Obituary of Kathleen Carolina Bradshaw

BRADSHAW, Kathleen Carolina

It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Kathleen, on Thursday, July 18, 2019 at Niagara Gardens at 99 years young. Beloved wife of the late Ken (1997). Loving Mother to the late Beth (2011) and loving Mother to Colleen. Cherished Grandmother to Renee (Jerremy) and Great Grandmother to Camryn and Avery. Mom to Dan and adopted Mom to Patricia and her family. Faithful Life Member of the Ladies Auxiliary and friend to many. A special thanks to the staff at Niagara Gardens for their love and care over the years, you are all family. Visitation will be held at the GEORGE DARTE FUNERAL HOME, 585 Carlton St., St. Catharines, on Monday, July 22, 2019 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. with a Legion and Ladies Auxiliary Service being held at 7 p.m. Funeral Service will be held in the funeral home ceremony room on Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 12 p.m. followed by a Burial at Victoria Lawn Cemetery, Queenston St., St. Catharines. Memorial donations may be made to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 138 Poppy Fund.

Eulogy

Once again I am standing here at the front of this beautiful chapel and preparing to say good bye to another of my family. A remarkable lady, wife, mother, grandmother, great grand-mother, mother in law, aunt, adopted mother, god mother, legion member, ladies auxiliary life member, friend and colleague. My Mother Kathleen Carolina Bradshaw.

You take all those titles, wrap them up in one lady and you have a woman who has lived 99 years, and packed a whole pile of stuff into that life.

Born April 5, 1920 in Fort William Ontario, Mom came into this world the 4th child of Fred and Mary Hewick and total of 9 kids. We all know she was of Ukrainian heritage because of her cooking skills and especially her dill pickles and butter tarts which became her trademark over the years and on several occasions nearly caused a few family battles with certain members trying to get their hands on the last pickle in the jar or the last butter tart on the plate.

Being raised in a farming family, she learned very early the value of hard work as all the kids were expected to help in the farm work, and acquired a very green thumb. Mom could make anything grow, and usually grew lots of beans, peas, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers ( for the dill pickles) and anything else she desired. Standing in the garden eating a peach one day she threw the pit into the ground and the following summer had a peach tree growing in the flower bed. The old garlic buds got thrown in as compost, seeded themselves and there was a nice crop of garlic stinking up the flower bed as well. Potatoes – well you know what happened there, we didn’t have to buy potatoes for a while. She learned to drive a tractor and other machinery and often accompanied Grampa to market.

Grampa moved his family frequently looking for good land to farm, one of which was on the corner of Mavis Road and Burnhamthorpe Road then Cookstown, now Mississauga and she walked from there to school at Dundas and Hwy 10 every day. Yes you know (5 miles each way in snow up to your ying yang etc. but it really was quite a hike). But I saw the place many years ago, then it was just a deserted lot, with the foundation of stones and a pile of lilac trees, now it’s a fully developed piece of real estate. Can you imagine if he had kept it?

From there they went to Milgrove, Clappisons Corners Hwy 5 and 6, and then Beamsville. Grampa had a couple cherry farms and that was a wonderful treat. Mom went to school and did the majority of her growing up in Milgrove. What you may not know was that Mom had artistic talent and was often asked by her teachers to draw pictures for the school and won several art contests. Unfortunately she was not able to expand on this career.

Mom grew up and left home moving to Hamilton and Toronto with her sisters Anne, Doris and Stella, working downtown Toronto in a restaurant called Frans ending up in plant in Hamilton as a Supervisor making parts for airplanes during WW2. She met Dad during this time and on July 10, 1943 they were married in Toronto and lived on the Danforth over a hat shop, which was my first home as I arrived in 1949. There are pictures of the 3 of us walking along the sidewalk in front of the hat shop.

From the Danforth our next home was “Edgar” Ave off Yonge and Cummer north end Toronto, where Beth came along. Then to Transwell Ave, then down to Greenwich Connecticut, three and a half years, back up to Scarborough, then closer Scarborough, Meadow Acres, then Wedgewood Dr. North York, then Bishop Ave., Young and Finch, then an apt. (don’t remember the name) then Brampton, Tillsonburg, 2 different addresses, then back to St. Catharines, Lockview Dr., Ina Grafton apartments,

Beth’s house for a month, then Mom and Colleen got a house together in 2008 and the moving stopped. Thank God. I think I counted a total of 17 places. I don’t know if they were secretly nomads or just majorly confused and restless. But we all survived.

Over the years Mom had several jobs, mostly domestic engineer and Mom, but she did work part time in a children’s store “Teddy and Neddy”. Summers were spent at our cottage on Crystal Lake which we all loved, and our cousins, aunts and uncles enjoyed too. Many funny memories of happy times, like Mom and I dragging a whole damn driftwood tree home from a canoe paddle because she liked the roots and wanted to make a coffee table from it. I still have this table in the garage. Or deciding one summer to paint the cottage from pink to brown, last thing I wanted to do as a teen was paint a cottage, but there we were and the cottage became brown.

Or the time Mom and Dad decided to build an outhouse out back. Yup dug up a nest of wasps, got stung, but the outhouse became the “purple people pooper” and the wasps gone. Have ever seen a lady kill a garter snake with a long handled axe, we did. We’d yell snake, she’d come out wielding this 30 lb. axe and “off with his head” on more than one occasion.

One particular weekend we had Nana Bradshaw visiting, you have to get a visual picture here, Nana (who was a challenging lady to begin with) sitting on a lawn chair inside a tree limb shelter built especially for her for shade, our big Newfie dog Sgt. Decides to go say hi, accidentally knocks her chair over, she is on her side with her head sticking through 2 of the tree poles yelling “Kenny”, everyone comes running and of course her son Kenny and daughter Sarah totally lose it laughing and are no help at all, Mom to the rescue, manages to get Nana upright and gives Kenny and Sarah shit, then walks away and loses it.

I could go on and reminisce, but I think you get my drift, Mom had one helleva sense of humour, a little cracked and bent, she came across as a straight lady, but the curtain would come down and she was a hoot.

Fast forward several years Mom and Dad became involved in the Royal Canadian Legion, both Branch and Ladies Auxiliary in Br. 15 Brampton and the rest is history. They loved the legion and Mom especially loved her time with the Ladies Auxiliary and from Br. 15 the went to Br. 153 Tillsonburg and then Br. 138 Merritton, Mom to Br. 17 Thorold and then back to Br. 138 Merritton. She also went all over the place with Dad in his legion activities with Branch and Zone and District. Many conventions were attended, many friends made, Rose Green, Gord and Jessie Maxwell, Charlotte Broadley and so many more. Mom’s happiest times were with the Ladies Auxiliary. She donated 2 sets of flags to the L.A., one to Br. 153 Tillsonburg and the other to Br. 138 Merritton which were dedicated to the L.A. by Rev. Bridger.

Mom also spent a lot of time with the Brampton Seniors Club New Horizons, which she helped co-found doing crafts and activities with the weekly group, tours and visits to Parkwood Hospital and Sunnybrook for the Veterans and hosting parties for the Veterans at Br. 153 being part of the legion and Hickory Hills Community.

Many many dinners were cooked and served and dishes washed, bake sales, craft sales, bazaars, and she enjoyed them all and even as her health declined she still wanted to help.

In 2013 Mom was awarded her “Life Membership” in the Ladies Auxiliary for 35 years of service, presented by her best friend Rose Green from Br. 15 her original auxiliary President, along with other dignitaries and members of Br. 138 Merritton. This was her proudest moment shared by all her friends. July 3rd just passed Mom received her 40 year service pin. Her legacy with the Ladies Auxiliary will live on.

The last couple years, Mom’s health declined and she moved into Niagara Gardens Nursing Home, and soon adopted all the staff as her family. She loved them all and hugs were a normal daily routine and they all loved her. We all think she had a crush on “Austin” the bingo guy, as every time she saw him, her eyes would light up and her arms went out for a hug, always given. She celebrated her 99th birthday there in April and everyone, staff and residents celebrated with her with a big party in the lounge. I cannot say enough or thank all the staff at Niagara Gardens enough for their love and care of Mom, they went above and beyond and will forever hold a special place in my heart.

This brings me to Mom’s only grand-daughter Renee-Lynn Kathleen, her name sake and greatest joy. From the time Renee was a baby, toddler, little girl and grown up Renee spent some happy times with her Nana, almost got planted in the garden by sitting in one of Nana’s buckets, digging holes, making meatballs, joking around, and the list goes on, they had a great relationship and friendship.

Renee’s wedding day to Jerremy, September of 2008, was a real joy for Mom and Renee was given mom’s beautiful cocktail ring as a forever keepsake. When Camryn and Avery came along, Mom had great grand kids and couldn’t be prouder. She always enjoyed her visits with them and their antics.

Twenty eight years ago Pat and I met and became best friends. Pat’s daughter Stephenie and her family were adopted to by Mom. She was affectionately known as Gramma B. and there were several times our living room was full of 5 kids plus 2 great grand-kids plus adults. Chaos, taken all in stride with Mom sitting in her chair watching, drinking a wine spritzer, helping to colour and just enjoying family. Thank you Stephenie and Carson for sharing your family Isha, Boo, Carlyle, Carlita and Carter and the many happy memories.

When my sister Beth married Dan Calder mom gained a son-in-law and another adopted kid Candice. Again many happy memories and fun antics, like Dan stealing puzzle pieces from Mom, or the jokes passed between them. There was a very special bond between Beth and Mom, they fought like cats and dogs at times, but always made up and poor Dan got caught in the middle. Bet he persevered and when Beth passed in 2011, Dan stayed by our side and became the brother I never had and is still by my side today. Thank you Dan for being part of this crazy family and my brother forever.

In closing I would like to thank you all for being here today and showing your love and respect for Mom.

Mom is the last remaining member of the Hewick line and I thank my cousins on this side of the family for coming yesterday and today.

Mom is also the last on the Bradshaw/Marshall side and thank you to all my family for being here as well.

Special thank you to my cousins, Ryan, Raymond, Rick and Ronald who were pall bearers for Dad, Beth and now Mom.

Thank you to my adopted family the Haywards and Hunte’s Thank you Larry and Carson Jr. for stepping in on behalf of Dan and Jerremy.

Thank you to all the Comrades of Mom and I in the Royal Canadian Legion and Ladies Auxiliary, the beautiful tribute last night and your support today.

Thank you to my daughter Renee and son-in-law Jerremy for your love and support.

Thank you to my best friend Pat for standing by me through everything, I know you loved Mom just as much as I. We are trying to adjust to not going to see Mom every other day as was our routine. It doesn’t feel right.

Thank you Reverend Bridger for looking after today and last night. Mom and I are honoured by your presence and care.

And thank you to Josephine and George Darte Funeral Home, for assisting me with today and making this beautiful.

If I have forgotten anyone, I apologize.

I wish to give my Mother, Kathleen Carolina Bradshaw a special thank you for loving me and allowing me to be your daughter. Mom you lived a life of beauty and dignity and I am forever grateful for having you in my life. I am so proud to call you my “Mother”.

Mom and I had a little sign we did between us at the end of each visit – “I love you” – (show it)

“I Love you”

Thank you.

Colleen Bradshaw