care given to Don during his stay. A celebration of Don’s life was held on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 2:00 P.M. at the Stonewall Legion Auditorium. A private family interment will take place prior to the celebration of life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Manitoba Heart and Stroke Foundation, 6 Donald Street, Winnipeg, MB., R3L 0K6 or Diabetes Canada, 401 – 1 Wesley Ave., Wpg., MB., R3C 4C6.

Elizabeth (Bette) Morin

Peacefully on Sunday, February 19, 2017 Bette Morin of Teulon and formerly of Inwood, MB. Predeceased by her husband, Albert; her sister Irene Gibson (Don).  Survived by her daughters Nancy (Phil) Yakielashek, Karen Ellison and Leslee Morin. Grandchildren Todd (Sherry) Yakielashek and their children Hanna and Henry; Brett (Terri-Lynn) Yakielashek and their children Madison and Oscar; Lauren Ellison (Ryan Green); Evan Ellison; Ainslee Willis; Ben Willis; her sister-in-law Joyce Morin and many nieces and nephews. Service will be held on Friday, February 24 at 2:00 P.M. at Teulon – Rockwood  Centennial Centre, 14 Main Street, Teulon, Manitoba. Flowers gratefully declined.

Peacefully on February 7, 2017 Annie Eileen Margaret Murray passed away at Rosewood Lodge Personal Care Home in Stonewall at the age of 92 years. She will be forever missed by her sister Edna Fisher. Eileen and Edna spoke daily on the phone and when Eileen was admitted to Rosewood Lodge they were able to see each other every day. She will also be missed by her niece Darlene (Lloyd) as well as great nieces and nephews Michelle (Lyle) & Kyle (Kezia), Lisa (Dennis) & Aiden and Murray (Kristin) & Grace. Eileen will also be remembered by her nieces and nephews and their families, Bonnie (Don) Hosack, Sandra (Doug) Wallis & Rick Rawson, all of Ontario. She was predeceased by her parents, sister Nora Rawson and brothers-in-law, Earl Rawson and Bill Fisher. Auntie Eileen was viewed by her nieces and nephews as more of a “fun friend” than an aunt and so we called her Eileen. Eileen was always there with us to celebrate our accomplishments and milestones. She never missed a Sunday family supper, our birthdays or a Christmas and was a large part of our lives growing up. Eileen loved animals and they loved her – growing up our pets always knew that Eileen could be counted on for a pat and a treat. Eileen’s home was a great place to visit. There were always homemade cookies to eat and card games to play. Never did you leave her place without a chocolate bar for the road. Eileen enjoyed to travel and had travelled throughout Europe, Canada and the U.S. When Eileen returned from a trip you could count on presents and souvenirs for all of us. Eileen had very gentle and quiet demeanour. She was never one to be the centre of attention but her presence was always felt with her kind smile and we will all miss her very much. Thank you to Stonewall Home Care, Dr. Pinniger, Tudor Home, Dr. Graham and Rosewood Lodge for Eileen’s care over the years. As per Eileen’s request, no formal service will take place and a private family interment will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in Eileen’s memory can be made to The Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation or The Winnipeg Humane Society.

Aileen Victoria Kjear (Forster)

December 12, 1934 – February 3, 2017

With great sadness, the family wishes to announce the passing of Aileen on February 3, 2017 at the Stonewall Hospital. She will be forever remembered by daughter Kathy, son-in-law Chuck and her grandson Tyler. Also sister Bernice (Alf) Sutton, brothers Gary (Bernice) Forster and Ken (Mary) Forster as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Aileen was born in Brandon, Manitoba and grew up in Winnipeg where she met the love of her life, Oscar Kjear. They were married in 1959 and moved to Stonewall area where they raised their 3 children. Aileen was predeceased by her husband Oscar, parents Victor and Mabel Forster and 2 sons, Bruce and David. Aileen worked for Corrections Canada and after 21 years of service retired to care for her grandson, Tyler. She was always on the go, loved to travel, spend time with family and friends and was known for her beautiful cross-stitching. She was involved with Lilyfield UCW, Order of the Eastern Star and held the position of secretary for the SMI retirees. Our sincerest gratitude for the care provided by Stonewall Hospital staff and Home Care. A service will be held at The Oddfellows Hall (374 – 1st St. W) in Stonewall on Saturday, February 11, 2017 at 11:00 A.M. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lilyfield United Church c/o Box 22, R.R.2, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3C 2E6

February 9, 1941 – February 1, 2017 It is with deep regret that the family wishes to announce the passing of our Husband, Father, Grandfather, great grandfather, uncle and Godfather. It is with great relief in our hearts that he graduated from life and is free of the pain of pancreatic cancer. He will be sadly missed by his wife Vivian, sons Cal (Cindy), and Greg (Corinne) and grandchildren Taylor, Cole, Sarah, Bethany, Rebecca and great grandchildren Ava & Brody.

Harry was born in a farm house near Benito Mb. to Frank & Helen Popoff where he grew up with his brothers Bill,  Jack and sister Nettie. Throughout his teen years he enjoyed  being a member of the Rythym Rocks as a fiddle player playing numerous barn dances and weddings. The height of his fiddle career peaked on television with a few appearance on “Profile” in Yorkton Sask.

Upon graduation from High School he made his way to Winnipeg where he worked at various jobs before finding his way back to the country to work with Searle grain which later became Federal and finally Manitoba Pool grain elevators. He operated elevators in Birch River, Endeavour, Runnymede, Angusville, & La Rivierre. He was always very fond of the people he met along the way and became very respected as an agent and community member. It was in those years in Angusville that he along with other members of the community sponsored the construction of the Angusville Community Center where his name still proudly appears on the plaque along side of the other founding members.

He later shifted careers to Manitoba Crop Insurance as an agent in Birtle and later in Stonewall where he became a regional manager and retired in 1995.

During his time with Crop Insurance he enjoyed many great relationships with work collegues and especially loved working with the farming community as he always felt like the prairie boy that he was.

During the 1980’s in Stonewall he (along with Rudy Peters) started the Quarry Toastmaster Club. Recently in the last few years the Quarry Toastmasters Club celebrated a 25 year milestone where he was honored to be recognized as a founding member.

Not one to sit around in retirement he later joined Canadian Auto Group/Adesa Auction. During his 20 yrs as a core driver, he enjoyed building many friendships with his fellow drivers and especially with Jaret Thiessen whom he held in very high regard. He enjoyed many long conversations during extended trips with his work buddies and always came home with humorous stories. He loved nothing more than sharing laughs with all his friends at  dealerships throughout the prairies.

Eventually in January 2016 he retired a second time to care for Vivian and to spend more time with family.

In August he received the unfortunate diagnosis of Pancreatic cancer and started his courageous battle with dignity and maintained a positive attitude.

He always spoke highly of Dr. Daeninck and the rest of the staff in St. Boniface Cancer Care as well as compassionate staff at the Gimli Cancer Care where he took his chemo treatments. The family would also like to thank the staff at the Dr. Evelyn Memorial Hospital in Stonewall for a great care shown towards Dad during his final days. Your compassion was extraordinary and thank you doesn’t seem to be enough.

As per dad’s wishes, there will be no funeral and a private internment  will take place in the summer at  Semenoka Cemetery  along side his parents and grandparents. Dad had a strong belief in God and knew that one day he would be reunited with family and friends that have passed before him especially his old buddies Adam Sawaryn and Bill Strukoff.

Helen passed away January 21, 2017 with Glenn and Maureen by her side at the Teulon Hunter Memorial Hospital.

She is survived by sisters-in-law Marilyn (Jack) Warkentin, Joyce Measor, Shirley Kletke, Gail Kletke and Ruth Holmstrom and many nieces and nephews.

Helen was predeceased by her husband of 57 years Herb, in 2013, son Darrell (1977), parents Henry (1950) and Margaret (1985), sister Florence Larkin (1981), brothers Lennart (1927), Fred (1982) and Helge (2008).

Helen was born at the Teulon Hunter Memorial Hospital on July 26, 1933. She attended Success Business College and her first job was with Credit Protectors in Winnipeg. After the 1950 flood in Winnipeg, she was employed at Great West Life for almost 10 years in the Loans and Surrenders Dept. In 1956 she married Herb and subsequently moved to the farm in 1959. At first they had cattle, chickens and hogs but eventually expanded into cleaning seed. Helen loved working in the fields, cultivating, swathing and even operating the combine on occasion.

Helen felt fortunate that she and Herb had the opportunity to see agricultural practices in New Zealand, Australia, England, Brazil, China, Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico and the United States. For many years they hosted International Agricultural students and had close relationships with many of them for many years. A number of them have returned several times to visit.

We wish to thank the nurses at the Teulon Hunter Memorial Hospital for their care and compassion. A special thanks to Dr. Loudon and his family for the exceptional care as both a physician and friend.

The Funeral Service will be held at the Teulon-Rockwood Centennial Centre (14 Main Street) on Friday, January 27, 2017 at 11:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Teulon Hunter Memorial Hospital, Teulon, Manitoba, R0C 3B0.

Helen Skogan October 17, 1921 – January 13, 2017

I am very lucky to come from a family of storytellers. I guess, more accurately, it is a family of memory-tellers. Every family dinner that I can remember would end up with everyone around the table reminiscing about people they used to know; places they used to visit; old stories that would still make everyone laugh. In writing my Grandma’s obituary, I sat down and thought about all of the stories and all of the memories. Here’s one that stands out for me. Years ago, when my Grandpa was sick, I went home to spend time with him and Gram. We talked a lot about “the old days”. Which prompted my Grandpa to put his arm around Gram and say: “We had fun. We had a (colourful language) good time”. He said this knowing that his cancer was not going to go into remission this time; knowing that their days together were limited. I left there in tears. Sad ones, mixed with happy. Because I had the privilege of witnessing people who were still deeply in love after 58 years of marriage, and still having fun together. And it’s a memory I bring up here because it encapsulates my Grandma. She loved having fun more than anyone I know. Gram was feisty before it was considered a compliment. Family lore has it that she and my Grandpa started courting when he yanked on her pigtails, and she punched him. A little bit “Anne of Green Gables” and a little bit “Fight Club” and completely and totally in character for both of them. Grandpa never stopped teasing her. She never stopped rising to the occasion. I miss hearing the two of them in action; one would get the other riled up about something, and they’d end up laughing so hard that they had to sit down. They were each other’s best friend and favorite pastime. Gram also had a great love for her family. Nothing made her happier than having all of her kids and grandkids around. Except maybe a game of cards. Which is why you’d find the Skogans and Willises around the table after every holiday dinner playing a cutthroat game of 31. It was very hard for my Grandma to see the number of card players drop when Grandpa -her Herb (also known as “Herbert”, depending on her level of annoyance)- passed away; when her beloved son Billy died; when her daughter-in-law Sandra died; and when she lost her brother Fraser and sister Marion. Hard, too, to have had to say goodbye to family members and to life-long friends. Here’s my Grandma in a nutshell. She loved her family and friends, fiercely. She loved a good laugh; a good argument; a good pork roast. She could bake better than anyone I know. She cheated at cards. Dementia stole her debating and baking skills; her appetite these last few years didn’t allow for too many roasts. But she still enjoyed good laughs, right up until the week of her passing. And the statistically improbable number of times that she “won” at cribbage tells me that her cheating ways remained intact, too. Thank you to everyone at Red River Place: at Goodwin Lodge; and at Hunter Memorial Hospital for taking such good care of someone we loved so much. Thank you for the kindness, the compassion, and for sneaking her the odd tomato sandwich. I’ll miss my Grandma. So will Lana (Kelly), Eric (Tina), Karla, and Kyle (Anita). Jayden, Vayha, Noah, Kelvyn, and Kevin were lucky enough to know their Great-Grandma and to have a special relationship with her. Bert Skogan (Shirley) and Karen Willis (Lyle) will miss their Mother terribly, too. As will her many friends and the rest of her family members, including her sister, Annabell (John Bueckert) and cousins, nieces, and nephews. Goodbye, Grandma. We had a (colourful language) good time. Following a private graveside service, friends and family are invited to celebrate Gram’s life at the Teulon Rockwood Centennial Centre on Monday, April 17 at 2:00 p.m. Flowers gratefully declined. Memorial donations to Goodwin Lodge (at Box 89, Teulon, MB., R0C 3B0) would be appreciated. Please make cheques payable to  T.H.M.H.D -fdn.