Betty May McFarlane

Betty - wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend - was the glue that held our family together and she will be sorely missed.

She was predeceased by her parents Ida and Bill Wolfe, her sister Wilma Heraid, and her biological father Anthony (Tony) LaBrash. She is survived by her husband and life partner of 63 years, Ron McFarlane; her children Rhonda (Brian), Bruce (Vicki) and Gordon (Jennifer); grandchildren, Sarah, Kelsey (Pat), Blair, Kevin (Samantha), Michelle, Athena, Chloe and Andrew (Leanne); her great grandchildren Tyson, Ben, Kaiya, Adam, Madden, Northwind, Jake and Kodah, her sisters Irene Williams, Elaine Hernandez and Maureen Kuhling, and a legion of loving friends.

Born on April 16, 1935, Betty was a country girl at heart. She grew up in Saskatchewan farming communities, attending a one room school house until she went first to Prince Albert to middle school and then to Saskatoon to attend high school. At Bedford High School in Saskatoon, she met her first and only love, Ron, and they were married in 1956. Ron’s career as an air traffic controller took them to Winnipeg for training, back to Saskatoon where Rhonda and Bruce were born, and again to Winnipeg where Gord joined the family. Another move took them to Regina and then back to permanent residency in Winnipeg in 1971.

Betty’s ability to make a beautiful and comfortable home wherever the family moved was her superpower. She was an amazing cook; an accomplished seamstress, gardener extraordinaire, and she and Ron entertained often and well. Friends and family alike coveted invitations to her table because they left satisfied and nourished, not just by great food, but with warm, gracious hospitality. She showed her love for everyone in her life by ensuring they were well fed, delivering homemade cookies or muffins to those who were bereaved, newcomers to the neighbourhood, new parents and those celebrating special occasions.

Betty revered education and read voraciously. She anticipated the start of the school year with glee and was so excited to be accepted as a mature student at the University of Winnipeg in 1986. One of her proudest accomplishments was her graduation at age 55 with a double major BA in English Literature and Anthropology.

Travel was a major joy for Betty. She and Ron traveled to many American states, including Hawaii on a number of occasions, Europe, Australia and China and they sailed on a number of cruises. She also cherished the memories made on trips to Ireland with Rhonda, to New York with Bruce, and to Toronto to visit Gord and his family. We are now the keepers of those precious memories.

The last weeks of Betty’s life were a struggle as she contended with a fractured pelvis and complications from COPD and congestive heart failure. We are grateful beyond words for the hundreds of gestures of support and love for all of us while she was in hospital. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

A celebration of Betty’s life will take place on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 2:00pm at Thomson “In the Park” Funeral Home, 1291 McGillivray Blvd.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Ronald McDonald House Charities Manitoba (rmhcmanitoba.org) or a charity of your choice.