LILLIAN FLORENCE ONSTAD PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY OCTOBER 19, 1996 AT VULCAN, ALBERTA AT THE AGE OF 84 YEARS.
LILLIAN WAS BORN OCTOBER 16, 1912 AT HIGH RIVER, ALBERTA, THE FIRST CHILD OF SYDNEY AND ELLEN COCKWILL, BOTH OF WHOM CAME FROM ENGLAND. LILLIAN’S EARLY SCHOOLING AND CHURCH LIFE WAS AT EASTWAY COUNTRY SCHOOL. LATER SHE WORKED IN THE DISTRICT HELPING WITH HOUSE WORK AND COOKING FOR THRESHING CREWS.
LILLIAN AND RAY ONSTAD WERE MARRIED IN THE LATE 1920’s AT THE ANGLICAN CHURCH IN HIGH RIVER, THE SAME CHURCH WHERE HER PARENTS HAD BEEN MARRIED. LIL AND RAY FARMED WITH RAY’S BROTHER AND HIS WIFE FOR A SHORT TIME AT INDUS BEFORE RETURNING TO THE EASTWAY DISTRICT. RAY THEN WORKED AT THE LOCAL CORNER STORE AND GARAGE AS A MECHANIC. LATER THEY PURCHASED THIS BUSINESS AND MADE THEIR HOME THERE. LILLIAN OPERATED THE STORE AND GAS PUMPS AND RAY DID ALL FACETS OF MECHANICAL WORK. THEY WERE VERY GENEROUS IN THEIR HOSPITALITY, OPENING THEIR DOORS DURING BLIZZARDS TO PEOPLE STRANDED FOR THAT OR OTHER REASONS.
FOLLOWING RAY’S DEATH IN 1970, LILLIAN MOVED INTO VULCAN, AND TOOK A SECRETARIAL AND BOOKKEEPING COURSE IN LETHBRIDGE. SHE BEGAN WORKING IN THAT CAPACITY AT VULCAN’S CENTRAL GARAGE. SHE HAD CONTINUED TO RESIDE IN VULCAN FOR THE PAST 26 YEARS AND WAS A WILLING AND ACTIVE WORKER IN VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING ST. JOHN’S AMBULANCE, EASTWAY SOCIAL CLUB, UNION JACK HALL BOARD, A VOLUNTEER DRIVER, AND THE VULCAN HOSPITAL’S LADIES AUXILIARY WHERE SHE RECEIVED HER FIFTEEN YEAR PIN AND AN EIGHTEEN YEAR CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE.
LILLIAN ENJOYED SEWING, KNITTING, COOKING, PICNICS, BERRY PICKING AND FAMILY BIRTHDAY PARTIES. SHE TOOK GOURMET MEALS TO THE HARVEST FIELD FOR THE FAMILY. MIND YOU, IT WAS AN UNWRITIEN RULE THAT YOU ATE THE MINUTE SHE ARRIVED AND WERE TO EAT WELL AND HEARTILY WHILE SHE NIBBLED HERSELF.
LlLLIAN’S DIFFICULT LAST YEARS WERE BRIGHTENED BY HER MANY ACTS OF KINDNESS AND VISITS FROM HER NUMEROUS FRIENDS AND HER FAMILY AS WELL AS EXCELLENT CARE FROM THE VULCAN DOCTORS, HOSPITAL STAFF AND THE STAFF AT THE PETER DAWSON LODGE. SHE WILL BE WELL REMEMBERED AND SADLY MISSED.
LILLIAN IS SURVIVED BY A BROTHER BILL AND HIS WIFE EUNICE COCKWILL, A SISTER GRACE COCKWILL, AND A LONGTIME FRIEND CHARLIE STRUM ALL OF VULCAN, AS WELL AS NUMEROUS NIECES AND NEPHEWS.
LILLIAN WAS PREDECEASED BY HER HUSBAND , A BROTHER BUCK AND HIS WIFE HELEN, A SISTER BERTIE AND HER HUSBAND ARCHIE OLDFIELD AND HER PARENTS.
FUNERAL SERVICE WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 23, 1996 AT 2 P.M. AT VULCAN LEGION HALL WITH REV. CANON DON BINNEY AND GAR MILNER L. M. OFFICIATING.
INTERMENT VULCAN CEMETERY.
HONORARY BEARERS HAZEL CLAYTON, MARJORIE PUZEY, ARDELL ATKINS, OPAL EDWARDS, MYRNA LUBBERS, LOIS MEADORS, BILL CROSSFIELD, PETER HUCALAK.
CASKET BEARERS BOB COCKWILL, BUD COCKWILL, JIM OLDFIELD, GARY JORGENSEN, GERALD BULL AND MELVIN CLAYTON.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS IN CARE OF VULCAN FUNERAL HOME.