June 12, 1921 – May 27, 2021
It is with great sorrow that the family embraces their memories of a great lady. Retta is best described in a letter written by her mother-in-law to be, Great Grama (Elda May) Kreller, sent to Howard’s sister Eileen Horton, in Newfane NY in the fall of 1942. She goes on to explain:
Retta is a very fine person, a hard worker a great cook and very talented, she made her own wedding dress. Howard and her make a great couple. The wedding is to take place in the Clavet Church
We are all looking forward to going to the wedding.
The wedding never happened in the church. There was a terrible storm and the wedding was on the McClelland farm, Nov.24, 1942. Grampa & Grama Kreller never made it.
There was admiration on both sides. My mom always felt Grama K was like a mother and she was always treated like a daughter.
- Garry -
After the war, Mom & Dad bought their little house on Witney Ave. Mom honed her skills and never stood back when work was to be done. Her cooking skills provided many feasts on the very bare necessities. Moms’ sewing skills provided a lot of her families clothing. Never being scared to take on a challenge, she sewed Garry a suit from Dads’ navy “pee jacket”.
Sunday’s meant you wore your best and, the supper feast would be fit for royalty.
The Kreller house on Witney Ave was a common stay for many during the summer months. Mom always wore a smile and her guests were made to feel at home. It was only in later years that she insisted Dad treat her to a summer vacation. They took a trip to Ontario, then down to Illinois to visit family. Went to the summer games in Vancouver. Mom & Dad did take trips and, NOT always to Dads’ liking; Mom would be sewing for 3 weeks prior to leaving, making herself new outfits which she knew she could never find in any department store downtown. And yes, this meant Dads’ suppers were not always what he was accustomed too.
She was a prize. All the in-laws and extended family were treated as well as her own. She was all inclusive. She believed in traditional values and customs. She thrived in making her home a stable foundation.
We were so fortunate.
One of the topics of discussion during her later months at Sherbrooke was her age. She couldn’t believe she was 99 years of age, yet, was amazed at how her children had aged.
Retta was predeceased by her husband Howard, her parents William and Anna May McClelland, her in-laws George and Elda May Kreller and all the siblings in either family. She was the last of her era.
Left to mourn are:
Garry (Emily) Kreller;
Grandchild Colin (Juliet) Kreller – great grandchildren Ethan and Adam.
Grandchild Darren (Susan) Kreller - great grandchildren – Jayda and Sydney (Shaun) Wall and great-great grandchild, Jackson
Grand Child Crystal (Michael) Horvath - great grandchildren Bailey and Nicholas
Karen (Ernie) Cardell;
Grandchild Graig (Cindy) Cardell – great grandchildren Tanner and Zak
Grandchild Sherry (Sean) Tucker – great grandchildren Jessica and Dylan
Grandchild Randy Cardell
Gail (Henry) Berg;
Grandchild Jeremy – great grandchildren Taylor, Hayden and Kayley. (Kim)
Grandchild Lyndon – great grandchild Gaby
Sister-in-law, Leah McClelland – Kelowna, BC
Funeral arrangements in care of Mandi Wersch of Mourning Glory – Acadia McKague’s Funeral Chapel. A service will be held on May 31, 2021, at 11 am, according to Covid restrictions with live-streaming available at www.faithproductions.ca/livestream
A BIG Thank You to all the staff and support staff of the Veterans Village at Sherbrooke Community Centre; for the personalized care you provided to Mom. You were her family when we weren’t there.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Sherbrooke Community Centre or, any charity of your choice.
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