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Yvonne (Lois) HERKES

July 3, 2005

HERKES,

Yvonne (Lois)

July 5, 1931 — July 3, 2005

Affectionately dubbed “The Organizer” by her family, Lois orchestrated her final gathering of the clan by ensuring that everyone was in attendance, before passing peacefully away on July 3rd in the arms of her husband, Bill, while surrounded by her loving family.

Our wife, mom, grandmother and great grandmother was the one that always made things happen in our world. Whether it was arranging Christmas, birthdays, family gatherings, or social get togethers for friends and neighbours, her care in creating a memorable atmosphere in her home did not go unnoticed, and was always appreciated by the people who were honoured enough to experience it. Her talent for making people welcome in her home extended to include her children’s friends over the years, who refused to call her Mrs. Herkes because to them she was simply, “MOM”.

Her passion for gardening was evident as she would proudly show you her newest garden addition, which came along with the lesson of latin name and plant pedigree. Her garden was also the sanctuary that fed her second passion of bird watching. And, yes, she could name all of those as well, and tell you of their habits. She was an extremely knowledgeable source of information and was able to captivate us all with the tidbits of trivia she had garnered in studies of her birds, among other things. Her creativity was boundless, and her accomplishments so many, that we are unable to name all of them here; but, a few memorable ones are: becoming a cub scout leader when there were no male leaders willing to take on the task; learning how to card, spin, dye and knit fabulous creations with her own wool; spending countless hours, with arthritic hands, to lovingly make afghans for all of her family and extended family; teaching her grandchildren how to play card games, sew, and knit; landing a 55 pound Tyee; arranging seasonal themes in her home to welcome all guests; her spectacular tea parties; creating new taste sensations in her kitchen.

That she gathered so many wonderful friends around her, is a testament to the truly extraordinary person she was. It takes a special person to attract lasting friendships, and she had more than most. Her beautiful, fun-loving, sometimes devilish, spirit will be missed by the many people she touched.

In lieu of flowers or donations, Lois would want you to pack up a picnic and take your family and/or friends on an outing. Hers would have been to go on a back-road trip, “going exploring”, as she would say. This would be the greatest gift and the greatest tribute you could give her, and us, her family.



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