Edith Winnifred “Winnie” Jeffery Sept. 17, 1924-Feb. 24, 2022
Mom went to be with her Creator and Savior early in the morning of Feb. 24, 2022. She was 97 years old. She is re-united with her husband Nelson with whom she enjoyed 65 years of marriage.
She is also pre-deceased by her parents Samuel and Annie Ellis; sisters Mae (Ken) Pomeroy, Elizabeth; brothers Alvin and Edwin (Audrey) Ellis, and several brothers-and-sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.
She is survived by sister Irene (Erik) Jensen of Calgary, brother-in-law Roy (Pat) Jeffery of Michigan, and sister-in-law Jill Ellis of Victoria. She is also survived by 5 children and 12 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren: Anne (Rod) Appleby, Becky and Sara; Larry (Marlies) Jeffery, Shauna (Stephen) Loewen, Elyse and Nelson; Travis (Ashley) Jeffery, Janae and Logynn; Lorne (Eileen) Jeffery, Chris (Laurinda), Lainey; Loreen (Alan) Gray, Kinsley and Olivia; Heidi (Beau) McRoberts, Hunter and Hailey; Kevin (Belinda) Jeffery, Amy (Murray) Neudorf, Carter; Heather (Kent) Heinrichs, Maverick and Ezra; Kathy (Ted) Eichorst, Jeffery, Jason (Tricia) and James.
Winnie was born on the family farm near Dunkirk, SK and spent many happy years there. She loved helping her Dad, especially at haying time. She remembered the “Dirty Thirties” and had many stories to tell. One summer she attended Arlington Beach Bible Camp; there she met Nelson and the romance began. She attended Briercrest Bible Institute, graduating in 1946. She then joined her parents in Victoria, BC working in the isolation unit at the hospital and at Kresge’s store. Nelson followed her out to the coast and they were married there in 1948. They returned to the family farm near Briercrest soon afterwards where they resided until 1994 when they retired to Moose Jaw.
On the farm she was the quintessential farm wife, helping with the harvesting; hauling grain stoking sheaves and hauling bales. When the boys were able to take over driving trucks, her job became preparing and taking meals to the field.
Mom loved her family, her home and her garden. The home was always neat and tidy in spite of having three boys. Her garden always seemed to produce abundantly. Picking Saskatoon berries was a favorite outing; she also had an excellent trigger finger playing crokinole well into her 90’s. In fact at Christmas she beat us all! Going to church each Sunday as a family was very important.
After retirement from the farm, Mom along with Dad volunteered at the Western Development Museum on the days the school children came to learn about the “olden days”. That often involved teaching how to make homemade ice cream or how to put a bridle on a horse. They also volunteered at the Moose Jaw Food Bank. They attended the First Free Methodist Church for many years and made many friends. They often visited the shut-ins and other elderly friends. She also looked back with joy at several winters spent in the Phoenix area. Two winters were spent in Texas where they helped with a Bible production and distribution mission.
Mom loved family get-togethers; Christmas and New Years were always at their home. Even though the last one she hosted was in 2012 when she was 88, she still insisted on cooking the turkey, potatoes, vegetables and making the pies.
After Dad’s passing, Mom moved to Caleb Village for a while and then moved to West Park Crossing when she needed more care. Our family would like to thank the West Park staff for taking such good care of Mom in her declining years. Special thanks to Nurse Janet for her kind and compassionate care these last few months. We also want to thank Dr. J. VanHeerden for her kind and compassionate care for Mom over many years.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 5, 2022 at 2:00 PM at the First Free Methodist Church at 375 Hochelaga St. West in Moose Jaw. The service will be recorded and be available for viewing after 4:30 PM on the church website at www.firstfmc.ca. Follow the links to YouTube. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gideon’s or to the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency.
