Elaine Alice Sidwell

Our beloved mom, Elaine Alice passed away at the age of 93 years. Predeceased by husband Fergus John in 2012 with whom she had 63 fabulous years. Elaine soldiered on the way she always lived – happy, sociable, loving and caring.

It was the years after WWII Elaine met the love of her life Fergus Sidwell. Introduced by her younger sister Embree, Elaine and Ferg were married the day after April Fool’s day in 1949. Fergus had a night owl show at radio station CJOB in Winnipeg and Elaine often took joy helping Ferg pick the recorded music. Very soon the two began their family and in 1958 Elaine and Ferg and children Gregg, Kim and Paul moved to Calgary where Fergus advanced his career with CBC. Elaine was always an important part of that CBC life keeping a wholesome home while Ferg built his career.

As a girl Elaine excelled at sports and well into her eighties, she could still take up a tennis racquet and did just that to give us a good run at the net. She loved to golf and made that a regular pastime where she lived in Moose Jaw and Regina, Saskatchewan then later in Victoria where she and dad settled in 1986. She loved to play Bridge and helped coordinate a club of like-minded card players. Elaine was an avid reader and as a coordinating member of a book club wrote many book reports of her most recent reads. Elaine was also an accomplished watercolour and acrylic painter and she enthusiastically painted her favourite subjects – a country scene, bowl of fruit or old wooden boat all uniquely portrayed with incredible ability to read the light and uniquely duplicate it with her own warm touch. The Sidwell family home walls were always adorned with artwork from mom, my dad, his father and grandfather.

It was singing that gave Elaine the most joy and she and Ferg would often sing together. Elaine it seemed knew the lyrics to every song – movie themes particularly were favourite, and she always astounded everyone with her ability to remember the words even as her short-term memory failed her, the songs were always in her mind and in her heart.

Mom loved to cook, and she was good at it. She could have won baking contests with pies and slices and mealtimes were always special in her house – the kitchen was her domain and she passed her knowledge to her children and shared favourite recipes with friends.

Elaine was intelligent and loved to engage people. If you were in the vicinity you were instantly invited to join with her, have a chat, a cup of tea or sing-along. She could sing anything, and she had a beautiful voice even into her mature ages though she claimed her voice was never the same after a heart surgery in her eighties.

Elaine had many, many friends where she lived at Glengarry Care Home in Victoria and she enjoyed gatherings with friends to paint, sing and attend outings. Though her health sometimes limited mobility mom always joined in.

Elaine Sidwell passed as she lived, at peace with her family and caring friends around her and Elaine will be remembered and dearly missed by all who knew her.

As to her wishes there will be no formal ceremony and donations in lieu of flowers and cards may be made to Alzhemer’s Society of Canada (https://alzheimer.ca/en/Home) or Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (https://www.heartandstroke.ca/).