Ona Dorothy Lambert was born in Domremy, Saskatchewan. She lived a loud and full life. Ona passed away on February 8, 2024, at the age of 79. She is predeceased by her parents Hester and Leif Wick; parents-in-law Gertrude and Percy Lambert; siblings Pat, Wayne, Connie and Skippy; as well as dear friend Audrey. She leaves behind a long list of loved ones, her caring husband Ed Lambert; her children and grandchildren, Chris and Darren (Claire and Ava); Shelley and John; Marc and Carmen (Morgan, Rayna, Ethan and Marek); Aaron and Trish (Carter, Josh, Isaac and Matthew) as well as her siblings Clifford, Kathleen, Tina and Harley. She also leaves behind a wad of cash that has not yet been located. We expect perhaps rolled up in a pair of socks or stuffed into a coffee tin. Keep your eyes peeled.
By all accounts Ona lived a rich and meaningful life as measured by things that truly matter, the large group of unique souls on this earth who loved her and/or whose lives she positively influenced. This group includes her family, but also the many friends in her life.
For those who knew Ona, none can deny her strong will, determination and work ethic. If you wanted honest advice, and sometimes even if you didn’t, Ona was an excellent confidant. She could tell you something so truthful and straight and without decoration that if you were ready to hear it, it could course-correct your life. This is not to say she spoke without colour. She was also known for phrases so salty; one can only smile and feel the need to reach for a glass to toast in memory of them.
If we close our eyes and bring forth some of the lasting images of Ona in our minds, we see her squatted down, with arms wide and a random toddler making a hasty bee line to her offer of a hug. She is playing Yahtzee and laughing with that unforgettable and contagious laugh. She had some hard edges too. We see that widened eye and raised brow that could only mean the stink eye had been unleashed upon you and in most cases, it was righteously applied. We see her figuring out how to swipe the extra packets of peanut butter from the diner breakfast into her purse because… ‘you never know’.
We see her hands deftly pinching and forming a tray of dinner buns. We see her deep in the middle of an endless raspberry patch wearing a sunhat, a fourth ice cream pail already half-filled with the sweet red treasures she had spent hours collecting. She had all the strengths and all the flaws required to make for an interesting life. She faced and overcame many challenges, and we could not be more grateful to her for giving us an example of how to be a balance of both strong and soft, how to stand your ground and how to hug like you mean it.
A service and celebration of Ona’s life will be held at a later date at the family farm. She was a dress-to-be-comfortable kind of person, so please do the same. She would have also requested that no cut flowers be sent, to save your money or invest in a living plant. It will be lovely to gather in the spring as a community of people who knew and cared for Ona and please plan to share your Ona stories and any of the salty phrases that you fondly remember her telling you. Her family requests if you feel the need to honour Ona with a monetary donation that you drop some coin into a one-armed bandit. If you win big, take some of that money and spread it around in a selfless act of sheer kindness.
In living memory of Ona, a memorial planting will be made by W.J. Jones & Son Ltd. Please sign the memorial register at website: www.wjjonesandson.com (Obituaries). Chrystine Dacey- Funeral Director
