Mrs. Doris Marion Thomas

Like many women growing up in the depression and war times, our mother was a strong person. Although barely over 5 feet tall and just over 100 pounds, she was a force to be reckoned with! Although generally a quiet, shy person, she had a good sense of humor and could be full of fun. She was always willing to do something or go somewhere – all you had to do was mention something and her response would be “When are we going?’

Mom was born at home on the farm near Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Her parents were Welsh settlers and the area attracted many Welsh people. She was the second youngest of 9 siblings. Although the family had to work hard to establish a living – starting out in a tiny house with no running water or power – it was a warm and loving household. Mom’s dad sang in the church choir and all the siblings played musical instruments and sang. Mom would often sing with her younger brother Gwynn and played piano by ear. Mom liked to tell stories from that time – she was shy, and although she and the family cat weren’t always on the best of terms, she could sympathize with him when they both hid out in the bedroom together to avoid company! She also talked about sneaking some crackers to eat in bed and having to sleep in itchy cracker crumbs because she couldn’t call mom to straighten out the bed or she’d have been in trouble! Another time her older siblings got them all involved in a baseball game out in the bush on a Sunday – and the Sabbath was very strictly observed in that household – and poor mom sprained her finger. She had a terrible time eating supper but didn’t dare say a word because they would all have been in trouble!

As mom grew older, the stories continued. There was the time an older brother tried to teach her to drive and with one of her nephews in the back seat she ran across the road, down into the ditch and back up on the road. She always insisted it wasn’t her driving that was at fault but the instruction! Since high school wasn’t available in the local school, she roomed with our dad’s cousin, Ethel, who became a lifelong friend, over the general store in town to finish Grade 12 by correspondence. Apparently the science experiments weren’t always clearly written and didn’t always turn out quite as expected!

Our father, Noel, was also the son of Welsh settlers and lived in the same district. After their marriage, they took over his family farm and had three children, Enid, Avis and Garth. Mom baked on a wood stove and read by lamp light. Her baking was always wonderful whether on a wood stove or electric – we all have fond memories of her homemade bread and cinnamon buns.

Since back then, as it is now, it was difficult to make a living just at farming mom went to Normal School to get her teaching certificate. She taught at many rural and small town schools in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta before they gave up the family farm due to our dad’s poor health and settled in Calgary.

When the Department of Education decided that all their teachers must have a B.Ed. degree, mom took courses in the summer to fulfill the requirements all the while working, raising 3 children and tending to our father, who was not well. She even managed to fit in a Spanish language course in Mexico, giving the family an educational holiday at the same time.

Mom was well liked by parents and children and was often stopped by former students or their parents many years later just to say hi and let her know what was happening in their lives.

Mom was always active and after retirement had more time for travelling and hobbies. Although our father’s health continued to decline, they made some trips together and she also went to Australia twice with her brothers to visit cousins. After dad passed away she continued travelling, visiting Patagonia in Argentina, where her parents had emigrated to Canada from, then doing an Elderhostel trip around the southern tip of South America on a Russian trawler with a friend, going back to Europe with Enid and out to the Maritimes with Enid, Jim and her granddaughter Shera. She also made many trips out to Victoria to visit Cousin Ethel and really loved it out there.

Mom joined Confederation Park Seniors after dad passed away and became involved in line dancing, tai chi and a craft group. She was wonderful at tatting and made many beautiful things but unfortunately her daughters simply weren’t coordinated enough to pick up the skill no matter how well she taught us! She also took a class to learn crocheting (she could already knit) and was dedicated to completing the New York Times crossword, spending the week with atlas and dictionary until the solution came out the following Sunday. She played Scrabble with a group and enjoyed reading for pleasure, especially mysteries and watching mystery shows on TV.

Mom was proud of her Welsh heritage and took classes to help regain some of her fluency in the language. She loved to listen to Welsh music and travelled to Welsh music festivals with her friend (and distant cousin) Gwyneth.

Unfortunately, as mom reached her 80’s, her health started to decline. Losing our brother Garth, Cousin Ethel and her last remaining sibling, our Aunty Dilys, whom she was particularly close to, all within 6 months was very difficult. She decided herself that she needed more help and moved to Assisted Living at the Edgemont. That was a big adjustment, but, as she said to me with her usual good humor, it’s awful when you only have yourself to blame! Even with her declining health, she would sometimes play the piano to entertain her fellow residents.

With mom’s tiny build, osteoporosis became a concern and she began suffering some painful fractures. After breaking her second hip, she required even more care, and moved first to the Mayfair Care Center and then to the Bow Crest for the last few months. Despite being relegated to a wheelchair and suffering from both dementia and Parkinson’s like symptoms, she was always happy to see her daughters and still enjoyed listening to music. She also retained her sense of humor – when asked if she was ok after a recent choking spell she responded with “Well, I’m still here!”

While we’re very glad that mom is free now from pain and certainly in a better place she will be missed. Our mother’s strength, compassion and sense of humor are her legacy to us. I know I find myself doing something and think oh my gosh, I’m turning into my mother – and that would be a very good thing!

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THOMAS, Doris Marion

April 3, 1925 – August 31, 2012

Doris Thomas passed away peacefully at Bow Crest Care Centre on Friday, August 31 after several years of declining health. She is lovingly remembered by her daughters, Enid (Jim) Whitnack and Avis Thomas; her grandson, Dan (Connie) Whitnack; her great grandchildren, Eldon and Mei-Lynn; and her sister-in-law, Shirley Humphreys as well as many nieces and nephews. She was pre-deceased by her husband, Noel; her son, Garth and granddaughter, Shera. Doris was born at home on the farm in a Welsh settlement in South Eastern Saskatchewan. She was the last surviving sibling of nine. She taught elementary school for many years and retired from Chief Crowfoot School in Calgary. Doris always kept active and after retirement was able to spend more time travelling and pursuing her hobbies. She was an active member of Confederation Seniors for several years. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, 710, 10123 99 St., Edmonton, AB T5J 3H1. Thank you to the Bow Crest Care Centre staff who enriched the last few months of mom’s life with their caring and thoughtfulness. A celebration of Doris’ life will be held at FOSTER’S GARDEN CHAPEL, 3220 – 4 Street N.W., Calgary (across from Queen’s Park Cemetery) on Friday, September 7th at 3:30 p.m. with Reverend Tammy Allan officiating. Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family via the website www.fostersgardenchapel.ca.