Mildred Dolly Louise Rodine Vatamaniuck

Mildred Louise Vatamaniuck (Rodine) was born March 21 1925 and was the youngest child of Albert & Faye Rodine. Mildred was predeceased by her husband, William “Bill”, (2001); parents, Albert & Faye Rodine; sister, Esther Rodine and

brothers, Fred, John, Howard and Harold “Bud” Rodine. Dolly will be lovingly remembered and sadly missed by her five sons: Donald (Gladys) of Weyburn, SK, Murray (Cathy) of Vernon, BC; Cal (Pauline) of Weyburn, SK, Tim (Marilyn) of Stony Plain, AB and Kelly (Edie) of Regina, SK; 15 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren; sisters: Ruth Valecourt of Maple Ridge, BC, Hazel Innes of Courtney, BC and Alma Chessall of Weyburn, SK; brothers and sisters in law: Wilma Vatamaniuck of Moose Jaw, SK, Marge Radu of Saskatoon, SK, Kay & Maurice Dandurand of Saskatoon, SK, Dan & Jean Vatamaniuck of Weyburn, SK, George (Jean Barsi) Vatamaniuck of Kelowna, BC and Steven & Judy Vatamaniuck of Port Alberni, BC

as well as many nieces and nephews.

The Rodine family farm was located a mile east of Hume. When Grandma was born, her oldest brother John was holding her and someone said she looks like a little doll. Needless to say, that name stuck and many of you today know her as “Dolly”. When Grandma turned three, our great grandmother, Faye, became partially paralyzed after being stricken by polio. This illness affected the whole family for she was never able to walk again. It forced the family to pull together in order to keep up with all the work that came with farm living. Each of the siblings including Grandma had to pull their fair share of the load. Grandma was tasked with doing dishes, house work, feeding chickens, gathering eggs, feeding pigs and gardening. The 30’s and 40’s were tough years which caused several hard ships but yet there were both good and bad memories. Family gatherings brought out all those old stories and they used to laugh about the “Good old days.

One thing we all know is that Grandma was very scared of snakes and thunder storms. When living on the farm, garter snakes lived within rock foundations and rock piles and seemed to be everywhere. One year there were so many snakes that Grandpa filled a 5 gallon pail with snakes and lit it on fire with diesel fuel. In the spring they seemed to be crawling everywhere, as the critters came out of hibernation, and Grandma would just shudder and scream every time she saw a snake. One time 2 of the boys made a plaster-cine snake and placed it beside her kitchen dishpan. Poor Grandma screamed and really scared the boys – they never did that again.

As Grandma grew up on the farm on the Saskatchewan prairie, the summer months brought some severe thunder storms. Grandma was scared right up until this past summer, every time a thunder and lightning storm came up. She would tell an old story of when a relative of hers was struck and killed by lightning while bringing the cattle back from the pasture. My dad and uncles told us of the stories when those storms would hit and how scared Grandma was of them.

In the 1940’s it was common for thrashing crews to come to the family farm and help in the harvest. One day a thrashing crew arrived at the Hume farm and Grandma met this handsome guy, named Bill, and as she told us, it was “Love at first sight! Grandma Dolly and Grandpa Bill were married May 1, 1947 at the family farm in Hume. They lived on the farm from the time they were married until 1957 when the farm was sold. To help supplement the family income, Grandpa worked as a Psychiatric Aide at the Saskatchewan Hospital. In 1957, they moved the family into Weyburn where they built a home on Elizabeth Street for approx. $6, 000. (you will never find a price like that today!) Grandpa left the hospital and joined the Weyburn City Police on July 1, 1957 and served for 29 years, retiring in 1986. Raising 5 boys must have been such an easy task for Grandma. When you look at the boys today, including my dad, they all have halos over their heads looking like sweet little angels. If only the walls could talk! I’m sure there are many stories that could be told of the things that occurred in that house. We often wondered how that big hole came to be in the bedroom, or the time the fish aquarium got busted and flooded the basement.

Being married to a police officer had its challenges with shift work being one of them. Night shift was known as the “grouchy shift”! We all know that working nights is very hard on the person working the shift. However it was also hard on Grandma trying to keep the boys quiet so Grandpa could sleep. When we look back on it now, that night shift must have been attractive, because 4 of the boys couldn’t wait to jump at the opportunity and work nights themselves.

Grandma lived in the era when black and white TV’s came into the houses and delivered shows such as; Father Knows Best, Dennis the Menace, Lawrence Welk, Billy Graham Crusades, and the Ed Sullivan show who featured such artists as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Donny & Marie Osmond. Look how far Grandma has seen the changes in entertainment systems from the 1930’s.

Many times the boys came home after hunting trips proudly displaying their trophies. I’m sure Grandma didn’t mind plucking ducks, geese and upland birds when Murray came home with more than his share, and how excited she was when the 1st day of deer season opened in November, only to wait in anticipation of which son would bring that first deer home and drag it through her kitchen, and down the stairs into the basement, to dress it.

Grandma was a dedicated daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother and great grandmother. Living in the Weyburn area, the extended Rodine, Chessall and Vatamaniuck families would often get together for family gatherings that continue to this day. Whether these gatherings were out in the country or here in Weyburn at one of the relatives, Grandma would always bring one of her favorite dishes – cabbage rolls, chili, fresh buns or butter tarts. Living in Weyburn had its advantages. When the winter storms hit and the roads were closed, Grandma always had an open house for nieces and nephews to stay a night or two until the roads opened. The house was small, but her spirit was big and the whole family had a good time when the storms hit. Donna Chessall loved Grandma’s scrambled egg lunch when she would conveniently forget her lunch at home.

Grandma was well known for her cabbage rolls, tomato aspic, buns and baking. When we came to Weyburn, it was fun to watch our uncles’ fight over the BT’s (butter tarts), cinnamon rolls, and jam-jam cookies. We have to admit, they had a right to fight over them, because they were the best.

Now you would never know it, but that Grandma of ours had a mischievous side to her. Often when we would arrive, it would be meal time. So when we got to Grandma’s house we would soon be sitting down to a meal. As we got our selves seated, there would be this loud obnoxious and embarrassing sound when our dad would sit down. We would look around and grandma would have this mischievous smile on her face and start laughing as the whoopee cushion was pulled out from under the seat. Sometimes Grandma would laugh and laugh as she got one of her boys back for the many times they did the real thing!

Grandma and Grandpa did not have the resources to do much travel, however on their 35th wedding anniversary, their five boys gave them a trip to Hawaii with Grandpa’s brother Gus and Aunty Wilma. They had a wonderful time and they talked about that holiday for years.

In March of 2006, I had the fortunate opportunity to travel with both of my parents, Tim & Marilyn, and both my Grandmothers on a Caribbean Cruise into the Panama Canal and Island of Jamaica, Costa Rica, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. In 2006, Grandma was having difficulty getting around and she required a walker. When we were on the ship, the waiters bent over backwards for her. She got preferential treatment where ever she went. It was great for all of us because we were with 2 older women who needed assistance. I recall when we went to Grand Cayman, we went on a tour where there was extremely rough volcanic terrain. When we got to this place, there were signs all around that said, “Welcome to “Hell”. We all remember how Grandma laughed and said she had been to hell and back.

Grandma had a gentle spirit and always gave a warm welcome to those she would meet. Whether it be at church, on the street or in her home, people were always welcomed and she would greet you with that warm smile. One of the things Grandma enjoyed was to visit with family and friends. When she got together she loved to visit and talk whether it was in person or on the phone. She would talk for what seemed for hours on the phone.

Grandma was a very dedicated Christian and attended the Free Methodist Church. She was raised in a Christian home and raised her family in the church. She taught Sunday school and was involved in small kids’ ministry called CYC or Christian Youth Crusaders, she was part of the church choir, ladies ministries and bible study groups. In 2003 Grandma knew she had to follow Christ’s example and took that step of faith by getting baptized at age 78. We know we will dearly miss our Grandma, she may have visited “Hell” at Grand Cayman Island, but she is now at peace with her Lord in Heaven.

Grandma’s family would like to thank the church members for your love and support to all of us during this difficult time.