Irene Proppe Frost

JANUARY 30, 1942 – OCTOBER 25, 2012

It is with profound sadness that we announce the unexpected yet peaceful passing of our Mom and Oma, Irene Frost (nee Proppe) on Thursday, October 25, 2012 at the age of 70 years.

Irene is survived by her daughter Diane, son Norman (Krista), grandchildren Maxwell and Grady, daughter Cindy, grandchildren Katelyn and Aaron; brother Ulrich (Margaret) Proppe; special friend Werner; and many close cousins, nieces, nephews, extended family and special friends.

Irene was predeceased by her beloved husband Oswald and her parents Erich and Anni Proppe.

Irene was born in Elbing, Danzig on January 30, 1942 and immigrated to Canada in 1953. She grew up and was educated in Toronto, ON, met her husband of 47 years and moved to Winnipeg, MB in 1961.

Her passion in life was to love and care for her family. She dedicated her life to raise and nurture her children, worked various office jobs and retired from MTS after 10 years to lovingly care for her grandchildren.

Irene was an avid bowler, enjoyed music, dancing, walks, going to the beach and taking care of her family pets. She was the most selfless person, cared for everyone and the door was always open.

Viewing will take place on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Thomson "In the Park" Funeral Home, 1291 McGillivray Boulevard.

Funeral service will be held on Thursday, November 1, 2012 at 11:00 am at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 1541 St. Mary’s Road. Interment will follow at Thomson "In the Park" Funeral Home.

Our family would like to thank the staff in SICU at HSC and the Victoria General Hospital for their care.

In lieu flowers, if friends so desire, donations in memory of Irene may be made to a charity of ones choice.

She will be dearly missed and lovingly remembered.

We will miss you Mom.

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Love is the greatest of all soul forces. It is the link that binds human hearts together, and the mystic power that makes the world go round. Life knows no pleasure sweeter than love.

Mom loved each and every one of us and that made our world go round. There is no treasure richer than contentment. Mom was always there to reassure us kids that everything would be “okay” or “not to worry as things will work out” in time of uncertainty and doubt. Mom would comfort us in times of sorrow. There is no value higher than health.

Mom was always caring for everyone. She always made sure that we ate a good meal. On cold winter days she would say, “Make sure you have your hat and mittens on. And don’t forget to put on your thick socks with your boots so your feet don’t get cold. Don’t get cold or you’re going to get sick!”

There is no mission nobler than service. Mom did always what mothers do and that was to put all kids and grandchildren’s needs first. Then she took care of her own things.

Love shortens time, charms the hours.

Mom would take us kids when we were small to the Public Library to pick out story books to read. And when we got home she would read to us. We could never get enough and would ask her to read “just one more story.”

Mom loved all sorts of jokes and versus and poems and stories. And just like Dad, she would collect and save some of them. Some of them she would share with others. And some she would put away in her night table to read and re-read again later. Here is one I found and want to share with you.

“I know how much you love me,

As much as I love you.

And each time you think of me

I know you’ll miss me too.

So when tomorrow starts without me,

Don’t think we’re far apart

For every time you think of me,

I’m right here in your heart.”

None of us finds it easy to say good-bye to a love one at death. I hate “good-byes” and refuse to say it because it is so final.

I believe “good-byes” are for when you never expect to meet with someone again.

Intead I will say, “Thanks Mom from the bottoms of our hearts for all the wonderful things you have done for us. I will see you later Mom.”

As I know we will meet sometime again us there in Heaven; until then I will miss you dearly.

Love always from Diane

My life with my mother started in September, 1968. That month my Mom gave me life. My Mom gave us everything we needed and more. If you knew my Mom, you know that all you had to do was ask. She often heard from us:

• Mom can I have the car?

• Can I have some money to go to the store?

• Oma may I have some ice cream?

We all knew the answer would be YES before she answered. It would drive my Dad nuts but he would do the same, sometimes. But we all knew if we wanted a certain answer we would ask Mom. But that’s what made her happy; to share and help others.

Mom took care of Dad for over 20 years at home after his initial illness. I don’t know how she did it. It amazes me just thinking about it. Then when the grand kids came she added them to her plate. She retired from MTS early to be with them.

She always tried to make things work for everyone, even if it was difficult for her to do so. She would always say to me, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” My Mom is the most self-less person I know. You will hear that a lot today.

Mom loved jokes. Whether it was my fake dog poop I put on her carpet or the Saturday funnies. Last week she called me at work laughing so hard she could hardly speak. She said, “Norman I sent you a joke. You have to see it. It’s so funny. I had to phone you. The joke was, “Please move the Deer sign.” It’s on You Tube, check it out.

One thing I will always remember about my Mom was her interesting ways of expressing herself. The story I will never forget and often tell is one that involves Cindy. Cindy and I were watching TV and Mom was making dinner. There was this spot on the couch that was Dad’s. When he wasn’t there it was a free-for-all. I got up from Dad’s spot to go to the fridge and when I came back Cindy moved into that spot. Well… the fight was on. Before you could blink, Cindy was on the floor with me sitting on her. Mom came charging into the room, yelling at me, “Get off of her or you will wreck her ovaries!” She then slapped me on the shoulder and hurt her hand. I started to laugh and that made her mad. I didn’t see the wooden meat tenderizer in her other hand but I soon felt it! I also heard it snap. Now she was really mad. I wrecked Cindy’s ovaries, hurt her hand, and broke her favourite tenderizer. Well off came her slipper and now I was gonna get it. I fell over laughing so hard I couldn’t move as Mom slapped me with her slipper. She said, “Wait till Dad comes home!” I stopped laughing when I heard that. Dad was the trump card. When he came home Mom told him what happened and he called me over and he quietly said with a giggle in his voice, “Go fix Mom’s hammer and say sorry. Don’t do it again and go clean the garage.”

After Dad died, Mom grieved for a long time. She had just started to really enjoy life again. She was laughing lots and going out more. I want to thank Mom for everything she did for me and my family. None of us expected Mom to leave us this early. We are grateful we had the chance to see, talk and laugh with her before she left. She may have left us but she will never be forgotten.

I’ll love you forever, Mom.

Mom

The meaning of being a mother is virtually endless. A mother is a protector, disciplinarian and friend. A mother is a selfless, loving human that must sacrifice many of her wants and needs for the wants and needs of her children. A mother works hard to make sure her children are equipped with the knowledge, skills and abilities to make it as a competent human being. Being a mother is perhaps the hardest, most rewarding job a woman will ever experience.

This is my Mom and so much more. Like my Dad, family was #1 to my Mom. She may not have said these exact words but her actions did. My Mom devoted her life to loving and caring for us all of these years and today we gather to celebrate her life.

As I mentioned in my Dad’s eulogy, we didn’t go to Disney World or any of the hot destinations. Our family vacations always involved visiting our relatives in Ontario or Saskatchewan or them coming to visit us and these were and are the best times ever and I thank you for that. Because we didn’t have any other family in Manitoba, Mom and Dad had close friends that were like family. The Genshewsky’s, the Pasiekas, the Wildermanns, the Novickis, the Krotches, Brownie, many families from church, and Werner. Most passed away before my parents but your friendships are and will always be cherished and lovingly remembered.

I spent nearly every day with Mom and the days we didn’t see each other, one of us would call. I stayed close to home so it was easy to do and convenient, especially those days I decided to cook or bake, was missing an ingredient and Safeway was closed. If it was after 8 am, I knew she was up, so I would call and headed over… there were a few times she did the same. If I went for a jog around the neighborhood or ran an errand, I often just popped in. The door was always open at my parents place and even if you just came over to chat and have coffee, somehow you ended up staying for a full course meal. She had a way of making a few leftovers into a bountiful table.

My Mom was an amazing cook. I know I didn’t like a few things such as her pea soup, carrot and turnip soup, meatloaf or rotkohl but everyone else did. While other families had turkey for special occasions like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, we had goose along with potatoes, potato dumplings, rotkohl, stuffing, salad and then dessert. Mom and Dad spent time making the rothkohl a couple of days in advance (they would be at the kitchen table chopping away… their fingers and cutting boards blue). Diane and I would help Mom in the kitchen and Dad would do the carving and when he couldn’t do it anymore, Norm took over that task.

Christmas was special as it is for many. We would plan a day or two to set up the tree and do our baking. Dad and Norman had their special requests… Mom made the sugar cookies and whipped shortbread and Diane made her gingerbread and ginger snaps. Mom would have Christmas music playing in the background and when a really good song came on we would rush into the living room and dance. It was so much fun! In between batches we would stop for a tea and taste test our creations. Over the years we learned to hide the batches before Dad and Norman came home, otherwise there would be nothing left. Sometimes they found the stash and we would have an emergency bake off just before Christmas.

When I was little my Mom was part of a bowling league and I would go with her in the afternoons. I knew all of the ladies and the owner Izzy and would hang out with them until she finished. Sometimes I would run around and sometimes I would just lie on the bench with my head on her lap. Near the entrance of the bowling alley, there was a display case with candy and I remember Mom occasionally buying me Haw Flakes, which are Chinese sweets, and a couple of times I even got a soda. When I was little there were many times whether at home watching TV or visiting their friends, I would lie beside her with my head on her lap and she would play with my hair… her small, soft, warm hands tucking it behind my ear. It was such a wonderful feeling… I always felt safe, always loved.

Mom and I spent many hours in her bedroom going through photo albums and I would snoop through her drawers trying on her clothes and jewelry. I couldn’t get enough of her stories… everything that our family went through during the war, coming to Canada to start new life, meeting my Dad, having us kids… every word, every moment and the photos. It was so wonderful and will miss that dearly.

My Dad often stayed up late so I often took over my Dad’s side of the bed so that I could cuddle with Mom. If my feet were cold, see would put them between her legs to warm them up and I would stare at the bold pattern on her curtains, which put me to sleep quickly. When I still had naps, I would lie on one end of the couch and she would be on the other. I would keep still and peek once in a while to see if she was asleep. It wasn’t until the grandkids came and she did this with them, that I realized all that time she was peeking to see if we were asleep and when we were, she would go to the kitchen, close the door and do her thing.

Katelyn, Maxwell, Aaron and Grady are so special and important to Mom and spending time with them meant the world to her. We were blessed to have her so close and they got to see her every day. As the kids got older, they became more independent but she made every attempt to spend time with them. Before and after school, helping at the school pizza lunches and making her famous pancakes on days off from school. Mom was a familiar face to the school and it made Mom smile when the kids called her Oma. We weren’t sure if they thought that was her name or if they just felt comfortable calling her that; nonetheless, it made her feel special. Mom was quite fond of the kids’ close friends and their families as if they were her own kids and grandkids.

Mom took very good care of herself and she looked beautiful from day one yet she was not vain. If you think about it, she always looked good yet she didn’t spend a lot of money on herself or the house. We would bug her… go shopping, fix up the house or go on a trip. She would say “It’s not like the queen is coming” or “I’m happy here.” I found a piece of paper in a box my Dad made for my Mom and it said…

Man gives freely, yet gains even more. Proverbs 11:25

Whatever I give away is on its way back to me.

She lived this every day. She was so generous whether through volunteering or supporting numerous charities and being involved with the church.

There are many stories that I want to share; unfortunately, I can’t share them all now so you will have to come over to chat and have coffee.

Mom, you are most loving, kind, loyal, caring, patient, generous, devoted and hard working. You and Dad made us who we are. You are the best, we are proud of you and we have the utmost respect for you.

I turned to you for answers and you held me close when the pieces just didn't fit. You were always there for me and my kids, you did everything for us and I can’t thank you enough. Although I know God wanted you back with Him, you left us too soon. If I could turn back time just to hear your voice once more; I'd tell you that out of all the moms you would still be my choice.

Mom, Dad… I will do my best to keep our family close and connected. I will share our stories and go through our picture albums with everyone as you did with us.

Life will never be the same without you. This is not good-bye… you and Dad will always be with us.

We love you with all our hearts.

Ich liebe dich

A Mother's Love

A Mother's love is something

that no one can explain,

It is made of deep devotion

and of sacrifice and pain,

It is endless and unselfish

and enduring come what may

For nothing can destroy it

or take that love away.

It is patient and forgiving

when all others are forsaking,

And it never fails or falters

even though the heart is breaking.

It believes beyond believing

when the world around condemns,

And it glows with all the beauty

of the rarest, brightest gems.

It is far beyond defining,

it defies all explanation,

And it still remains a secret

like the mysteries of creation.

A many splendoured miracle

man cannot understand

and another wondrous evidence

of God's tender guiding hand.

~Helen Steiner Rice

What is a Mom?

A mom is one of life's best gifts,

Someone to treasure all life through,

She's caring and loving,

Thoughtful and true,

Someone who is always a special part of your life,

Someone who holds a prime place in your heart,

She's a mentor, a confident and also a friend,

Someone on whose love you can depend.

A mom always has your best interests at heart,

She's someone so dear and so good,

She's a blessing, she's a gift,

She's a treasure like no other,

She's someone that is truly wonderful.

Wherever you go, and whatever you do,

A mom’s love will always see you through,

A mom is truly invaluable,

Indispensable and unforgettable.

I wouldn't want anyone but you,

And that's why I'm so grateful,

that life picked you for me.

~Unknown