January 22, 2024
In loving memory ~
We are saddened by the passing of our beloved Mom, mother-in-law, Grandma, aunt, cousin, sister, and friend to many.
Mom grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan where she learned many valuable skills: cooking and baking, sewing, a love of animals, and how to manage people (they always had hired hands on deck). It was working on the farm that Mom met Clayton, and they were married when she was 18. In 1970, they moved to Williams Lake, which was tough for Mom, who was used to the open prairie and suddenly found herself in a land of mountains; however, after that first year of adjustment, the Cariboo was Mom's forever home. In Williams Lake, Mom put her farm skills to work in a different direction, discovering they were useful in the businesses that she had a hand in, including the Alston and Paradise Twin Theatres. She and Dad were co-owners there in the 70's and early 80's, and we still run into people who talk about the good memories they have of Mom and the Alston. Over the years, Mom also welcomed many of our friends into the Myers household like family, and to this day we count a special few as siblings. There were a few plaques in the house with poems on them that were the guiding principles of Mom's kindness and generosity, which made the Myers house a safe place to land for so many people over the years. The greatest honor we can think of for Mom was that she was "mom" to SO many, and she defended her family with ferocity.
Mom was tough! However, the mid 2000s saw her start to slow down, although she never lost her sense of family, or the stubborn streak that kept her going! 2020 and 2021 were especially hard on Mom: she lost her husband Clay (to whom she was married for 63 exciting years), son-in-law Darwyn, a few very close friends (Rozanne and Tom), and all her pets. The COVID lockdowns meant she was alone for much of the time, and that was when the dementia really began to take hold and we started to lose Mom as we knew her. With help from the community, we were able to honour Mom's wishes and keep her in the loving home she had tended to with Dad until two days prior to her passing. Mom was predeceased by her husband Clayton, infant son Darwin (1963), her parents and many other relatives and friends. She leaves behind, to mourn her loss, her children Charlene, Jordan (Ardis), and Shel (Carmen), her grandchildren (Sascha, Alexa, and Julian), a special aunt (Audrey), her sister Linda, her niece and nephews (Greg, Gwen, and Grant), her in-laws, several cousins, special friends, and many "adopted" kids. Mom was very excited when, in October 2023, Carmen's daughter Carina (Ben) welcomed baby Luca into the family. She would have also been thrilled with the newest addition to the family, Aria, born to Carmen's son Charlie (Gina) in April 2024.
Our heartfelt thanks to Community Health, Better at Home, Meals on Wheels, and the care aides who were there for Mom when we needed them. Shayla Muir, Dr. Kelly Carson, Elaine Cross, and especially the McLaughlin family, deserve special recognition for the extraordinary care they gave to Mom. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donating to the Alzheimer Society, or that you make your home a safe place to land.
Below is one of the poems that hung on the wall in our house, and we hope you will remember Mom by it:
Guest:
You are welcome here, be at your ease; go to bed when you are ready, get up when you please.
Happy to share with you, such as we've got; the leak in the roof, the soup in the pot.
You don't have to thank us, or laugh at our jokes, sit deep and come often, you're one o' the folks!