Life MOORE

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MOORE: Life of Hazel Moore. With her family at her side, Hazel Frances Moore (nee Woodard), in her 98th year, passed away gently and peacefully in the Brandon Regional Health Centre the evening of Sunday, February 26th, 2017 after a brief illness. She had been living independently in her own apartment in Princess Lodge in Virden, MB, proudly playing music from her collection of tapes and CD’s for the exercise program, putting up the posters each week to announce the Bingo evenings, and generally enjoying the social events at the Lodge. She attended St. Paul’s United Church. Mom/Hazel was born in Southington, Connecticut on May 5, 1919, to Arthur and Mabel Woodard. The family, ultimately consisting of four boys (Eugene, Dwight, Dallas, Gordon) and two girls (Betty and Mom), loved to see new territory. They lived in North Platte in Nebraska, Los Angeles in California, and briefly in Saskatchewan before returning to the U.S.A. When Mom was eight years old the family moved permanently from Los Angeles to Manitoba, living in Myrtle (near Morden) and on a farm near Foxwarren for awhile. Later the Woodards had a family store in Endcliffe (near Russell). Mom completed Grade 8, and then worked in the family business until her marriage. She enjoyed rural life and was active in the community and church. Our Dad, Edward Moore, whose family farmed in the area, wooed and won her and she became a June bride in 1941. As a young couple, they spent many happy hours making music together, playing for church and for local dances. Dad played the fiddle and the accordion, while Mom would accompany him on an organ, piano, banjo or guitar. After marriage they lived in Portage la Prairie, Assiniboia, and Virden while Dad worked at the air bases with the British Commonwealth Air Training Program as an engineer as his part in the war effort. During this time their children, Verna Deanna (1942) and Edward Eugene (1944) were born. After the war Dad became a mechanic, working on cars, trucks and farm machinery. Following employment opportunities the family moved to Angusville, Newdale, Hamiota, and finally, in 1960, back to Virden. While her children were young, Mom had her hands full with housework and the raising of her family. Nothing was easy. Laundry day meant hauling in water from the rain barrel or melting snow and heating it on a stove that she had to feed with coal or wood, filling the machine, starting the gas engine of her machine when she was finally lucky enough to get one, and then hauling out the used water and stove ashes at the end of the day. As her children grew more independent, she supplemented the family income by waitressing, housecleaning, babysitting, and doing what would now be called homecare. Mom was a great reader when time permitted. She also loved knitting both practical and fashionable articles for her family. When the children were young and money was tight, knitting socks, mitts, hats and gloves for the whole family was a necessary early winter project. In later years she crocheted as well until arthritis set in. Mom and Dad together enjoyed simple pleasures, continuing to play music for themselves or others, Sunday afternoon drives, picking saskatoons, an annual visit to Brandon Fair, a picnic at Clear Lake, visits to Dad’s family in the Russell area. Unfortunately, she had to visit with her own family by mail, as they all eventually left Manitoba when she was a young adult. Her father died two years after she was married, and soon after her mother and brother, Eugene, moved back to California. Another brother, Dwight, and his family went back to the U.S.A. as well, while Dallas went to Montreal, eventually training Air Canada pilots. Gordon became a soldier, and contact with him was lost after the Korean War, to the great sadness of the whole family. Years later Mom received word that he had passed away near Thunder Bay, having spent many years cutting wood for the lumber industry. She was the sole survivor after the passing of her sister in California a few years ago. She did finally get to visit with some of her family. Mom and Dad were able to make a trip to California for their 25th wedding anniversary, and in later years Mom went by her herself twice. Mom accepted life as it came, but behind her kind and gentle nature she was a fiercely independent and even stubborn soul, perhaps the secret to her long life. She was always up for a bit of adventure. She went on numerous daily tours arranged through SAIL, and until very recently she was always ready to travel to Saskatoon, Calgary, or Sault Ste. Marie to see family and friends if an opportunity presented itself. When she was 87 years old she attended the wedding of her granddaughter, Carolyn, on the beach in Mexico. She enjoyed many Sunday outings with son, Ted, some of which took her to areas she had lived in as a young girl. She enjoyed her own company as well, spending many hours being entertained with jigsaw puzzles or by television with its “stories”, game shows, curling and Blue Jays games. However, she was always happy when someone called to take her out for coffee or a meal. Mom looked forward to time with her grandchildren and was proud of their accomplishments. Five great-grandchildren were fortunate to have her as a Great-Grandma. Mom is survived by her son, Edward Moore (Marrian) and grandchildren Rob (Carrie), Barb, Megan (Toby Schmidli), her daughter Verna (Ron Keeler) and grandchildren Michelle (Blake Sinclair), Carolyn (Steve Welch) and Marcia (Eric Monteith). There are five great-grandchildren: Anna and Jeff Sinclair, Tyus Welch, Nathan and Joshua Monteith, as well as several nieces and nephews. A celebration of her life was held in St. Paul’s United Church on Saturday, March 4th at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Janis Campbell officiating. Donations in Mom’s memory may be made to a charity of your choice.“Forever loved and in our hearts”

As published in Brandon Sun on Mar 25, 2017