Osoyoos Oasis

Sean and Sylvia and I are in the Okanagan for celebrations of life for our Aunt Marjorie and Aunt Jean. Aunt Marjorie's was earlier today, and it was a beautiful, welcoming tribute. It was great to see my cousins Diane, Darwin, and Bruce again--Aunt Marjorie's surviving children--as well as several of their children and partners. 

After the service, we took some time to travel around the region, stopping at a patio in Osoyoos for refreshments. Being in such a beautiful setting helps take the sting out of loss.           
 

Farewell to Aunt Marjorie

We just heard from our cousin Dianne that her mother, my Aunt Marjorie Jones, passed away today. She was the last Etsell sister, at far left, beside Mom. As far as I know, the unveiling of the cairn at Salt Lake, on the former property of our grandparents, was the last time all four sisters were together in the same place. I'm glad Sean and Dad and I were there for it. 

Three sisters gone in the space of less than half a year. Time can be cruel. 

Rest in peace, Aunt Marjorie, with your sisters and Uncle Arnold. 


 

Three Sisters

My aunts Jean and Marjorie (far left), came to Edmonton on Friday for a wedding, and on Sunday Sean, Sylvia and I came out to Leduc to see them. Mom served a very delicious lunch, and my cousins Darwin (seen here to my right), Bruce (not in this photo for some reason--where did he go?) and Darwin's son Brandon (who shot the photo) popped by, too. It was great seeing my aunts again! 
 

Farewell Aunt Margaret

Last night, Mom received the news that her oldest sister, Margaret (Etsell) Newton, had passed away in Winnipeg at 88. You can see Mom at the far left beside Aunt Margaret, with Aunt Jean and Aunt Marjorie, respectively, on the right. 

I'll miss Aunt Margaret. She was kind, compassionate, warm, intelligent, and accomplished, and she had a smile that lit up the room. My thoughts are with my Uncle Gordon, my cousins David, Kathy, and Barbara, my aunts, and, of course, Mom. 

Mom's Big Birthday

Today's Mom's birthday! Here she is with her older sisters in 1945. Mom is the little one on the right. Aunt Jean is on her right, Aunt Margaret is behind Aunt Jean, and Aunt Marjorie is behind Mom.

Sean and I gave Mom iTunes gift cards for her iPad so she could buy some books for Mom and Dad's upcoming trip to Oregon. I'll bet little Elizabeth never imagined that one day she'd be reading books displayed on a plate of glass...but then, not even Arthur Clarke or Isaac Asimov were imagining such wonders back then, at least as I recall their work.

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Mom! May you enjoy many more.

Uncle Arnold

Today I learned from my Uncle Gordon that my Uncle Arnold Jones died last night. Uncle Arnold, seen here speaking at my wedding to Sylvia, had a great sense of humour; he was always cracking dirty jokes. Uncle Arnold and Aunt Marjorie lived in Devon, Alberta, for most of the years that my family lived in Leduc, and during the 80s we visited regularly; Arnold and Marjorie's youngest son, my cousin Darwin, is my age, and we spent many weekends playing video games on the Atari 800 or playing with Uncle Arnold's elaborate train set:

Uncle Arnold worked in Alberta's oil and gas industry for many years until he and Aunt Marjorie moved down to Mesa, Arizona as snowbirds. My cousins are heading down there now to support Aunt Marjorie.

It's been a couple of years since I last saw Uncle Arnold, and I'm sorry that I didn't see him one more time before his passing. But I'm grateful that he and my other uncles and aunts made it to our wedding, and I hope Uncle Arnold enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed having him there.

My condolences to Aunt Marjorie and their sons and daughter: Evan, Bruce, Darwin and Diane. Such a loss, but many happy memories.