Phyllis WRIGHT

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WRIGHT: The family of Phyllis Ethel Wright (née Jones) would like to share, with sadness, the news of her passing on Saturday, June 18, 2016 at the Melita Health Centre. She was in her 85th year. She was predeceased by her first husband, Garfield Wright, and her second husband, Art Eilers; her parents, Stanley and Winnifred Jones; parents-in-law, Thomas and Sara Wright; brothers, Walter and Cliff; brothers-in-law, Raymond and Jack Wright and Larry Salvail; sisters-in-law, Lydia Jones, Eva Wright, and Gladys Wright; sons-in-law, Lee Nantel and Terry Carels; and nephew, Tom Salvail. Phyllis is survived by her three daughters, Deborah Wright Nantel, Louise Carels and grandchildren, Carmen (David) and great-granddaughter, Danika, Stephen (Kate), and Brett (Shari); and Lesa (Ben) Guy and grandchildren, Devon and Edward. She is also survived by her sons, Doug, and Bill (Syndy) and grandchildren, Natalie and Graham. She also leaves behind sister-in-law, Isabel Salvail, and many, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Phyllis was born on November 28, 1931 at Glen Ewen, SK., where she lived on a nearby farm. She told in later years stories of life during the Great Depression: of learning that Santa couldn’t come one year, because the chimney was broken; storing butter down the water well to keep it from spoiling; playing in the dumb waiter of her family’s old farmhouse, with her brothers; riding the old work mare to school; and her astonishment at seeing COLOUR! on the movie screen of The Wizard of Oz. Phyllis’ family moved to Alexander, MB, and later to Brandon, where she attended St. Michael’s Academy. In Brandon, while working as a receptionist at City Hall, she met Garfield Wright; they married in 1950 (at age 18) and moved to a farmhouse outside of Waskada, MB. On their grain and dairy farm, Phyllis would invest more than her share of labour, by milking cows and driving the grain truck while raising children and maintaining a home that lacked most modern amenities. (She referred to it, in later years and with a smile, as “the birdcage.”) She gave birth to Deborah (1951), Louise (1954), Bill (1956), Doug (1961), and Lesa (1970), and as her family grew, she started vast subsistence gardens that fed the family and provided items for trade with others. She did volunteer work within the community whenever asked, understanding that “it held everything together.” There was little time or energy for hobbies, but she was known to enjoy women’s magazines, bowling, knitting, the daytime soap Another World, and Friday-night rum and cokes. Christmases in the Wright family were made possible by Phyllis, who somehow set aside money to ensure that everyone got at least one present, and who somehow did all the shopping, wrapping, and decorating, and baked and cooked a spread that made the holidays memorable. Her mincemeat tarts and peanut butter/marshmallow squares were unmatched. Phyllis and Garfield moved down the road to a new farmhouse in 1965, where she engaged in chicken and egg farming, again for subsistence and trade. She “put her foot down” and demanded that the new house have running water and an indoor toilet. As her children grew and left home, she continued to work on the farm and in the house, while trying to improve her life: in the early 1980s, she kicked a 35-year smoking habit, through her own willpower. She also lost over 30 pounds of weight, and maintained friendships, by attending weekly Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) meetings. She rode a stationary bicycle and continued to bowl, and especially on her cherished weekends at Lake Killarney, Oak Lake, and Lake Metigoshe, she went for walks and went swimming. (Her specialty was the dog paddle: she hated getting water in her ears.) Though homebound in her early married years, she would later travel to Jamaica and Italy, and across western Canada on the VIA Rail train. Phyllis and Garfield retired, and moved to Melita in 1990. She enjoyed the freedom that came with living in town, and the convenience of easy shopping, errands, and coffee dates. With Garfield’s passing in 1999, she worked to stay sociable, by undertaking volunteer work at the Personal Care Home and the thrift store. It was while volunteering at the Care Home that she met Art Eilers, whom she married in 2002. Until his passing in 2009, they travelled extensively by truck and bus, sharing in adventures, companionship, and a marriage of love and deep mutual respect.Phyllis’ final years were quiet, and as her mobility decreased, she turned to knitting, jigsaw puzzles, TV, houseplant cuttings, magazines, and still, Friday-night rum and cokes. She was hesitant to show feelings, but admitted that she enjoyed visits from her children and grandchildren, and small trips to Brandon and Winnipeg to visit them. Throughout life, she did her best with what was given and the expectations imposed upon her. She fought sadness, disappointment, and loneliness, eventually to find love, happiness, and comfort, and pride in her extended family. A memorial service honoring Phyllis will be held at Victoria United Church, Melita on Sunday, July 3, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. Pastor Nathan Young will officiate. A private family interment will follow at the Waskada Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Melita Fire Department, Box 748, Melita, MB, R0M 1L0, or to the Melita & Area Handi-Van, Box 613, Melita, MB, R0M 1L0, the latter of which gave her freedom of mobility in her later years. Arrangements in care of Redpath Funeral Home Melita 522-3361. To send condolences to the family, please visit: www.redpathfuneralhome.com

As published in Brandon Sun on Jun 29, 2016