Elsie Lorraine Strahm

A beloved friend, wife, sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother—Elsie Strahm (nee Cooling) was all of these and more. After a lifetime of faithful and loving service, she went home to eternal life on February 8, 2022. Born on July 20, 1945, Elsie grew up in the Estevan area, but in 1961 she and her parents moved to Southey. The bachelor who farmed across the road caught Elsie’s eye and before long, John Strahm became a regular Bridge-playing visitor at Art Cooling’s house… nice finesse! On November 3, 1962, they became partners for life.

Although her children and grandchildren remember Elsie as a spectacular cook and baker, she had no culinary knowledge as a newlywed; however, she possessed a fine mind and great determination, and she taught herself to cook and to bake. Over the next six decades, she refined and perfected those skills. Washing clothes, weeding gardens, preparing meals, making hay, teaching catechism, driving truck, milking cows, and tending to four lively children demanded most of Elsie’s daylight hours, but she always found time to read and to pray. Shared interests—reading, raising kids, farming, and serving the church— drew the reserved young woman into relationships that grew into lifelong friendships.

While parenting was sometimes a chore, grandparenting was pure joy. Elsie lavished her grandchildren with loving attention and praised their every accomplishment, making each one feel uniquely valued. In the last decade she seized each opportunity to visit her ten beloved great grandchildren, even as she bravely battled cancer. Elsie’s legacy is her example of faith, kindness, courage, and service. She was a little lady with a huge heart.

Elsie was predeceased by her husband, John, parents, Lena and Arthur Cooling, sister Maxine Navid, and grandsons Zachery Manz and Jason Haas as well as brother-in-law Leon Kostiuk. Left to cherish her memory are daughter Shauna (Bob) Hanus and grandchildren Kendall (Mark), Jorden (Katelyn) & Lexie (Mike) as well as great grandchildren Maddison, Hudson and Russell; daughter Valerie (Ken) Haas and grandchildren Randy (Jade), Danita (Davin) & Tyler as well as great grandchildren Presley, Wyatt, Waylon and Rylan; son Truman (Jennifer) Strahm and grandchildren Kelsey (Kyle), Austin and Jillian; daughter Annette (Ray) Konecsni and grandsons Andrew (Shelby), Justin, & Aaron as well as great grandchildren Jake, Liam and Everleigh; sister Fern Cooling; brother-in-law Karl (Rose) Strahm; and sister-in-law Johanna Kostiuk as well as many nephews, nieces and friends. Elsie’s family is grateful for the dedicated staff at the Pasqua Hospital—Dr. Abuhjar, Dr. Dolata, and the exceptional nurses on Unit 3B, and we would like to thank the many people who supported Elsie in prayer.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 19, 2022 at St. James R.C. Church, Southey, SK. with Fr. Francis Kurisinkal as Celebrant. For those unable to attend in person, the service will be available via Zoom meeting please contact Annette Konecsni 306-726-7328 before February 19 for the link.Funeral arrangements are in care of Lee Funeral Home (Dignity), Regina.