Obituary for Eileen McPhail Manzer
Eileen McPhail (McQuarrie) Manzer
Eileen passed away on Monday February 4th, 2019 peacefully at the Bethany Care Centre in Didsbury, Alberta at the age of 88 years.
Eileen and her twin brother were the first set of twins to be born in the Peace River Hospital on October 13, 1930. She grew up in Chinook Valley north of Peace River. Eileen moved to Peace River to live with her sister while she completed her grade 12 at the age of 16 and then moved to Calder, Alberta to work in the Bank at the Rail Station. Eileen moved back to the Chinook Valley where she met her husband Jim. They married March 31, 1952. After a brief stay in the Chinook Valley they moved to the homestead of Jim’s family in Peace River. They farmed and it was a hard life milking cows, feeding pigs and chickens and seeding and harvesting crops, but they seem to make it work with five kids under the age of six.
Eileen went to work off the farm in the early seventies at Flora Delight Flower shop in Peace River for several years and then she went back to banking at the Alberta Treasury Branch she retired at the age of 56.
After retiring from farming in the late 1970’s Eileen and Jim enjoyed some travelling with their Mason and Eastern Star friends. When Jim passed away in 1988, Eileen moved off the farm into the Town of Peace River in the late 90’s, and then moved to Olds, Alberta in 2005, to be with her daughter Mary Anne.
Eileen was an active member in the Eastern Star up until this last year. Throughout her years Eileen enjoyed curling, swimming, golfing, her fifty and fit club, crocheting and knitting. Eileen received the Silver Cross for her dedication to the ACW. She loved keeping up to date with all the news and worldly current events and making sure you knew what was going on in the world too. Eileen had the love of words, she passed a lot of time reading books or working on cross word puzzles. She also enjoyed playing rumoli, canasta and scrabble and of course she never could refuse a game of crib. Eileen was always volunteering and instilled in her children that volunteering was an important part of living in a community. Eileen volunteered with her church and she would take her dog Molly up to the hospital to visit the patients in acute and long term care.
Her arthritis and Parkinson’s made it very debilitating for her to get around in the last year which restricted her activities immensely.
Eileen will be lovingly missed by her children Elaine Manzer, (Peace River, AB), Alice (Ian) McDonell (Ft. Saskatchewan, AB), Carolyn (Mike) Kolebaba, (Nampa, AB), John, (Brenda) Manzer, (Peace River, AB), Mary Anne (Joe) Stroshin-Overwater, (Olds, AB), Friend Wendy Gross, (Olds, AB), as well as her 13 grandchildren, and 15 great grandchildren. Eileen is predeceased by her Husband James (Jim) Charles Manzer, son-in-law Ray Stroshin, grandson Mark McDonell, Mother Annie McQuarrie, Father George McQuarrie and her four siblings.
A celebration of Eileen’s life will be held at the United Church in Olds, Alberta on March 30, 2019 at 2:00pm. Interment will follow at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Peace River, Alberta April 6, 2019 at 11:00am. In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Parkinson Society of Canada, the Arthritis Society of Canada or the Olds District Hospice Society.
Eileen passed away on Monday February 4th, 2019 peacefully at the Bethany Care Centre in Didsbury, Alberta at the age of 88 years.
Eileen and her twin brother were the first set of twins to be born in the Peace River Hospital on October 13, 1930. She grew up in Chinook Valley north of Peace River. Eileen moved to Peace River to live with her sister while she completed her grade 12 at the age of 16 and then moved to Calder, Alberta to work in the Bank at the Rail Station. Eileen moved back to the Chinook Valley where she met her husband Jim. They married March 31, 1952. After a brief stay in the Chinook Valley they moved to the homestead of Jim’s family in Peace River. They farmed and it was a hard life milking cows, feeding pigs and chickens and seeding and harvesting crops, but they seem to make it work with five kids under the age of six.
Eileen went to work off the farm in the early seventies at Flora Delight Flower shop in Peace River for several years and then she went back to banking at the Alberta Treasury Branch she retired at the age of 56.
After retiring from farming in the late 1970’s Eileen and Jim enjoyed some travelling with their Mason and Eastern Star friends. When Jim passed away in 1988, Eileen moved off the farm into the Town of Peace River in the late 90’s, and then moved to Olds, Alberta in 2005, to be with her daughter Mary Anne.
Eileen was an active member in the Eastern Star up until this last year. Throughout her years Eileen enjoyed curling, swimming, golfing, her fifty and fit club, crocheting and knitting. Eileen received the Silver Cross for her dedication to the ACW. She loved keeping up to date with all the news and worldly current events and making sure you knew what was going on in the world too. Eileen had the love of words, she passed a lot of time reading books or working on cross word puzzles. She also enjoyed playing rumoli, canasta and scrabble and of course she never could refuse a game of crib. Eileen was always volunteering and instilled in her children that volunteering was an important part of living in a community. Eileen volunteered with her church and she would take her dog Molly up to the hospital to visit the patients in acute and long term care.
Her arthritis and Parkinson’s made it very debilitating for her to get around in the last year which restricted her activities immensely.
Eileen will be lovingly missed by her children Elaine Manzer, (Peace River, AB), Alice (Ian) McDonell (Ft. Saskatchewan, AB), Carolyn (Mike) Kolebaba, (Nampa, AB), John, (Brenda) Manzer, (Peace River, AB), Mary Anne (Joe) Stroshin-Overwater, (Olds, AB), Friend Wendy Gross, (Olds, AB), as well as her 13 grandchildren, and 15 great grandchildren. Eileen is predeceased by her Husband James (Jim) Charles Manzer, son-in-law Ray Stroshin, grandson Mark McDonell, Mother Annie McQuarrie, Father George McQuarrie and her four siblings.
A celebration of Eileen’s life will be held at the United Church in Olds, Alberta on March 30, 2019 at 2:00pm. Interment will follow at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Peace River, Alberta April 6, 2019 at 11:00am. In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Parkinson Society of Canada, the Arthritis Society of Canada or the Olds District Hospice Society.