Mildred Doris "Millie" Beaudry

It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of Millie Beaudry on January 14, 2012 at St. Boniface Hospital at the age of 85.

Millie was born in Elie Manitoba where she grew up on the farm and attended the one room schoolhouse in Elm Bank. It was here she met and married the love of her life Albert Beaudry. After marrying they moved to the big city and spent most of their 52 years of marriage in the St. Boniface and Windsor Park area.

Mom loved to travel, play bingo and enjoyed sports such as bowling, shuffleboard, and horseshoes – and was a fierce competitor! She was a woman of style and always loved to look her best for every occasion.

We recall fond memories of summers spent at the cottage at Grand Beach where family and friends were always welcome. She was a devoted mother, grandmother and great grandmother who cherished every visit with her family.

We recently celebrated Mom’s 85th birthday where she was in great spirits and thoroughly enjoyed this great milestone with all of the family and many friends. She spoke often of that day in the past number of weeks with a smile on her face and fondness in her heart.

Millie was predeceased by her husband Albert, her parents, Irene and Gerald Swenson, brothers Lloyd and Clifford, and a granddaughter Sheri. She will be dearly missed by her children; Marlene Chorley (Alan), Lloyd Beaudry (Louise), Brenda Sanders (Skip), Tara Matthews, grandchildren; Bonnie, Michelle, Tina, Christall, Melisa and Braden, and great grandchildren; Kayla, Avery-Anne, Kayman, Montana, Daysha, Dawson and Matthew as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and sister-in-law Andrea Swenson.

Millie’s family wish to thank all the staff of the Tache Centre (4DE) for their care and compassion during her stay. A very special thanks, as well, to all her friends who took the time to stop by for a visit.

In lieu of flowers, if you so choose, donations can be sent to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, 6 Donald Street Winnipeg, MB R3L 0K6.

A celebration of Millie’s life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 21, 2012 at Green Acres Funeral Home.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared is doubled.

GREEN ACRES

Funeral Home and Cemetery

1 Green Acres Lane, Springfield (204) 222-3241

Hwy #1 inside the Perimeter at Winnipeg

Condolences may be sent to:

www.greenacresfuneralhome.com

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Tribute to Mildred Beaudry

Welcome every one. First I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the family, to thank each and every one of you for being here today. How do you talk about 85 years of life well lived in a few sentences? I will begin by telling you she grew up on a farm outside of Elie for most of her childhood life - so I could talk about how tough life was back then – which I believe to be true or how hard Mom worked on the farm, which rumor has it, is not true – But I chose to just tell a few stories about Mom’s character and how she lived her life.

You – like most children have heard your parents say they walked 5 miles to school through blizzards, uphill both ways in 30 below weather. Well, in the winter my Mother and cousin Geneive went to school in a horse drawn cutter. Because she was the oldest, she drove. She told Genève she had to take turns feeding the horse at noon and her cousin said “No” and my Mom replied” you certainly will” (an expression I heard lots growing up) Then the cat fight began, Genève began to claw my Mom across the face and apparently she had scars for some time. My Mom then pulled her out of the cart and told her to walk home. This will give you some indication of Mom’s stubbornness and on the other hand they remained friends for their entire life which shows you Mom’s forgiving side.

My Mom always took pride in her appearance, no matter what the occasion. Apparently it all started back in that one room schoolhouse where she was told she was the best dressed. – Likely because my Grandmother handmade all her beautiful clothes. This attribute carried on for the rest of her life and she was always a woman of style. My Mom was also known for her love of the shopping channel. You may not believe me, but my Mom was actually on a first name basis with the order desk. If you hear they are going out of business, this may explain it. Her excuse was always that she was shopping for others, not herself. She always had to have a gift for everyone, no reason, Just In Case! – She would say! She was always so generous and thoughtful.

Another quality of my Mom’s was her cooking and hopefully you got to experience it. She baked great muffins and tea biscuits and always had them in the freezer “just in case” someone was coming to visit, cakes in the freezer “just in case” - a saying that would never grow old. But as a family, we thought Mom made the best fudge. It was so good we nicknamed her the “Fudge Queen.” When we heard Mom was making a new batch the fight was to see who would get it first. When it came to sharing it just didn’t happen. Personally, I would hide mine in the freezer and story has it Tara had hers in the fridge, Michelle found it, took some but was forced to leave an IOU on the package. I heard if Marlene had a bad day she would polish off the whole top layer at once. Just out of curiosity, Lloyd, did you ever get any?

Some of my favorite family memories were with Mom at the cottage in Grand Marais. Known as the “Early Birds”, but why would Mom like the cottage? She didn’t like the water, nor the beach, hated to be in the sun, but I came to understand she just loved to be surrounded by family and friends. She especially loved playing cards with her beloved grandchildren.

She also never lacked a sense of humor. My Dad was quite the jokester and she never failed to enjoy the humor. At the cottage in the morning my Mother would always sit with her coffee in her recliner in the veranda and read her magazines or watch what was going on in the neighborhood. On this particular day, we were coming back from a walk and noticed Mom in her usual spot. How could that be? She was with us. What a surprise the closer we got! It was my Dad sitting in the recliner with my Mom’s housecoat and wig on. I think she laughed more than we did. That laugh we will always remember.

She was always a social butterfly – never wanted to miss an event or party and I believe that trait carried on in all of us. My fondest memories were watching her getting all dolled up for a party- which she and Dad did often. This zest for life continued to the end, I would call her many times from Calgary and she was never in. I would ask her where she was and she would answer “you think I am going to stay in my room all day, I have a life know”. And that she did! She once told me she was upset because the event coordinator at the home was on holidays, that he should not be allowed to take so many weeks together. She loved to join in on any event, always in her Sunday best glittering in gold and silver.

My Mom was also a very determined woman, and I think the best example would be when she sufferer her heart attack and was told she had 2 months to live. She had told her doctor “I’ll show you”, and she certainly did. She had four bonus years.

I would now like to take a moment to thank Reverend Ron McIntyre for his kind words of inspiration and the caregivers at Tache for all the loving care they showed Mom. A thank you to all her friends that visited, she cherished the moments. Thanks to my entire family for all the unconditional love they showed Mom. A special thanks to my sister Marlene for all the love, care and undivided attention she gave to my Mom over the years. To quote Marlene “Mom became her best friend.” How lucky my Mom was to have her and how lucky we were to know Mom was in such good care.

In summary I would say my Mom had a great life, as a matter of fact, she was interviewed at the nursing home by a university student a few years ago and asked the question, “Millie, tell me about your life, the parts you remember as being most important to you”? Her reply was “I had a good life, a good husband, lovely family and did not want for anything.” We should all be so fortunate.

We should take comfort in knowing our Mom is in heaven looking upon us with her Mom & Dad, brothers and her beloved Albert and Sheri, and if by the end of her life my Mom ended up touching many of your hearts, then I ask you “what else can anyone ask for in this world”?

Watch over us Mom and forever you will stay in our hearts. We will never forget you. God Bless.

Brenda Sanders

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Message by Reverend Don McIntyre

Character is shaped in times of trial. A family’s love for each other is as well as we learn over time not only how to live with each other but to suffer and to die with each other. The poet Kahil Gibran wrote: “Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.” Your love for Millie and your compassion for each other gathers you here today to honor your matriarch, a wonderful mother and aunt, great grandmother and friend. We gather to be reminded of a love that was God’s presence holding you in the past as over time you learned to trust your mother and grandmother because of all the ways she loved you.

Millie Swanson was born 85 years ago on a farm in Elie to Irene and Gerald. She grew up with brothers Lloyd and Clifford and years later would tell you “she felt privileged growing up” even if it meant attending a one room schoolhouse as so many of this generation did. It was at the schoolhouse in Elm Bank she met and would marry the love of her life Albert Beaudry in 1944. He was a salesman with a larger than life personality. Looking back the life she led with her soul mate was very good. Millie never forgot the good times as well as the hard work and discipline of making sacrifices for her family that would include Marlene, Lloyd, Brenda and Tara, born twenty years after her three siblings that kept mom and dad young. As you wrote in her obituary, “She was a devoted mother, grandmother and great grandmother who cherished every visit with her family.”

There were wonderful memories of living in the Windsor Park, St. Boniface area as Mom spent long hours using her sewing talents to clothe her family as well as herself. “She was a woman of style and always loved to look her best for every occasion.” This often meant accompanying Albert to company functions and sales conferences as well as hosting folks at home where it seemed in your younger days your house was always full of people. Summers passed at Grand Beach were also times where family and friends were welcome. Your Dad was such a social butterfly there was no shortage of friendships. Recently I read this quote, “Laughter is the shortest distance between friends.”

I’ve always liked the illustration where ‘need love’ is defined by a circle. We only give love from a neediness for our love to be returned. ‘Gift love’ is symbolized by an arc. We offer our love without being sure how it will be received. Over time we find our purpose in life meeting our family’s everyday needs, enjoying time with friends where it often meant having an outfit for every occasion playing Bingo, Bowling, Shuffleboard, or Horseshoes where our friends allow us to be fierce competitors. We cherish the people who have made our life a success. In the end our tears, the heaviness on our hearts remind us where love has left its mark. Jesus may have been referring to this when he taught, “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” We are comforted in recalling memories of the good times.

A theologian wrote, “Nothing can make up for the absence of someone we love and it would be wrong to find a substitute. We must simply hold out and see it through. That sounds very hard at first, but at the same time it a great consolation, for the gap as long as it remains unfilled preserves the bond between us. It is nonsense to say God fills the gap; God does not but on the contrary keeps it open and so helps to keep our former communion with each other even with pain.”

As Christ moves toward the cross He holds up an image of the good Shepherd who would lay down his life down for the sheep. Today, we recall the power of Christ’s risen presence in a sacrificial love that cared for you in the past, gave you the strength to care for your mother and grandmother when she needed your attention as Marlene did every second day to be sure her mother wasn’t lonely at Tache. Your presence was all the encouragement she needed to persevere.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus began "Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Blessed are those are independent and determined to persevere through life as it is. This attitude is what kept Millie going and in great spirits. In the past she had known loss with a brother who drowned when he was two years of age and another brother who passed away far too young in his sixties. She loved seeing you when she was in her apartment on Des Meurons and making friends with other residents. Prior to Albert’s passing on Remembrance Day in 1996 in their 52 years together there were wonderful vacations to Alaska, Jamaica, Hawaii, California, and often cruises with groups of friends to have good times with. I can see why she would have been in great spirits when all her family and many extended family and good friends recently gathered to celebrate her 85th birthday. The joy and laughter of that day was as you wrote, “spoken about often in the past number of weeks with a smile on her face and fondness in her heart.”

As Jesus draws toward the cross his motivation is not fear of death but separation from his beloved. Still, as Christ knelt in the garden of Gethsemene to pray for strength as Millie would often spend time alone in the chapel at the Tache Centre their focus is on being faithful in whatever role God has chosen for them. At times the cross we are called to bear is far heavier than we could have ever imagined but to use a pun, ‘there was no ‘fudging’ on doing our best and with ‘style.’ Jesus said,” Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy" he taught that with mercy or loving kindness we can endure anything life throws at us. A tender compassionate heart never ceases to find something to be thankful for.

Finally, “A mother once wrote, “I am overwhelmed with the awareness that I helped to create you and your beautiful life. I feel in my memory the softness of your cheek and listen to memories of your laughing and I remember the times I felt your warmth as we hugged. As I think of the gentleness of your spirit I realize God has shared with me the greatest gift of all, the creating of a beautiful life. You are my best gift to the world. I see now that I really need little more from the world.” The meaning of the word 'comfort' literally means 'to call to the side of' without thought of reward because of that love that produces a joy within. Blessed are you as Millie Beaudry’s family for you grieve from a cross you are called to bear. God has blessed you with the strength you need to do this. Blessed are you who weep now for a mother’s love. The kingdom of heaven is in your midst in that love that keeps us centered at all times just knowing how our mother would want us to be.