Date of Birth: March 31, 1934

Date of Death: December 6, 2024

With incredible sorrow Betty’s family announces her passing. Although she was 90, it was very sudden. We are sure Dad and many others were waiting with open arms for her arrival. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Society.
Mom was the youngest of 11 children with 24 years between herself and her oldest sibling and five years between herself and the second youngest. When she was born her Dad was already 50, her mom was 47, and one sibling had already passed. She already had two nieces. She didn’t meet her oldest brother until she was already two and was quite upset when he called her mother ‘mom’.
As in many large Catholic families, the older siblings helped raise the younger ones. It was not a good time to be the youngest as you were the last one in the bathtub.
Otherwise she had a happy childhood, loving the farm animals, especially the cats. They had a small house with only two bedrooms, so her dad built a “shack” to house the many children. Mom said they loved the shack, laying in the bed hearing the coyotes howl and the rain on the roof. She grew up in the depression, so Christmas gifts were small items – colouring books, crayons or homemade items. They had a Ford Model T, but it was parked in the winter, so they used a horse and sleigh or cutter to go to town.
Mom met Joseph Smiley – who would become her adoring husband – in Plenty where they both worked in the bank. Then the true adventure began. After many moves all over Saskatchewan, they moved to Whitewood in the early 70s, where they settled. After many years of work, Mom retired from Postmistress of the Post Office at 60.
Mom always loved gardening, curling, coffee parties with her friends and travelling. After retirement and becoming empty nesters, mom and dad developed quite the social life. They began travelling more, enjoying many bus trips with family and friends, often making new friends along the way. From remarkable trips to the Maritimes and Hawaii to frequent visits to Round Lake for dances to camping with friends, they filled photo albums with memories testifying to a life well-lived.
In recent years mom had some medical issues that held her back, but never dampened her sense of humour or wit. She took up bingo and, though she said she never won, she often had an unexplained prize in her room. She still loved watching curling and sometimes she thought she might curl next year. She could still whip your butt at Crib and loved to play Wahoo on the board dad made, joyfully sending you back to start over.
But her greatest love was her family, and she was proud of each and everyone of us. We had moved Mom to Slave Lake in June 2021, as she was alone in Broadview and Covid restricted visits from her friends. Mom especially loved it when all three of her children visited her concurrently, delighting in sharing meals and playing games. She was always chilled, so only left the home in the summer, enjoying the parades with Shelley’s family, eating the great grandchildren’s cotton candy, and ”camping” at the beach.
As we speak to friends and relatives one word has been often repeated: KIND. Mom was kind. She took in the strays and not just animals. She was always there to help a friend or volunteer at a function. Everyone was always welcome in her home, offered food, coffee or a drink. She continued that kindness in the home, where her new neighbor mentioned mom was the only one that welcomed her when she moved in.
Betty was predeceased by her beloved Joe, her grandson Tyler, her parents, and all her siblings and their spouses. Left to mourn her passing are her children: Debbie (Roy), Terry (Jean), and Shelley (Gordon); her grandchildren, Corey, Amy, Chad, Garrett, Justin, Travis and Robyn; her great-grandchildren, Jayden, Ashton, Jayce, Ryder, Peyten, Carter, Richelle, Ryleigh, Jacob and Jude and her many nieces, nephews and friends.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a currently undetermined date in Slave Lake, and she will be laid to rest in Whitewood beside Dad.

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