Born May 31, 1942
Departed June 3, 2024 at 82 years young
It is with great sadness but also fond remembrance that we celebrate the life of our mother Karen.
She was a loving and caring mother, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, auntie, cousin and friend to many.
Karen was born in Maryfield Saskatchewan. The third of four children; Doug, Don, Karen and Gayle born to George and Bernice Northcut. She is survived by her sister and best friend Gayle O'Greysik from Souris Manitoba, son Jason (Patti) from Saskatoon, daughter Terry (Doug) from Humboldt, grandchildren Zaq, Sarah and Ali (Brandon) Kent, Kane (Tori) and Bryn (Jackson) von Doellen and great-grandchildren Beckham and Benson von Doellen, along with cousins, nieces and nephews.
Karen grew up on the family farm near Maryfield and lived the typical farm life in the 40's and 50's. She was an excellent athlete, excelling in track and field (javelin and discus) but her true love was fastball. Karen and sister Gayle, along with the rest of the team would be loaded into the family car by her father George (the coach) and drive all over Southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan to tournaments. When she moved to Saskatoon she started playing competitive fastball with her dear friend Judy Kerslake on the Violet Sprays and Fabco Steelers. We spent many evenings at the ball diamond and camped at many small towns during tournaments. After moving to Langbank She coached high school teams for many years and won numerous district and provincial championships. One of her joys were the shopping and baseball trips to Minneapolis with her sister Gayle. She was a huge Blue Jay's fan and would watch every televised game.
But we can't forget about the curling. She curled for over 40 years, winning club tournaments, playing in city play-downs and provincial senior championships. She loved watching curling but had little patience for the TV commentators. She could be heard quite regularly yelling at the TV if they said something she didn't agree with.
She met Brian the love of her life in 1959. He was working at the Royal Bank in Maryfield and were married Oct 7, 1961 in Maryfield. After spending a few years on the family farm in Simpson, Brian decided farming wasn't his calling and they moved to Moose Jaw so he could attend SIAST technical institute. In 1966 they move to Saskatoon so he could take a job as a machinist, the start of an amazing career. They bought their first house south of Saskatoon in Grasswood on a 5 acre parcel and proceeded to make it a home.
In 1992 they had the opportunity to join a small farm implement company called Seedhawk and produced one of the first zero-till on the market. With Brian building the first prototype and Karen doing the accounting and running the office they built 6 seeders that first year. Over 30 years later Seedhawk has grown to a multinational company, selling their products all over North America and Europe.
Dad left us in 2022 and mom never recovered from that loss. Her Alzheimer's progressed quickly and in September 2022 we admitted Karen into Luther Special Care Ho e in Saskatoon. I would like to take the time to thank the amazing staff at Luther for the loving care they provided. Knowing she was safe and happy made these last 2 years bearable.
Karen was a great cook and loved family gatherings. No one every went hungry when they sat down at her table. She was a typical prairie cook and was known for her amazing pies and desserts.
She loved and spoiled her grandchildren. She would often scold Brian for bringing them home dirty and then have to hose them off before letting them in the house, or taking all 5 on the quad or snowmobile.
Karen loved to travel and went on holidays to the Maritimes, England, Scotland, Ireland, and France. While mom wasn't the most enthusiastic camper, she did enjoy getting in the motorhome and touring Alaska and Canada.
Anybody who knew Karen knows how competitive she was, whether it was ball, curling or just life. She outlived dad by 2 days and I can hear her voice laughing as she says, "Brian, I WON!"
By 2011 they had retired and moved to Humboldt 2011 to be closer to their grandchildren and then moved to Saskatoon in 2020 just before COVID. We will fondly remember the 2 years they were in Saskatoon, it was a chance to reconnect with them and for them to also reconnect with old friends.
Karen will be laid to rest July 6, 2024 at Watrous Cemetery at Manitou Beach.
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