Elizabeth Ann Waldo

Elizabeth Ann Waldo, aged 84 years of Moose Jaw, SK., passed away August 10th, 2010.  Elizabeth was predeceased by her parents Sarah and Walter Collins, husband Clarence, her sisters Veda Clark (Elmer M), Inez Wilson (Norman E) and her brother Walter (Tom) Collins (Eleanor Rothwell).  Elizabeth will be lovingly remembered by her children, son Brent (Randee) and their children Brauck, Morgan and Jeri, daughter Tara, son Drew (Julia) and their children Myles (Niki) and Jocelyn, and sister Mary McLaughlin (Hugh).

      Family and friends celebrate the life of Elizabeth Ann Waldo (nee Collins). Elizabeth was born September 1st, 1925, in Lewvan, Saskatchewan to Walter and Sarah Collins. She was raised in the United Church and attended services with her family. Elizabeth, as a child, enjoyed walking the long rail lines and taking car rides to Regina admiring the splendor of the prairies – a feeling that never diminished. Her life’s journey continued as she broadened her horizons by attending the University of Regina to obtain her teaching degree.

      On this journey, “Bette” met and fell in love with Clarence Waldo and they were married in 1955.  Clarence and Bette had three children; Brent, Tara and Drew. Bette and Clarence worked together to promote the Moose Jaw community. Both were involved with the development of White Track Ski Area, with Bette coining the name of the ski hill. Together they took the family to Disneyland and to many other resort destinations. They passed on the love of alpine skiing to their children who in turn passed it on to their children. This legacy lives on in the skiing accomplishments of Bette’s granddaughter, Morgan.

      Clarence passed away on August 8th, 1970.  With the death of Clarence, Bette became a stronger, more independent person.  Bette promoted a willingness to accept new ideas and to cherish our wonderful world. She loved the outdoors. Many ski trips to Banff, Jasper, Okanagan Valley, and a summer trip to the Maritimes was her way of sharing a passion for travel with her children. There came a time when Bette could no longer alpine ski so she took up X-country skiing. Her students and colleagues remember her X-country skiing to work in the winter or riding her bike to Caronport and back before beginning a day of teaching. Bette loved getting fresh pie from the Pilgrim restaurant first thing in the morning.

      Bette expanded her world’s horizons by taking up cycle touring. There wasn’t a place in the world that she didn’t want to explore by bike so her tours took her to many countries around the globe. She had many wonderful and some tragic human stories to tell after each trip. On one memorable trip to Athens, Greece, her hotel room was robbed. Travel documents and papers, as well as her wallet, were gone but this didn’t stop Bette.  She, with difficulty using the old style teletype machines, replaced the missing papers and money and kept on cycling. Approximately 5 years later, Bette received her wallet, mostly intact, back in Canada by mail, thanks to the Athen’s police.

      The world of cycling enlightened “Mrs. Waldo” to bring this adventurous attitude into the classroom where she taught grades 9 and 10 at Moose Jaw’s Central Collegiate.  While teaching English, her pupils appreciated her fairness and flair in the classroom.  Each student knew where they stood and each student knew the rules. Mrs. Waldo was ahead of her time in her professional community with her approach to teaching with the use of intervention tests. The thought of a student failing was appalling so she gave many opportunities to draw out the best in each and every one of her charges.  She was particularly noted for her flair in reading poetry.  With vocal accents and hand flourishes, she made the words dance in the minds of her students. The classroom was her theater. As one ex-student stated, “She was encouraging, making you feel comfortable.”

      On completion of her teaching career in the early 1980’s, Bette moved to the beautiful terrain of Kamloops, B.C. With her truck and bike, she welcomed the opportunity to explore the region and her adventures were rewarded with the discovery of many of nature’s treasures.  To accompany Bette in retirement, she was blessed with a wonderful companion, “Jill”, her golden retriever. There was immense love and devotion for Jill and the two worked and trained to achieve the award of Companion Dog (CD). When not out exploring her new neighbourhood, she could be found playing bridge with the folks in her community.  Bette had played bridge while in Moose Jaw but in Kamloops, she fine tuned her bridge playing skills to compete seriously at the provincial level.

        “Grandma” wanted to have more involvement in the lives of her grandchildren so she moved back home to Moose Jaw in the early 1990’s. She purchased an older “needs some elbow grease” home on Edmonton Street. Despite osteoporosis and a deformed wrist, she changed this house into a charming home and magically transformed the back yard into a beautiful park resort.  Grandma planted exciting exotic trees and shrubs that flourished in her own personal park. She shared this magical place with her adored grandchildren and in each corner of the yard she would excite the imagination of each grandchild’s mind with her stories and tales.

      “Grandma Liz” recognized that her physical limitations were not allowing her to maintain her Edmonton Street home. She took pride in her independence so she made the decision to move and become one of the first Mulberry Estate’s residents. The Mulberry Estates offered her the freedom to maintain her style of living. She grew to love the Mulberry Estates. To her this was “Her Village”- the people she had known for many years. Grandma Liz had a deep love for “Her Village”. This time in her life’s journey was spent cherishing her grandchildren. She gave many hours chauffeuring, biking, talking and walking with the grandkids. She frequently took the grandkids for tours of Nicolle Flats and Wakamow Valley. Every visit was an adventure of mind and imagination with an appreciation for all things living. Grandma Liz had a keen interest in the lives of her grandkids including their activities, careers and futures. Even in times of difficulty, Grandma Liz supported, encouraged and taught her grandchildren.

      Grandma Liz absolutely loved the world of reading throughout her life. Through books, she travelled beyond her personal limitations. Books were a constant source of enjoyment that she shared with family and friends.   In the dusk of her life with her vision and mobility diminished, Grandma Liz turned to the CNIB’s audio books to fulfill her desire for knowledge. She fought to keep a broad, up-to-date view of the world by reading/listening to books, current events, documentaries or the news. Rarely a weekend morning would pass without the sound of CBC Radio’s Vinyl Café echoing in her suite. She enriched all of our lives with her passion for reading and acquiring knowledge.

      One of the strongest qualities “Granny Liz” cherished was trust. She held and exemplified trust for herself and others. Granny Liz trusted that the delivery boy who dropped off Jill’s dog food would enter her unlocked house, put the food away, and then makes change with the substantial amount of money left on the kitchen table.  She led and taught by example.

       Rooted in her love of the world, Granny Liz became more environmentally- minded. It was important to her that others appreciate our world and take care of it. She was concerned about the legacy she and others would leave behind to our children.

      Elizabeth frequently displayed a dry sense of humour and loved sharing a healthy, hearty laugh. Her wit and sense of humour came out daily and often unexpectedly. A “battle of words” made for great visits and this knack for the “punny” can be heard in the language of her children and grandchildren. Elizabeth’s wit was not limited to those near and dear and many a receptionist was taken aback by her standard reply of 1925 when a request was made for her date of birth. (The first day of the ninth month of 1925 = 1925)

      Throughout her life, she stubbornly and fiercely fought for independence and held close her love for her children, love for her grandchildren, and love for “Her Village”.

      Grandma Liz’s greatest monuments to her life live on with her children and grandchildren.

      “I enjoyed my life”

      A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, August 13th, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. in Moose Jaw Funeral Home.  Reverend John Carley will officiate. Flowers are gratefully declined.  For those so wishing, donations may be made to the Healing Garden Project c/o Providence Place Foundation, 100 – 2nd Ave N.E., Moose Jaw, SK., S6H 1B8 or to the CNIB, 2550 Broad St., Regina, SK., S4P 9Z9.