Obituary of Mildred Willson

With family by her side, Mildred fell into her eternal sleep on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 after her brief stay at Stirling Heights in Cambridge, Ontario at the age of 83. Devoted and loving mother to Pam (Brian) Husband, Brian Willson, Keith (Laurie) Willson, Wendy (Paul) Warner, Darlene (Randy) Chilton, Gail (Mike) Dylke, Beverley (Sandy) Fitzgerald, Todd Willson, Mark Willson and Patrick Willson. Proud grandmother of Keith (Jamie), Kodi, Luke, Stephanie (David), Devin (Ashley), Jenny (Matt), Trevor (Jenn), Vanessa (Jake), Jackie, Sean and great granddaughter Brooklyn. Dear sister of Gerard (Dorothy), Clarence (Marie), Ed (MaryAnn) and Richard (Sheila). Predeceased by her husband Paul Willson, her parents George and Matilda Voisin, a brother Wilfred (Rena), sisters Marjorie and Lorraine (Jim). Friends are invited to share their memories of Millie with her family on Friday, June 8, 2012 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home 171 King St. S., Waterloo. The funeral service to celebrate her life will take place on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 2 p.m. in the chapel of the funeral home. Reception will follow in the Fireside Reception Room. Condolences for the family and donations to the Arthritis Society or the ILC may be arranged through the funeral home www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445. Sincere thank you to the staff at Stirling Heights, the ILC, CCAC and Bayshore for their care and support during this time. Introduction: 3rd oldest -8th youngest Our Mom: Your sister, sister-in-law, Grandma, Recently Great Grandma, Aunt and Great Aunt, Mother-in-law, Cousins, Dear Friends and Acquaintances Your patient in need of care, to many of you out there. Words to describe Mom KIND- Never a hurtful word to be said no matter how deserving. THOUGHTFULL- Always thinking of others and their comfort above hers although she rarely looked comfortable to me at any time. NON SELF LOATHING- With all her pain and suffering she very rarely complained about herself. Her attitude was that somebody somewhere always had it worse than her. 75% of her life was pain. NON JUDGEMENTAL- Mom was very open minded she always said if everyone was the same it would be an awfully boring world to live in! FORGIVING- Let bygones be bygones she could bury the hatchet and forgive better than anyone IMPARTIAL MEDIATOR- She rarely picked sides, always open minded when there was a conflict to be resolved and in her wisdom had an uncanny knack for coming to logical decisions to rectify situations. DETERMINED & STRONG WILLED- She would say that she was determined not stubborn! After her last hip operation combined with a broken femur, a lot of people had written her off she was having none of it! She tried her best to overcome and bounce back no matter how difficult it was for her! INSPIRATIONAL- With all her pain and suffering and obvious discomfort she would carry on like a wounded solider and rise above with nothing short of incredible resiliency and down play the hand that was dealt to her. We both had the same family doctor for many years Dr. Shonk. And he once said to me (after I'd seen him a few days after moms visit) "You Know Keith after i've seen your mother I Ache!" and that he looked forward to seeing her. He asked her how she was feeling and she would say " OH I have a bit of a sore stomach (probably from all the pain medicine she was taking) and he responded with bewilderment "That's It?" "That's It?" Humble Beginnings: Mom was married to my father Paul Leroy Willson for 40 plus years (80 with the wind chill) She was always the glue that held our family together when times were tough when us kids were growing up and believe me there weren't many luxuries to be had she would hammer away at our father and MAKE him cough up the Money to provide a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. Her determination to that end was uncompromising and non negotional. Moms frail little body before 10 children (5 boys and 5 girls) Funny story about Beverley my youngest sister when she was born I didn't exactly welcome her with open arms I was 8 years old and I was literally crying in the sink when she came home from the hospital I considered this to be some kind of divine conspiracy having witnessed the arrival of yet another sister! 4 in a row after me are you kidding me? As my aunts and uncles were yucking it up in the kitchen at my expense, Mom would yell to me "Don't worry about it Keith she'll grow on you!" she was right once again as always! God must have sent her here on this earth for a reason, because she turned out to be; the most compassionate, caring, loving, and patient sister a brother could ever hope for- it certainly could not have been easy for her- holding down two jobs and maintaining a big house with constant travel throughout it! This is not to undermine the incredible love and compassion and care of Gail and Mike who took her under their wing after mom and dad split up. For over ten years they also provided a loving and comfortable home for her to live in. -The compassion and love of all my sisters have shown to our mother nothing short of spectacular and awe-inspiring! I will forever be indebted to them to my last dying breath! I've always gad a great admiration for mom's side of the family- the Voison clan- I could tell in their eyes, actions, and unyielding compassion. That she always had and will forever have a special place in their hearts. I remember as a young boy racing home from school at lunch time and asking mom what was for lunch and I could always tell what kind of morning she had. She would say "Poop, on a stick- same thing as yesterday!" I could totally understand as I stared at, the never ending pile of laundry on the basement floor which resembled a Beaver Dam I was overwhelmed and I wasn't even doing it! Some of her sayings were, "Lord love a duck!" "God loves all creatures, doesn't he?" Our mom was a social butterfly! She loved to sit and listen about other peoples' lives- she was genuinely interested in their trails and tribulations of life, and always had an uncanny knack for putting things into perspective! Growing up on Pattandon Ave. she would always have lots of the neighborhood ladies visiting her. Our house was always central command and she would always find the time to share in their lies and discuss the state of the world around them! She always enjoyed the birthday club she belonged to years ago and we would always try to straighten up the house for her when it was her turn to host the party! Didn't stay tidy long! I would like to personally thank all the nursing staff and caregivers our mom had the last few years. And the compassion, care, professionalism, and support they have shown has come above and beyond the call of duty of any job description. They showed genuine support, patience, and understanding right to her last dying breath. I will be forever indebted to them and have nothing but highest praise for all of them! It takes a special kind of person to have patience and care when caring for people whose lives isn't at their most self-sufficient. In closing I would just like to say, as mom would say, "Thank you all so much for taking the time to visit, I hope to see you again soon."