On February 22nd, 1930, Lois Eleanor Tutkaluk (Sandercock) was born in Alnwick Township on the Sandercock farm. She was the daughter of Beatrice and Charles Sandercock. Lois was raised on the farm and early on learned the value of hard work and being frugal with money as times were tight on the farm. She attended high school in Cobourg where she excelled in public speaking, played sports and sang. A highlight growing up was her singing “Flow Gently Sweet Afton” on the local radio station. To pay for high school, Lois worked in the summers at Sunset Cove Fish Lodge designing centre pieces, cleaning rooms and serving.
After high school, she started working in Cobourg where she met and then married (June 17, 1947) Tom Shaw with whom she had two daughters, Heather and Brenda.
After separating in 1954 from Tom, Lois and Brenda moved to Oshawa and Tom and daughter Heather moved to Winnipeg. Lois found work with Adam’s Furniture Company, Cornish Electric and the Modern Dress Shop. In Oshawa, she met Mike Tutkaluk, her true love and they were married on May 29th, 1964. Lois supported Mike at the King Street West Driving Range as he continued his career at General Motors. Lois had been involved in many sports including softball, bowling, and track and field. She picked up golfing and perfected her game as much as possible at the Driving Range. Mike and Lois joined the Oshawa Golf and Country Club where she enjoyed the game, winning club championships, and relaxing with Mike and friends over a delicious lunch or dinner.
The happy couple liked to enjoy their winters in Florida where they had a vacation home, and not surprisingly, found another golf club.
She loved her hobby of scrapbooking and created books that allowed her to share the memories she had of places seen and people visited. Those were wonderful years for Lois and she often reminisced about them. She enjoyed going to dinner at the golf club and did so until Covid took the opportunity away.
Lois spent her final years at Harmony Hills Retirement Community. An unfortunate fall resulted in a broken hip and arm and a slow convalescence followed. She demonstrated incredible grit and determination in recovering from the fall and was able to return to the Oshawa area and moved into the Village of Taunton Mills in nearby Whitby. She passed away, however, on July 30th 2021. She was 91 years of age.
She is survived by daughters Heather Kovacevic in Belle River and Brenda Reid (Bill) in Nelson, BC, grandchildren Stefan (Melissa) and Tommy Kovacevic in Belle River, Sharla (David McAnerin) Reid in New Westminster BC and Sarah Reid (Peter Pelletier) in Port Moody BC, and Lois’s sister Helen (Robert) Lloyd in Hastings Ontario. She also had nieces Linda Bramwell (Jim) Ottawa, Lana Francis (Rick) Roseneath, nephews Alan Sherwin (Kim), Ottawa, and Mark Lloyd (Robin) in Peterborough.
Lois maintained close relations with the Tutkaluk family. She considered nephew Robert Stewart, to be the son she never had and his wife Rhonda like a daughter and their children Paige and Mark were like grandchildren. She also enjoyed support from nephews and nieces Michael (Angela), Dawn (Bob), Jan (Mitch), John (Janice) and Willie.
The family wishes to acknowledge with deepest respect the family and friends who supported Lois after her accident.
Lois’s sense of humour often had family and friends laughing delightfully. The family knows that Lois is at peace now with her Mike and hopes personal memories of Lois bring a sense of comfort to your lives.
By request, there is no service. Her ashes will be intermingled with those of her beloved Mike. In lieu of flowers, please pay it forward in some small but meaningful act of kindness or make a donation in her name to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
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