Date of Birth: September 27, 1932
Date of Death: November 19, 2023
Elizabeth Mann passed away on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, at the age of 91 years.
Known as Betty to all who knew and loved her, she was the third eldest child of 11 born to Jacob and Sophie (Mohr) Schmidt in Melville, SK.
Betty received her education at Fairland and Melville View country schools. She attended St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Melville, which was started up by her grandfather, Henry Schmidt, in 1907. She was confirmed there on March 30, 1947.
Betty would tell many stories about growing up with hardship, hard work and lack of money, like when she would go to bed, which was in the attic, and she could see the stars in the night sky through the many cracks and holes in the roof or get wet by rain drops during a rain, or see the frost of your breath during the winter.
Betty stayed with her parents on the farm and helped out until she was 19 years old. Then she moved to Melville and worked at the King George Hotel as a dish washer. Upon meeting her soulmate there, they fell in love at first sight and dated for two years; she married her one and only true love, Jack Mann, on June 28, 1953; he became her lifelong companion of 62 years. For three years, they lived in
Melville. Then Jack received news that he was hired by GM in Oshawa, ON, in 1956. He moved first to get things ready for Betty, who at the time was pregnant with their first child, to come by train a few months later. Ronald Jack was born that same year on September 28 in Oshawa. Their second child, Deborah Lynn, was born on November 8, 1961, then their third, Brenda Lee, on March 1, 1965. Their life was blessed and complete.
In 1969, because of health reasons, the family moved back to Saskatchewan and bought an acreage at Colmer just seven miles west of Melville. There they raised Jersey cows, chickens, geese, pigs and a couple of horses, and they had several enormous vegetable and flower gardens. Here Mom became a mother of the prairies with daily chores that started in the wee early mornings and continued until late in the evening. Every day, raising the three children was a priority, but other chores were a must as well, like hauling wood and splitting it to keep the wood bin full for daily use for the kitchen wood stove. Because there was no running water, this meant that any water needed in the house for everything had to be carried in by pails. The well was in the middle of the yard, and Betty had to pump to get the water. As far as the livestock, this manual pumping tested your endurance until they had enough. The bathroom was outside, which was okay in the summer, but the winter time was another story.
When the seasons changed, extra chores were added to the already full routine, making hay and hauling it in, and also making wood for the winter months, which was hard work. Jack did help out with these enormous chores, too, but he worked on the highway that went past their place, seven janitorial jobs, and went to Yorkton to work as a welder. Their superb work ethic shone through for such local businesses as Renewable Resources, SGI and Sears, as well as St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Their loyal and excellent service was enjoyed by the Melville Credit Union, which was hard to give up after 17 years. The easy life Betty had in the big city of Oshawa was totally different from the farm life at Colmer, but through the strong love they shared as a family and their strong Christian faith, they pushed on. In 1981, Betty and Jack sold the Colmer farm and moved to Melville. Betty continued her love for baking, gardening, tending flowerbeds and entertaining.
Betty was also there for neighbours and friends who needed help, and she volunteered at church for teas and funerals and as a Sunday school teacher. Betty loved sewing and making clothes for her family. Home decorating, painting and reupholstering were also passions. She loved fashion and always dressed in the best when she went out – classy dresses, hats and gloves, jewellery to match, red lipstick complementing her tanned skin, and her dark, curly hair styled just right. She was definitely a Patsy Cline lookalike on her dress-up days. Once all dolled up, Betty and Jack were ready to go dancing, entertain or play cards.
Betty’s family was always her pride and joy and took precedence over all else in her heart and mind. When her first and only grandchild was born in 1983, granddaughter Brennae Morrell, Betty and Jack babysat until Brennae started school. They really enjoyed looking after her and having her around. Then her first great-grandson, Jaxx, was born in 2014, then a second great-grandson, Knoxly, in 2020. Betty embraced and blossomed into her new roles as a grandmother and great-grandmother.
In 2013, now in their 80s, Betty and Jack sold their house and moved into an apartment. After settling into apartment living for two years, Jack got cancer and passed away on May 18, 2015, at the age of 89 years. Betty stayed in their apartment for ten years and was very able to look after herself. She still loved to cook, bake, tend to her flowerpots now decorating her apartment patio, and drive her car.
Betty was predeceased by nephews Alvin Schmidt and Paul Kenty; nieces Nancy Schmidt and Tillie Mann; father Jacob and mother Sophie (Mohr) Schmidt; brothers Gordon, Robert, George, Elmer and Ron; sister Janet Serfas; brothers-in-law Walter Zrudlo, Victor Dochuk, Laurence Schmidt and Hugh Kenty; sisters-in-law Lillian Schmidt, Tillie Schmidt, Marlene Schmidt and Betty Kenty; in-laws Emma and Henry Mann, Tillie Mann, Paul Kenty and Phillip Mann; and her beloved husband, Jack. She leaves to mourn: her son, Ronald (Pam) Mann; her daughters, Deborah (Rob) Morrell and Brenda (Brian) Cottrell; granddaughter Brennae (Jeremy) Smith; great-grandsons Jaxx and Knoxly Smith; step-grandson Andrew Cottrell (Brittney); brother Barry; sisters Shirley and Gladys; sisters-in-law Anna Sagan, Edna (Jim) Brock, Myra Schmidt and Bev Schmidt; many nieces, nephews and friends.
She will always be in our hearts.
In accordance with Betty’s wishes, a private service was held on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, with interment taking place in the Melville City Cemetery.
Arrangements were entrusted to Matthews Funeral Home, Melville.
