Evelyn Agnes Greggain

Evelyn was born on the last day of 1928 and came to a busy farm family in Brora, Saskatchewan, daughter of Gordon and Caroline Pearce. She would be one of seven children that spent many of their formative years struggling with the dual realities of drought and the Great Depression, which instilled in her a firm constitution, resourcefulness and resilience. She spent her childhood learning how to contribute to the many hard tasks of farming, combined with the simple joys of farm life… climbing trees, playing ball with her siblings, and daily walks to the one room schoolhouse about one mile away. Winters could be harsh and summers dry and hot, but she always recalled the times of dolls and card playing and helping in the kitchen and garden, mostly as times of joy. Coming to Regina to complete High School at Central Collegiate, and then to Balfour Technical High School for secretarial training, she ultimately met Jim Greggain on a blind date sleigh ride set up by Jim’s sister, Lois. It may not have been love at first sight, as Jim had lost his glasses when he fell off the sleigh, and then wasn’t certain who he was with when Evelyn jumped off to help him find them… but it was a long-distance courtship of about 3 years of letters and occasional visits that finally culminated in a wedding in Evelyn’s family home front room in 1951. Early married life started in two rooms of the third floor of a house in downtown Regina while they each sought work in their respective trades – mom in the secretarial pool for the Government of Saskatchewan, dad as a carpenter. At the end of their first year of marriage they bought some property and built their own house on MacKay Street in Regina, cycling back and forth to the worksite after work, as they could not afford a car.

They were proud to have built that home with some help from Evelyn’s brothers Roy and Don, and moved in just in time to bring home their first child, Nancy in 1955. Tragic early childhood medical problems unfortunately led to Nancy’s death long before her second birthday, a deep emotional scar that mom and dad carried for the rest of their lives. Donald arrived in 1957, Norma in 1959, and Shirlee in 1961, so there was little time to grieve. The deep resilience and courage of children of the Great Depression of the 30’s was always evident and they pressed on to raise a family with love, grace, high expectations and unwavering support. We had an idyllic childhood with the usual baby boomer neighborhood of the 60’s and 70’s… countless kids on bikes, ice rinks or ball diamonds, “free range roaming” as long as you were home before supper or when the streetlights came on. Mom was a steadfast loving pillar of our lives as dad pursued work as a traveling tire salesman for Goodyear and General Tire. We were encouraged to pursue interests in music, art, drama, sports, Scouts, Girl Guides, and an enduring faithful presence of our church, initially Broadway United and Carmichael United Church where many dear friendships were made and nurtured. Later in their adult lives, they strengthened their personal relationship with Jesus and attended Discovery Baptist, Hillsdale Baptist and Westhill Baptist churches where their faith was nurtured and grew.

Bridge nights, New Year’s Eve parties and many family gatherings were enjoyed by friends and family alike. We loved the summer vacations when we could spend time with mom at Kenosee Lake and dad could join us on weekends or his summer vacation time. Camping across the many miles of Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Rockies were always a highlight, and mom made certain that we had planned for absolutely every kind of weather possible in our little pop-up camper as we periodically made our way to her favorite spots on the B.C. Coast and Okanagon Valley.

As the family grew up and left to pursue education, marriage and raising their own families, mom and dad loved to travel. Cruises were fun, visiting family far flung across the Pacific Northwest were looked forward to by all, but the real highlights were chances to travel to the British Isles and visit ancestral homelands.

In her retirement, after many careers in administrative support, at several different departments of the Government of Saskatchewan, and a stint at the Regina Public Library when the children were small and part time work was needed, mom and dad were eager to support family and friends in time, energy and love. Harvest time would bring them to Northern Alberta for Shirlee’s family, other times to Fort McMurray or Portland to see the other growing grandchildren and for many years, many summer trips with their beloved Gopher Trailer Club to various campgrounds around Saskatchewan.

She was a lifelong Rider fan and season ticket holder for years. The last week she was alive she ensured that she was going to be able to watch the Saskatchewan Roughrider game from her hospital bed and was full of opinions about how the offense or defense should have played.

Evelyn was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. She was always well read, and interested in everyone’s well-being, near and far. Regular phone calls from family proved over and over again that it was likely WE that had a memory problem, and certainly NOT her. She was fiercely loyal to family and friends and had a deep abiding faith that sustained her through all the many challenges of her life.

Our family would like to thank the people of Broadway Terrace and, in the last years of Mom’s life, the staff and people of Victoria Park Senior Care Facility for the friendship, care and love. We also would like to acknowledge the kindness of Dr. Mohammed and his staff through the many years of care.

We will celebrate her life at Lee Funeral Home in Regina Saskatchewan, 3101 Dewdney Avenue, on Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. You are welcome to join us and honor this wonderful woman of faith, grace and love. Her abiding words of reassurance resonate for us all… “It is well with my soul”. We shall share that song together as we celebrate her life.