Saturday, April 12, 2008
Our Gramma O!!
My name is Lacey Paupanekis, I am Elodie's daughter. When I think of Gramma O. I think of Jam-jam's, scuffles, and, constant eating. She like'd to make sure everyone was very well fed, with full meals every 4 hours. She always made sure everyone knew what others in the family were up to, went out of her way to keep the family as close as possible. She was a very strong woman. She took care of everyone, even when it was hard emotionally, and physically. We all love and miss her so much. She taught me to keep my family close, and by watching her take care of my grandfather, even when it was really hard, made me see just how much she cared not only for him, but for all of us. She had a heart of gold!! Even though we can't see her, she lives on in our hearts, and our memories forever. I LOVE you and MISS you so much Gramma !!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Grandma O's Jam
I originally posted this on my personal blog, CHADMAC Speaks. Anyone who wants to, can go there to read other things I write. But please know that I occasionally post things that some family members may not want to read (particularly with regards to things like religion). - Chad
This morning, I caught a glimpse of a jar of jam that has been in my fridge for some time. Since Christmas, I haven't been able to bring myself to open it. You see, this particular jar is the last jar of rhubarb jam I received from my grandma and it is also the last jar of my grandma's jam that I will ever have. My grandma passed away on December 15th last year.
I wasn't going to post a blog about this, because it is very personal and such personal postings are not really why I started this whole blogging thing. Most people who know me know that I am a pretty quiet, introspective person who tends not to discuss such matters very often. But this morning, I realized that there are some things that I want to get off my chest that I otherwise would not discuss with people in person.
On December 15th, I was in Winnipeg making a stop to visit with friends before heading out to my grandparents' place in Saskatchewan for Christmas - My grandma had decreed that everyone was to gather at their place for the holidays last year. When I woke up around noon, I listened to a voice mail I had from my mom. She was crying and told me to call her back as soon as possible. I knew that someone had most likely died and the first thing that came to mind was that my grandpa had passed away (he has been in pretty rough shape for the last few years). When I called her back, my mom told me that my grandma had had a heart attack that morning and died. This news completely blind-sided me and left me speechless. I didn't know what to say and I didn't know what to do.
I wasn't getting on the bus to leave Winnipeg until early the next week. So, I had a whole weekend in Winnipeg ahead of me. I didn't want to cancel any of the plans I had that weekend, and in the end I am glad that I could get out see my friends to provide some much-needed distraction. Apart from the night I went to my godparents' place for dinner, I didn't really discuss my grandma's death with anyone.
In the end, I don't think the reality of my grandma's death hit me until I actually arrived in Davidson. You see, growing up, the moment I always loved and remembered about going to my grandparents' place was taking that right turn onto their street and seeing their house up on the corner. On the short drive up the street, I would know that my grandma would be waiting for me on the other side of that front door. This short drive was probably the one moment I looked forward to the most when visiting my grandparents. But last Christmas, when making that turn, I knew that my grandma wasn't going to be there to greet me.
It's the little things like this that I miss the most. Waking up in the basement to the smell of grandma making breakfast. Long hand-written letters in the mail with updates about distant relatives I don't recall ever meeting. Grandma's baking, including the ever-amazing jam-jams and scuffles. Grandma starting to prepare brunch within minutes of eating breakfast. Playing cards at the kitchen table. Stealing fresh peas and rhubarb from the garden outside. Grandma's laugh. And of course, the rhubarb jam.
When I returned to El Paso at the end of December, I immediately went to find the last letter that my grandma sent me. I reread it several times and then hung it on the fridge along with the pamphlet from the funeral and a picture of my grandparents. Only recently did I take them down (although they are still on top of the fridge). These mementos, along with the Christmas stocking that my grandma made me, are items that I will always have to remember her by. But there is something about finishing that last jar of jam..... Once it's gone, it's gone, and I won't be able to get any more. There's a kind of finality to it that I haven't had the heart to face yet. Maybe after spring break.....
Cheers,
Me
This morning, I caught a glimpse of a jar of jam that has been in my fridge for some time. Since Christmas, I haven't been able to bring myself to open it. You see, this particular jar is the last jar of rhubarb jam I received from my grandma and it is also the last jar of my grandma's jam that I will ever have. My grandma passed away on December 15th last year.
I wasn't going to post a blog about this, because it is very personal and such personal postings are not really why I started this whole blogging thing. Most people who know me know that I am a pretty quiet, introspective person who tends not to discuss such matters very often. But this morning, I realized that there are some things that I want to get off my chest that I otherwise would not discuss with people in person.
On December 15th, I was in Winnipeg making a stop to visit with friends before heading out to my grandparents' place in Saskatchewan for Christmas - My grandma had decreed that everyone was to gather at their place for the holidays last year. When I woke up around noon, I listened to a voice mail I had from my mom. She was crying and told me to call her back as soon as possible. I knew that someone had most likely died and the first thing that came to mind was that my grandpa had passed away (he has been in pretty rough shape for the last few years). When I called her back, my mom told me that my grandma had had a heart attack that morning and died. This news completely blind-sided me and left me speechless. I didn't know what to say and I didn't know what to do.
I wasn't getting on the bus to leave Winnipeg until early the next week. So, I had a whole weekend in Winnipeg ahead of me. I didn't want to cancel any of the plans I had that weekend, and in the end I am glad that I could get out see my friends to provide some much-needed distraction. Apart from the night I went to my godparents' place for dinner, I didn't really discuss my grandma's death with anyone.
In the end, I don't think the reality of my grandma's death hit me until I actually arrived in Davidson. You see, growing up, the moment I always loved and remembered about going to my grandparents' place was taking that right turn onto their street and seeing their house up on the corner. On the short drive up the street, I would know that my grandma would be waiting for me on the other side of that front door. This short drive was probably the one moment I looked forward to the most when visiting my grandparents. But last Christmas, when making that turn, I knew that my grandma wasn't going to be there to greet me.
It's the little things like this that I miss the most. Waking up in the basement to the smell of grandma making breakfast. Long hand-written letters in the mail with updates about distant relatives I don't recall ever meeting. Grandma's baking, including the ever-amazing jam-jams and scuffles. Grandma starting to prepare brunch within minutes of eating breakfast. Playing cards at the kitchen table. Stealing fresh peas and rhubarb from the garden outside. Grandma's laugh. And of course, the rhubarb jam.
When I returned to El Paso at the end of December, I immediately went to find the last letter that my grandma sent me. I reread it several times and then hung it on the fridge along with the pamphlet from the funeral and a picture of my grandparents. Only recently did I take them down (although they are still on top of the fridge). These mementos, along with the Christmas stocking that my grandma made me, are items that I will always have to remember her by. But there is something about finishing that last jar of jam..... Once it's gone, it's gone, and I won't be able to get any more. There's a kind of finality to it that I haven't had the heart to face yet. Maybe after spring break.....
Cheers,
Me
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Raeanne Kurtz (Obrigewitsch)
hi everyone!
I'm Raeanne, Edith's eldest grandchild. I'm married to Patrick Kurtz and we have one son Darien who is 3 1/2 years old. We live in Regina, SK. I am a Manager of Human Resources for Health Canada. I am finishing my Masters Degree in Human Resource Management and should be done classes in June of this year. Patrick is the Director of Training for Saskatchewan Safety Council. Darien is master of all, centre of the universe, non-stop talking machine...and really quite humorous :o) Once in a while he still asks about Grandma O and in fact this morning we ran out the her strawberry, rhubarb jam and he wants to know who is going to make more "Grandma O jam." And a few weeks ago wanted to know who would fix the hole in his "Grandma O blanket," the afghan she kept adding to as he was growing bigger.
All my life I have been a grandma's girl, spending countless hours visiting with both my Grandmas who I was so blessed to have living in the same hometown as I grew up in. Losing both within a few weeks of each other has been a great loss... I miss Grandma O very much. She loved us in a way noone else can.
Chad, thanks for setting this up and I hope others get a chance to add so we can share our updates and our memories.
I'm Raeanne, Edith's eldest grandchild. I'm married to Patrick Kurtz and we have one son Darien who is 3 1/2 years old. We live in Regina, SK. I am a Manager of Human Resources for Health Canada. I am finishing my Masters Degree in Human Resource Management and should be done classes in June of this year. Patrick is the Director of Training for Saskatchewan Safety Council. Darien is master of all, centre of the universe, non-stop talking machine...and really quite humorous :o) Once in a while he still asks about Grandma O and in fact this morning we ran out the her strawberry, rhubarb jam and he wants to know who is going to make more "Grandma O jam." And a few weeks ago wanted to know who would fix the hole in his "Grandma O blanket," the afghan she kept adding to as he was growing bigger.
All my life I have been a grandma's girl, spending countless hours visiting with both my Grandmas who I was so blessed to have living in the same hometown as I grew up in. Losing both within a few weeks of each other has been a great loss... I miss Grandma O very much. She loved us in a way noone else can.
Chad, thanks for setting this up and I hope others get a chance to add so we can share our updates and our memories.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Kitchen Table
Hello Again,
In her previous post, mom said that she wanted everyone to think of this site as Grandma's kitchen table. I really like this sentiment and I think it may actually be a better title for the blog. So, I've changed the name. If anyone has any objections or other ideas, please post them in the comments for this post.
Cheers,
Chad
In her previous post, mom said that she wanted everyone to think of this site as Grandma's kitchen table. I really like this sentiment and I think it may actually be a better title for the blog. So, I've changed the name. If anyone has any objections or other ideas, please post them in the comments for this post.
Cheers,
Chad
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Love from the Baby
Well, as you can guess, I'm Elodie, the "baby" of the family (or at least that's who I was the last time my Mother introduced me to someone in 2007). I would like to thank everyone who participated at Mom's funeral, it was great to see everyone and hopefully we can get the word out to even the most obscure relatives and friends that Mom kept in touch with about the site. Chad, thank you for setting this up for us, I think it will prove to be a real lifeline.
We are currently living in Virden Manitoba, Box 1299 R0M 2C0. I work at the Co-Op bakery/deli, Garry is with Manitoba Hydro in Brandon and commutes. Our daughter Lacey lives in Gillam, Manitoba where her husband Ryan works with ...Manitoba Hydro. Their son Dominick was born October 1, 2006 and is all boy. Lacey and Dominick spent a month here at home, after Christmas as Ryan was in Hydro schools in The Pas finishing his millwrights.
Our son Greg is 15 and his current love and passion is basketball. The mother of one of his school friends asked me in November if Greg was excited about Basketball season starting. I had to ask her dumbly, "When did it end?" Greg plays regular season here in Virden until April, then, there's Spring league in Brandon until June. July is Bobcat camp at the Brandon U, and the one at the Neelin high school in Brandon, and August is Legion camp in the Peace Gardens. That leaves just about enough time to once again go the Brandon, for the required school supplies...new basketball jerseys!
I have just spent 10 days with Dad, he seems to be doing fine. Really missing Mom tho'. Anyone who has a moment, maybe drop him a line. Other than family and a friend that picks him up for church, he doesn't see or talk to anyone. Unfortunatly, I don't think we'll be able to bring him into the computer age, it's still old-fashioned Canada Post. Anyone who has cared for an elderly person realizes quick that the mail is an all-imortant time of day.
Hope to see more people on here soon. Bye for now.
We are currently living in Virden Manitoba, Box 1299 R0M 2C0. I work at the Co-Op bakery/deli, Garry is with Manitoba Hydro in Brandon and commutes. Our daughter Lacey lives in Gillam, Manitoba where her husband Ryan works with ...Manitoba Hydro. Their son Dominick was born October 1, 2006 and is all boy. Lacey and Dominick spent a month here at home, after Christmas as Ryan was in Hydro schools in The Pas finishing his millwrights.
Our son Greg is 15 and his current love and passion is basketball. The mother of one of his school friends asked me in November if Greg was excited about Basketball season starting. I had to ask her dumbly, "When did it end?" Greg plays regular season here in Virden until April, then, there's Spring league in Brandon until June. July is Bobcat camp at the Brandon U, and the one at the Neelin high school in Brandon, and August is Legion camp in the Peace Gardens. That leaves just about enough time to once again go the Brandon, for the required school supplies...new basketball jerseys!
I have just spent 10 days with Dad, he seems to be doing fine. Really missing Mom tho'. Anyone who has a moment, maybe drop him a line. Other than family and a friend that picks him up for church, he doesn't see or talk to anyone. Unfortunatly, I don't think we'll be able to bring him into the computer age, it's still old-fashioned Canada Post. Anyone who has cared for an elderly person realizes quick that the mail is an all-imortant time of day.
Hope to see more people on here soon. Bye for now.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Hello From the North
I'd like to say how nice it was to see everyone - even under the difficult circumstances. The grandkids were terrific helping at mass and sharing their memories of Mom. Sure glad they got up and spoke as I would not have been able to. Margaret still hasn't been struck by lightening for her speaking part at the service, way to go girl.
I like how Margaret wrote of sitting around the table at Mom's and sharing stories with her. I hope everyone will consider this site Edith's Kitchen Table and share with her and the rest of us your news and thoughts.
Bye for now
Janice
I like how Margaret wrote of sitting around the table at Mom's and sharing stories with her. I hope everyone will consider this site Edith's Kitchen Table and share with her and the rest of us your news and thoughts.
Bye for now
Janice
Sunday, January 6, 2008
My cousin Edith
Lately my memories of Edith are based on my stops at her kitchen - always the coffee pot was on and she and I would visit while Minord read the paper and occasionally joined in. Edith's care of Minord was a demonstration of the values of her life. She honored the responsbilities of her marriage when a lot of the joy had left but she continued to care for Minord with compassion and love. She was and will be an example to me of what a loving family meant. She did not question the challenges thrown to her by the people she loved and she did not ever judge them. She was happiest surrounded by family and needed by family. I will miss her every time I drive to Saskatoon for a meeting. I regret that I did not get to tell her about my expected grandchild because she would have celebrated that fact in a way that no one else could. Today I spent 6 hours writing history on the back of photos I only wish that she had had the time to do that. Hugs to you all
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Gord. MacDonald
I am married to Janice, Edith's middle child.
We have 2 children, Kurt our oldest son, and Chad our youngest who you have already met.
I work for Manitoba Hydro in Gillam Manitoba, 600 air miles north of Winnipeg.
In my spare time I am Fire Chief and President of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No.245.
We have 2 children, Kurt our oldest son, and Chad our youngest who you have already met.
I work for Manitoba Hydro in Gillam Manitoba, 600 air miles north of Winnipeg.
In my spare time I am Fire Chief and President of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No.245.
Chad MacDonald
Hello All,
My name is Chad MacDonald. As you may have already gathered from reading my previous posts, I am Edith's grandson. My parents are Janice and Gordon MacDonald.
I was born and raised in the balmy paradise that is Northern Manitoba. Currently, I am living in El Paso, Texas and I am working towards getting my Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, so that someday I can be a Professor. If all goes according to plan, this should be completed sometime near the end of 2009. For those who are interested, my research areas include Control Systems, Human Motor Learning, Robotics, Intelligent Systems (Fuzzy Logic, Neural Networks) and Neurorehabilitation.
Cheers,
Chad
My name is Chad MacDonald. As you may have already gathered from reading my previous posts, I am Edith's grandson. My parents are Janice and Gordon MacDonald.
I was born and raised in the balmy paradise that is Northern Manitoba. Currently, I am living in El Paso, Texas and I am working towards getting my Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, so that someday I can be a Professor. If all goes according to plan, this should be completed sometime near the end of 2009. For those who are interested, my research areas include Control Systems, Human Motor Learning, Robotics, Intelligent Systems (Fuzzy Logic, Neural Networks) and Neurorehabilitation.
Cheers,
Chad
Joining the Site
Hello,
If you are a member of Edith Orbrigewitsch's family and would like to participate in this blog, please send me your email address. I can be contacted at chadmacspeaks@gmail.com. I will then send you an invitation to join the blog. Follow the link in the email you receive to join the site.
You will need a Google account to be able to post on this site. If you do not already have an account (as I suspect most of you don't), click on the "Create Your Account Now" link. Follow the instructions on the following pages to create your account and your own blog. Even if you do not intend to write your own personal blog, you have to create one. If you have any specific questions about the blog creation process, please let me know. Note, if you have a Gmail address, this counts as a Google account that you can enter in the invitation page.
Once you have created your account and accepted the invitation you will be free to post on the site. When you reach this point, you can contact me by email if you have any problems posting on the blog. You can also call me by phone, although you will have to email me to get my phone number. Once you are able to make posts, I would like to request that everyone's first post be an introduction. This should include your name, your relation to Edith and a brief summary of what you are up to these days. For your introductory post, please simply use your name as the title (see my post for an example).
If you have any suggestions regarding the look and layout of the blog, please let me know. Also, the current title is something I came up with today. If there are any suggestions for a new title, we can discuss it among the posting members and make any changes necessary. Finally, if someone has electronic pictures of Grandma, could you please send them my way. In particular, if there are electronic versions of the pictures in the funeral program they would probably be best. I plan on using them, along with the final blog name, to create a banner for the site.
Note: I have already sent invitations to those people for whom I have email addresses.
Thanks,
Chad
If you are a member of Edith Orbrigewitsch's family and would like to participate in this blog, please send me your email address. I can be contacted at chadmacspeaks@gmail.com. I will then send you an invitation to join the blog. Follow the link in the email you receive to join the site.
You will need a Google account to be able to post on this site. If you do not already have an account (as I suspect most of you don't), click on the "Create Your Account Now" link. Follow the instructions on the following pages to create your account and your own blog. Even if you do not intend to write your own personal blog, you have to create one. If you have any specific questions about the blog creation process, please let me know. Note, if you have a Gmail address, this counts as a Google account that you can enter in the invitation page.
Once you have created your account and accepted the invitation you will be free to post on the site. When you reach this point, you can contact me by email if you have any problems posting on the blog. You can also call me by phone, although you will have to email me to get my phone number. Once you are able to make posts, I would like to request that everyone's first post be an introduction. This should include your name, your relation to Edith and a brief summary of what you are up to these days. For your introductory post, please simply use your name as the title (see my post for an example).
If you have any suggestions regarding the look and layout of the blog, please let me know. Also, the current title is something I came up with today. If there are any suggestions for a new title, we can discuss it among the posting members and make any changes necessary. Finally, if someone has electronic pictures of Grandma, could you please send them my way. In particular, if there are electronic versions of the pictures in the funeral program they would probably be best. I plan on using them, along with the final blog name, to create a banner for the site.
Note: I have already sent invitations to those people for whom I have email addresses.
Thanks,
Chad
Obituary
Here is Grandma's Obituary as published by the Leader-Post. It can be found by searching this site.
Obrigewitsch, Edith
Published: 12/19/2007
Davidson, SK
OBRIGEWITSCH, EDITH IRENE_The family of Edith Obrigewitsch is saddened to announce the passing of a loving wife, mother and grandmother at the age of 81. She is survived by her loving family; Husband: Minard Obrigewitsch; Children: Jerome (Cathy) Obrigewitsch, Janice (Gordon) MacDonald, Wayne (Noreen) Obrigewitsch, Elodie (Garry) Schnell; Grandchildren: Aaron (Janleigh) Kidd, Raeanne (Patrick) Kurtz and Darien, Danny (Larissa) Obrigewitsch, Kurt MacDonald, Chad MacDonald, Mitch (Jessica) Obrigewitsch, Kendra Obrigewitsch, Caitlin Obrigewitsch, Lacey (Ryan) Paupanekis and Dominick, Gregory Schnell. Edith also leaves behind numerous relatives, nieces and nephews. Edith was predeceased by her daughter Cheryl Kidd and grandson Garret Kidd. The Funeral Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated by Rev. Father Francis Geraldo on Thursday December 20th at 2:00 p.m. from Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Davidson, Saskatchewan; cremation with interment to follow at a later date. For friends so wishing, memorials in memory of Edith can be directed to the Saskatchewan Heart and Stroke Fund, Sacred Heart Church, or to the charity of your choice. Hanson's Funeral Home of Davidson in care of arrangements.
Obrigewitsch, Edith
Published: 12/19/2007
Davidson, SK
OBRIGEWITSCH, EDITH IRENE_The family of Edith Obrigewitsch is saddened to announce the passing of a loving wife, mother and grandmother at the age of 81. She is survived by her loving family; Husband: Minard Obrigewitsch; Children: Jerome (Cathy) Obrigewitsch, Janice (Gordon) MacDonald, Wayne (Noreen) Obrigewitsch, Elodie (Garry) Schnell; Grandchildren: Aaron (Janleigh) Kidd, Raeanne (Patrick) Kurtz and Darien, Danny (Larissa) Obrigewitsch, Kurt MacDonald, Chad MacDonald, Mitch (Jessica) Obrigewitsch, Kendra Obrigewitsch, Caitlin Obrigewitsch, Lacey (Ryan) Paupanekis and Dominick, Gregory Schnell. Edith also leaves behind numerous relatives, nieces and nephews. Edith was predeceased by her daughter Cheryl Kidd and grandson Garret Kidd. The Funeral Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated by Rev. Father Francis Geraldo on Thursday December 20th at 2:00 p.m. from Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Davidson, Saskatchewan; cremation with interment to follow at a later date. For friends so wishing, memorials in memory of Edith can be directed to the Saskatchewan Heart and Stroke Fund, Sacred Heart Church, or to the charity of your choice. Hanson's Funeral Home of Davidson in care of arrangements.
Welcome
Greetings. Welcome to the family's new online gathering site.
For those of you who don't know, I am Edith's grandson, Chad (Janice's son).
I'm not precisely sure how it happened, but I have been "volunteered" to create and coordinate a family blog to help us all keep in touch with one another. It is a job that I am more than happy to take on and when I think about it, I am probably the most technically qualified to do so.
Again, the purpose of this site is to help the family keep in touch and to help fulfill the role that Grandma played as the central hub for family information and updates. Another key advantage to the site will be that people can scan and post family pictures so that everyone has copies. In addition, some of Grandma's family photos do not have all of the people's names on them. With input from the rest of the family, we may be able to fill in the gaps and put names to faces.
I will be posting instructions on how to set up an account so that you may start posting on your own.
Finally, if you know the email addresses of other people in the family who would be interested in joining, please either tell them about the blog or send me their address.
Cheers,
Chad
For those of you who don't know, I am Edith's grandson, Chad (Janice's son).
I'm not precisely sure how it happened, but I have been "volunteered" to create and coordinate a family blog to help us all keep in touch with one another. It is a job that I am more than happy to take on and when I think about it, I am probably the most technically qualified to do so.
Again, the purpose of this site is to help the family keep in touch and to help fulfill the role that Grandma played as the central hub for family information and updates. Another key advantage to the site will be that people can scan and post family pictures so that everyone has copies. In addition, some of Grandma's family photos do not have all of the people's names on them. With input from the rest of the family, we may be able to fill in the gaps and put names to faces.
I will be posting instructions on how to set up an account so that you may start posting on your own.
Finally, if you know the email addresses of other people in the family who would be interested in joining, please either tell them about the blog or send me their address.
Cheers,
Chad
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