Lorraine Beatrice Sumner

JULY 01, 1935 - FAIRFORD, MANITOBA

OCTOBER 04, 2017 - WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

It is with broken hearts that we announce the sudden passing of our mother, Lorraine Beatrice Sumner on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 at Concordia Place at the age of 82 years.

Lorraine was born to parents Gladys (nee: Hourie) and Colin Woodhouse and was baptized as Beatrice Loreen Woodhouse. She was delivered by midwives Mary Woodhouse & Maryann Anderson at 2 a.m. and was initially recorded as being born on June 30, 1935. So, her mother had to change & verify the correct date to July 01, 1935

As a young student, Loreen changed her name to Lorraine Beatrice for "personal reasons" and continued to be known as such throughout her life.

It kind of explains why Lorraine was so strong-minded & headstrong! She was also a very conscientious, hard worker who had a hearty & infectious laugh.

As the oldest child, she did more than her fair share of chores on their family farm and on her way home from school she could easily defend herself in fights with the schoolboys, especially Charlie Anderson! Later in life, they were all best friends.

On October 29, 1952 Lorraine married Clifford Sumner in Saint Mary's Anglican Church, Little Saskatchewan, Mb. They had three children, Josephine, Sally & Jerry. All were cherished & loved unconditionally - despite the challenges on some days! However, there was also guidance and getting an education, kindness, compassion for others & loyalty to family was also instilled in them.

In 1961, Lorraine became the first "working mom" in the community when she became employed with the Department of National Health & Welfare as a housekeeper at the Little Saskatchewan Nursing Station. She accompanied the nurses when they would do school immunizations and after a while most people thought she was one of the nurses! All the nurses & doctors she worked with became lifelong friends.

Lorraine & Clifford loved going to dances & to the movies in the small theatre above Riehl's grocery store in Fairford or the town hall in Gypsumville. Lorraine also loved her music & was a lifelong fan of Elvis Presley. The Morris Stampede, other rodeos, parades & the Red River Ex were all planned family outings.

Sadly, on June 14, 1968, Clifford was in a fatal traffic accident. Lorraine carried on, fulfilling both roles as mother & father.

In 1995, Lorraine transferred to the Deer Lodge Centre and remained there until her retirement.

After retirement, Lorraine moved back to the country where she'd sit outside in her lawn chair, kick off her shoes & enjoy the feel of the grass on her bare feet. Or else, she'd sit on her front steps & eat a can of sardines... so she wouldn't stink up her house!

Lorraine had a passion for sewing & created many beautiful quilts which she gave to family & friends. She sewed outfits for her girls & herself, often without using a pattern. When her cousin, Danny Anderson was getting married, she ordered an outfit from Sears but then it wasn't going to arrive in time. So, for 2 days she sewed like a madwoman & made a 2 piece outfit. Relatives at the wedding kept asking her where she had purchased her outfit!

Unbeknownst to many, Lorraine was a talented carpenter. She built her own kitchen pantry & shelving cabinets for storage with her own power tools. She also loved to bake & we are going to miss her baking powder biscuits, bannock and raisin pie. No one makes them like she did.

Family was extremely important to Lorraine & all holidays were spent together. She was known as momma to her grandchildren & great-grandchildren. Momma's greatest pleasure was spending time with all of her grandchildren. When they were younger, she read books tirelessly & endlessly to them, so much so, that they memorized them. She watched numerous cartoon shows with them & would be the loudest one with her hearty laughter.

Lorraine was never one to complain, she took every day & situation as it came. "Oh well, that's life I guess" she would say if there were any difficulties. She was kind to her neighbours & was a lifelong best friend with her cousin, Alice Woodhouse & her friends Louisa Bremner & Jane Jopp. She was patient but look out if you made her angry! Lorraine remained strong-minded and humble right to the end. We have truly lost our matriarch & our most precious treasure. We will miss you dearly, mom.

Left to mourn: Daughters, Josephine (Tom) Anderson; Sally (Ed) Ridley and son Jerry (Isabella) Sumner.

Grandchildren/great-grandchildren: Aaron, Tracy, Ramsey, Madison, Nolan, Leonard (Tasha), Northwind & Ariyana - who she considered as a great-granddaughter. Sisters-in-law: Shirley LaPlante & Christine McKenzie. Brother-in-law: Andrew Chrupalo. Nieces: Dana, Christy Chrupalo. Nephew: Chris Chrupalo.

Predeceased by: Husband, Clifford Sumner. Parents, Colin Woodhouse, Gladys Moar, Harold Moar (step-father). Brothers: Ernest (June 2016), John. Sister: Patricia Chrupalo. Sister-in-law: Sarah Plantz. Brothers-in-law: Rodney, Vernon, George, Churchill & Raymond. Her aunts & uncles.

Lorraine was proud of & loyal to all her aunts & uncles & their immediate families from Fairford & Lake St. Martin.

A special THANK YOU to everyone who has shown us their Love, provided comfort & prayers, cried tears with us & shared their story of our mother. Providing us with more insight or laughter.

Thank you to the staff at Concordia Place who treated mom with compassion.

Thank you to everyone who has already volunteered their help in the kitchen & to those who have dropped off suppers & stayed to share a meal with us. Every gesture means a lot & is appreciated.

Wake service will be held at Fairford House of Prayer on Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at 7 p.m. (7-10 pm) Funeral service will be on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at St. Helen's Church at 1:00 p.m. Interment in St. Helen's Cemetery. Lunch will be served in the House of Prayer kitchen for both services.