Edna Alice Tomlinson

Mom was born in Indian Head and attended Sunny Slope School. Life was not always easy during her early years as her mother had poor health due to a brain tumor, but Mom had wonderful memories of fun with her siblings, including jam-can curling, playing with their identical white cats (named “Try” and “Guess”) and visiting her cousins.

The family moved to Regina where Mom attended high school at Scott Collegiate. Upon graduation, she worked for Employment Insurance. During this time, she met Cliff Tomlinson from the Viceroy area. They married in 1950, and Mom returned to her farm roots. Mom and Dad farmed together for 26 years, raising their daughters in the house where Dad grew up. She was very busy but found time for sewing which she loved and made many outfits for her daughters, as well as sharing her sewing knowledge for several years as a 4-H leader in Viceroy. When Dad’s health changed, they retired to Moose Jaw.

While in Moose Jaw, they made many special friends and took up bowling together. Mom helped Dad with his favorite hobby, photography. Her garden at Moose Jaw was as bountiful as the one she grew on the farm. There were always extra vegetables for family and friends. They loved taking their older grandchildren to the Moose Jaw Zoo and Western Development Museum. Mom continued with her sewing, making pajamas at Christmas (including matching pajamas and housecoats for the girls’ dolls.) In retirement, Mom enjoyed travelling with Dad throughout Saskatchewan. Sometimes it was just a day trip to find a new place for Dad to fish.

Dad died in 2003. On her own again, Mom moved to Saskatoon to be close to her daughters. She had the opportunity to attend her younger grandchildren’s theatre and musical performances and accompanied her great grandchildren to princess teas. While she did not sew as much, she did spend time teaching her granddaughter how to knit. Mom always enjoyed a good game of cards, especially cribbage, and games of Sequence and double solitaire. She did not play many sports, but she was an armchair enthusiast of baseball, curling, and football.

Mom turned 98 in December and had certainly slowed down but was still living independently at Luther Tower. On the evening before she died, we watched curling together and she shared her thoughts on the players.

Mom is survived by her daughters Sandra Wilson Chipman (Ted) and Marlene Arnott (Dave). Her grandchildren were everything to her: Evan Wilson (Terri, Lyra), Vanessa Manz (Brendan, Bailee, Lucas, Alexa), Andrea Wilson (Chad), Zane Arnott (Lisa, Rowan), and Johanna Arnott (Connor). She is also survived by her sister Belva Pardy, sister-in-law Dorothy Blackwell (Short), and many other extended family members and friends.

A private family inurnment will be held at a later date. The family graciously declines floral tributes. If you would like to make a donation in her memory, please consider Luther Care Foundation Inc., or The Bell Barn Society of Indian Head.