Carol Mae Wassmer

Carol Mae Wassmer (nee Akre) passed away peacefully at Parkridge Centre in Saskatoon, SK on February 9th, 2019.

Missing her are her son Kirk (Colleen) of Didsbury, AB;  daughter Karla Nogue (Marcel) of Saskatoon, SK;  grandchildren Emma, Anna, Gillian, Ethan and Brielle;  sister Mazie Seibel of Moose Jaw, SK;  sister Fran Benedictson (Gilbert) of Edmonton, AB; and many nieces and nephews.  Carol is predeceased by her husband Ernie;  parents Mandius and Clara Akre;  sister Olida Christensen;  sisters-in-law Elizabeth Wassmer, Ann Meyers and Margaret Wassmer;  brothers-in-law Neil Christensen and Leo Seibel.

Mom was born in Frontier, SK August 9th, 1934 and raised in Strongfield, SK.  After starting employment with the Royal Bank of Canada she moved to New Westminster, BC where she worked and made many life-long friends.  Missing the prairies, she accepted a position at the Royal Bank in Moose Jaw, SK and returned closer to home.  It was in Moose Jaw that she met her husband Ernie, and together they started and raised their family.

Mom enjoyed time spent with family, cooking, entertaining, gardening and summers at the cabin on Buffalo Pound Lake.  She and Ernie transformed their home and cabin through years of non-stop renovations and projects.  They were a great team, with few arguments and bitter words, but lots of laughter.

Mom was selfless.  After Ernie’s passing in 1998, she helped his sisters when they struggled with health issues of their own, always putting their needs in front of hers.

Family was a source of great pride for Mom.  She loved being a part of her grandchildren’s lives, watching them grow and taking frequent trips to visit them.  She cherished family gatherings and the laughter that always ensued;  as we gathered around her bedside during her final days we found comfort in the humour of many stories and recollections.

Cooking for family gatherings was something that brought Mom enjoyment, and brought Dad a kitchen full of dirty dishes.  She was extremely proud of her Norwegian heritage, and special meals always started with grace said in Norwegian, and usually featured a dish such as Komla, Lefsa, Krumkake or Rosettes.  Numerous Norwegian prayers and sayings hung on the walls of her home.

Although she never had the opportunity to learn to play an instrument, Mom loved music, and even as her illness progressed she would still start to dance when she heard a song or piano being played.  The staff at Parkridge have a new appreciation for the music of Anne Murray from the time that they spent in Mom’s room.

We are forever grateful to the staff at Parkridge Centre (Eastridge One), Saskatoon, for the care, compassion and respect that Mom received as a resident there.  Memorial donations in Mom’s name can be sent to the Parkridge Centre Recreation Therapy Department to support the provision of music programs for residents.

A celebration of Mom’s life will take place on Sunday, May 19th from 1-3 at Cosmo Senior Citizen’s Centre, 235 3rd Avenue NE Moose Jaw, with private interment to follow.