Madeline Eugenie Martel

After a lengthy struggle with health issues, Madeline Eugenie Martel, Montmartre , Sask. passed away on January 16, 2016 at the age of 87 years. The funeral mass will be celebrated in Sacred Heart R.C. Church, Montmartre on Monday, January 25, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. by the Rev. Dennis Remot. Interment of cremated remains will follow in the parish cemetery. Predeceased by her husband Leo Alcide, their son Edwin, grandson Clinton Glas, brother Art (& Cecile) Laverdiere, brother in law Phillip (& Gilbert) Martel, sister in law Azilda (& Maurice) Dedecker, sister in law Emma (& Paul) Preusche, brother in law Pete Hozempa and brother in law Leo Briere. She leaves behind her children: Louis (Lois) Martel, Regina; Jeannette Keeler, Regina; Yvette (David) Glas, Odessa; Therese (Paul) Kress, Kendal; Vivian (Quentin) Glas, Odessa; Allan (Joan) Martel, Martensville and Donald Martel, Montmartre; daughter in law Cheryl Martel, Montmartre; seventeen grandchildren and thirty one great grandchildren; a brother Edward (Valerie) Laverdiere, Ponteix; a sister in law Yvonne Hozempa, Montmartre and a brother in law Doug Hannan, Kelowna, B.C. as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Rest in Peace Mother. We love you.

Our Mom, Madeline Martel was born December 26th, 1928 in Candiac to Maxmillian & Jean Laverdiere. She was the second oldest in the family of 5. Soon after she was born the family moved to a farm 5 miles southwest of Wolseley where she attended Abbottsford country school. Throughout Mom’s life she worked very hard and it began at a young age as she helped her Dad raise her siblings. And also growing up in her teens she would help her neighbors and relatives doing a variety of jobs.

Mom met a young man named Leo Martel at a dance in her mid-teens and after a 3 year relationship they married January 19th, 1948. Madeline and Leo (Mom and Dad) took over the Martel family farm in Montmartre in 1949. Shortly thereafter the babies came….and they kept coming, 8 in total. Along with the hard work of raising her children she worked hard on the farm. She used to milk the cows morning and night. We will never forget the time when she was milking the cow and the cow decided to lie down….Mother was under the cow. As the years passed, the kids grew up and left home, it was also time for Mom and Dad to move on. Their son Edwin took over the farm in December 1978 and they moved to town to begin a new lifestyle.

Mom continued to work hard and took on the job of janitor of the Convent School for 10 years along with some house painting with Eva Malach. She also volunteered for the CWL doing functions such as funerals, bazaars and perogy making and also did homecare for years. We were told that she was the best lady for making the gravy at Fall Suppers.

Mom grew the biggest garden. It looked like a mile long when you were little. The potato patch was huge. Much of the summer was spent in the garden or in the bushes picking raspberries or saskatoons. She preserved every vegetable & fruit for winters’ supply. Mom was truly blessed with a green thumb as most of you know. She had many, many flowers blooming around her home in town. One year she won an award from ‘Communities in Bloom’ for the best looking yard. Her flowers decorated the inside of her house as well, along with many family pictures and trinkets. When it was time to down size she found it very difficult to say goodbye to her pastimes. But there were some things she would never let go…..her beloved Blue Jays and Roughriders. To say she was an avid fan of these two teams is an understatement. She very seldom missed a game unless there was bingo on Wednesday night.

Mom was a competitive person and started at a young age in bowling alleys in Wolseley. Later on in life after raising her children she continued, whether it was at bridge games with the ladies every week or curling on the ice at bonspiels. Mom and Dad both enjoyed golfing until Dad couldn’t beat her anymore….so they quit. Mom and Dad also liked to adventure and spent their summers with a boat and camper, fishing at various lakes across Saskatchewan and a variety of warm destinations in the winter.

When we would come to visit her in town we would find her on her favorite chair knitting while watching sports. She would knit a blanket a month, one for every member of the family (including grandchildren) as well as prizes for raffles. She was an avid reader but she would only read cowboy stories for she loved horses, and the librarian would always have a stack of books ready for her.

Mom worked very hard throughout her entire life, her 66 years in marriage, raising 8 children, and never asked for a helping hand. Still to this day she managed to do things herself. She was blessed with being able to live a long and healthy life and through her retirement years. When she became sick she had to slow down but she still persevered… until she had no strength left. We will always remember this woman, our mother, a strong hard working woman with a green thumb that will no doubt make heaven a more vibrant and colorful place.