Erna "Bonita" Wesley

JUNE 15, 1928 – DECEMBER 18, 2023

IN THE CARE OF

VANCOUVER MEMORIAL SERVICES AND CREMATORIUM

Erna "Bonita" Wesley, age 95, passed away peacefully in Burnaby, BC on Monday, December 18, 2023. She is pre-deceased by her husband Chet (Chester - May 1995) and most of her siblings.

Erna was born in Kandahar, Saskatchewan. Born the eldest daughter to Fred and Katharine Unger, she lived a “farm girl” life with her 3 younger sisters Almina (Fritz Pearrow), Alida (Alan McRae), and Margaret (Johnny Monkman), 3 older brothers Albert (Minnie), Arthur (Doreen), Herb (Sophie) and one younger brother Robert (Dorothy). Her only remaining sibling is Almina, who resides in New Mexico. In her last few months, her parents and siblings were constantly on her mind and in her heart.

Erna moved to the “big” city of Winnipeg, Manitoba in her late teens to obtain work, and she worked as a seamstress in the garment district of Winnipeg. She met her husband, Chet, and they married on August 11, 1952 in Winnipeg where they raised their son, Vincent and daughter, Teresa.

Erna was a working mum, but when her children were growing up, these were some of the happiest years in her life. She was a tireless, loving, compassionate, and selfless mother.

The whole family moved to Vancouver in 1972 where Erna obtained work at Sears as a seamstress, and she worked there until her retirement.

Vincent met and married Lucette and they lived close by. Teresa stayed at home until she married Gerry (Denton) in 1980. They have a son Matthew (wife Trisha) and 2 grandsons, Nathan and Owen.

Erna’s grandson Matthew arrived in 1993 and he was Erna’s greatest joy and answer to her prayers. He joined the Burnaby Fire Department in 2017 and she attended his graduation with pride! Matthew married Trisha in 2019, and Nathan was born a year later, with their second son, Owen, arriving in 2023.

Our mum loved gardening, and she always shared her bounty of raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, garlic and flowers. She was into all sorts of crafts, and our homes are filled with memories and keepsakes of what she lovingly made for us: teddy bears, potpourri dolls, dried flower arrangements, Christmas decorations and so much more.

She loved to sew for us and made curtains and drapes for our homes, place mats for our tables, and shortened many a pair of pants. And she was also a adventurous cook with a massive collection of recipes she meticulously cut out of newspapers and magazines. We never left a Sunday or special occasion meal at her house without several containers of leftovers. She even made wine from the grapes she grew!

Her last 5 years were very difficult with Covid, accidents and surgeries, but she came through each with strength and resolve. Her last home was Willingdon Care Centre where she received loving care through difficult times. Through this all she maintained a sense of humour and found joy through our family visits with her and she particularly loved to introduce everyone to her “handsome grandson” Matthew, and more recently, to her 2 great-grandsons Nathan and Owen.

Mum, Grandma and Great Grandma: you are dearly missed and will continue to be in our thoughts forever.