Lonnie Lenore Wolk

She is survived by her daughters: Tonja and her husband James, Lawana and her husband Rick, Rayna and her partner Chris; and by her beloved grandchildren: Oliver and his partner Gillian, Ira, Leo, Chet and Camilla. She was a very special auntie to her many much-loved nieces and nephews. She also leaves to mourn her sister, Penny, her aunts Diana and Muriel, many longtime colleagues, neighbours and friends, Ron, Irene, Sandy and Karl, Macarena, and most especially her dear friend and caregiver, Murray.

Lonnie was born in Saskatoon April 1947 to Evelyn and Gordon Wailing and grew up in Young SK with her brothers Lorne and Dennis, her sister Penny, and their grandmother Emily Wailing, known as Granny. When she was 4, her family was lost in a snowstorm; they survived and found their way, but her hands and feet were badly frozen and caused her lifelong pain. Despite the injury she loved to draw and make things. She was a good student and earned her Bachelor of Arts, B.Ed and Masters in Special Education at the University of Calgary and the University of Saskatchewan.

She loved teaching and had lasting relationships with her students in Calgary and Viscount, especially as a remedial reading and resource teacher. They will remember her humorous admonishments to use their time wisely or risk being “strung up by the toenails from the rafters”, her racks of books to read in the classroom, her art displays and her lessons in fractions which featured her mom’s homemade pies.

After retiring, she loved cooking and preserving pickles and jams, baking cinnamon buns, tarts, cookies and muffins, reading novels, doing crossword puzzles and crafts like painting and paper tole and making scrapbooks of her grandkids. She spent much of her time as a devoted support person for her friend Dell and Aunt June when they were struggling with cancer.

Lonnie grieved her grandparents and parents, her uncle Freddie and many other uncles and aunts, her brothers, brothers-in-law Larry and Rod, sisters-in-law Carol and Mary, her nephew Rodney, friends Dell and Verna, her former husband’s Martin and Dan, and her infant grandson Kaare.

She loved the little dog and the garden she shared with Murray. Friends and family will gather there for an intimate memorial. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Canadian Cancer Society, The Canadian Mental Health Association, and The David Suzuki Foundation.