Sybil Hayes

We are saddened to announce the passing of our mother Sybil Hayes on March 25, 2013. Mom lived a rich, long, and active life. In recent years Mom’s life was limited in many ways but she was always free in spirit. Sybil is survived and lovingly remembered by her daughters Dolores Riley; Pat (Ian) MacNeill; Roberta (Gordon) Laughland; Kathy (Mike) Ratuski; and Marg Hayes. Sybil also leaves to cherish her memory eleven grandchildren, sixteen great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Sybil is predeceased by her husband Jim Hayes; her parents Duke and Ellen Thompson and all eight of her siblings. Mom was born on March 17, 1912 on a farm near Amulet. Mom and Dad were married in 1930 following a romantic courtship. Mom fondly retold the story of their first meeting well into her later years. As the wife of a Sask. Pool elevator agent Mom lived in several prairie towns, including Gye, Avonlea and Qu’Appelle, finally retiring to Fort Qu’Appelle in 1968. As a young wife and mother during the Great Depression Mom met the challenges of scarcity with courage and ingenuity – developing the skill of “making do” with next to nothing. Her cooking, sewing, and gardening ensured a good life for us even in the midst of hardship. Mom was a woman of many talents and self taught skills. She could design and sew fashionable clothes, read music, analyze Shakespeare’s plays as she listened to them on the radio. She hiked the Qu’Appelle Valley and knew where the foxes lived and the Mourning Doves nested. She recognized the wildflowers by their Latin names, collected and catalogued them into informative scrapbooks. Mom knew where the best wild berries, nuts and mushrooms grew and how to preserve them for winter. Mom was a cross country skier long before it was fashionable. She skated and swam with us. Mom strongly supported us in our various life endeavours. Mom was a life long learner, in many ways a “woman before her time”. She was an independent thinker with an iron will and a sense of determination which saw her through life’s unavoidable difficulties. Mom was a woman of faith. She prayed for each of her family regularly and left us a legacy of well-worn Bibles with underlined verses and handwritten comments in the margins. Mom will live on in our hearts and we trust her to God’s loving care. A private celebration of Mom’s life will be held when her beloved prairie wild flowers bloom again. Arrangements in care of Tubman Cremation and Funeral Services (1-800-667-8962)