It is with heavy hearts and great sorrow that the family of Violet Genevieve Berger announces her passing.
Mom was born on June 13, 1923, near Tribune, Saskatchewan and died on July 20, 2014, surrounded by her family, at home on the farm in Sunnybrae. She was predeceased by her husband of 45 years, Louis Berger, and eight of her siblings.
Mom leaves to mourn her eight children: Milford Berger (Sande), Sylvia Hlina (Roger), Sandra Miller (Neil), Sunni Berger (Gary Brooke), Vicky Berger (David Hickman), Sharen Berger (Jim Duxbury), Karen Berger (Glen Haines) and Ken Berger.
Eleven grandchildren: Shane Berger, Kimberley Hlina, Tanya Keusen, Megan and Kathleen Brooke, Tom and Steen Hickman, Sheena and Jae Haines, Brody and Jorri Duxbury as well as seven great grandchildren; Callum, Ian, Teagan, Owen, Keenan, Nelson and Braelyn, will also miss their grandma/great grandma.
She is survived by her sister, Florence Larson, and brothers, Bruce Larson, Glen Larson, and Cort Larsen as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her special friends, Alan and Bev Ross, and their children, Alison and Bradley.
We will miss her immensely.
Family always came first with Mom. She worked hard all her adult life to make a loving and caring home for all of us and even though she did without any modern conveniences, she never complained Mom grew a huge garden, preserving vegetables and canning fruit every year. She was a master bread baker, starting at age eleven and continuing on into her ninety-first year, and made cookies and Welsh cakes by the dozens for not only her family but also for many neighbors and friends.
Mom enjoyed watching sports, especially those in which a grandchild was participating. She was the number one fan of everyone in the family and attended baseball, soccer and basketball games as long as she was capable. When she could no longer attend games, she watched them streamed live on the computer. She was also a lifelong fan of the Toronto Blue Jays and she liked to watch curling and figure skating.
Mom loved flowers and maintained her own little flowerbed at her home up until September, 2013. She enjoyed feeding ‘her’ birds and went through a lot of sunflower seeds every winter and sugar for the hummingbirds every spring.
The Sunnybrae community meant a lot to Mom. Over the years she organized Christmas concerts, ball games, bake sales, swim lessons and card parties. She was delighted when so many people attended her ninetieth birthday tea last year and although she was disappointed when she couldn’t attend the Sunnybrae/Tappen “Moms and Daughters tea” in June of this year, she enjoyed hearing in detail about the people who did attend.
Mom was an avid, but never competitive, Scrabble player. If her ‘opponent’ seemed to be stuck, she would lean forward and say, “What have you got?” She would then proceed to peruse her opponent’s letters and come up with some amazing word. For Mom it was always a challenge to get the best score possible, both for her and her Scrabble playing companions. With her capable and alert mind, Mom was able to play Scrabble up to two days before her death.
The family would like to extend a huge thank you to Karen and Glen for supporting Mom, first in her home and then in theirs, these past years; and to Sandra and Sylvia for their compassionate care of Mom during her final days. A sincere thank you is also extended to Dr. J. Atchison, Dr. M. Dyer and to the staff at Shopper’s Drug Mart, particularly Blane Ready, for their support at this difficult time.
In lieu of flowers, Mom has requested that donations be made to Vancouver Children’s Hospital in her memory.
A celebration of Mom’s life will take place at the Sunnybrae Community Hall at a later date.
Arrangements entrusted to Fischers Funeral Services. Online condolences and memories can be sent through Mom’s obituary at www.fischersfuneralservices.com. (250) 833-1129.