My Aunt Elaine and I exchanged Christmas Cards every year since my Mom, also deceased now, were welcomed into her and Uncle Clarence’s home for 2 weeks in the summer of ______.
When I received my card to her returned for the 2nd year in a row I googled her to see if she had moved. She had and then she was gone.
She was a dynamo and so welcoming to us both and I experienced so much FUN spending time at the kitchen table, out in her beautiful garden where I developed a love for Purple Clematis flower which covered her garage like a wall and meeting my many cousin’s I will never forget it.
Paint didn’t have time to dry on Aunt Elaine… Always had her hands busy!
She was always moving, always doing and always laughing in the process. She could put a lot of people younger than her to shame, including me, but I tried to keep up, lending a hand wherever I could during our stay.
Her and my uncle were avid RVers and part of a RV community they spent many summers with. When home it sat
in the driveway as an extra sleeping space for the overflowing guests they
often entertained.
One of the most FUN things we played was a homemade version of Sequence. My uncle had made a beautiful board with the little square cards on it that was a masterpiece so much better than the plastic ones included in today’s versions. Mom & I loved it and to our surprise were each gifted with a made with love board of our own to bring back to Ontario with us. I still treasure it and hope to soon have a game with friends again.
To be very honest... when I agreed to take my Mom to Alberta I didn't expect to enjoy the scenery. The thought of looking at mountain after mountain didn't appeal to me being a water baby. Was I in for a huge surprise. We were escorted to come of the MOST Beautiful natural attractions in the world!!! That's coming from someone who now lives in Niagara Falls.
While Lake Louise was breathtaking, they took us to Cameron Lake and then to the HOODOOS where Dinosaurs truly once lived. As scary as that thought was it was awesome going in and out and just taking a moment to look out into the vastness of the totally unique landscape. I was blown away by it all and so grateful for Aunt Elaine for being by my side when looking down.
She was on email even before I was and didn’t let technology get the better of her. Moving ahead with the times played a large role in her life into her 90s.
Still… there was so much more to learn about my beloved Aunt. Her eulogy & recording of her funeral gave me even more insight into the AMAZING Woman she was. The audio recording there gave me insight to so many wonderful memories from her family about her love mixed with a No Nonsense attitude to responsibility.
“Donna Elaine Meisner (née Stevens), passed away in Taber on Thursday, April 7, 2022 at the age of 92 years.
In 1947 Elaine started working at the Taber Times on the lino type machine. This is where she met her future husband, Clarence.
Elaine was a member of The Women of the Moose and later became a Lioness. She helped Clarence with the gardening and caring for the yard. She enjoyed doing handy work, embroidering, ceramics and making plastic furniture. Elaine always enjoyed gathering with her friends for a visit. She will be dearly missed.”
Being a real people person who loved to socialize Covid-19 was very hard on her once she relocated to a Seniors home. No doubt she is keeping her Loved Ones in Spirit and Angels both busy and entertained right now.
