MURIEL HAMMILL

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MURIEL HAMMILL October 2, 1921 April 16, 2008 Peacefully, on Wednesday, April 16, 2008, Muriel Edith Hammill (nee Moffat), passed away in the loving arms of Judith and Bob. Born on October 2, 1921, in Winnipeg, where she spent her entire life, she is survived by her daughter Judith Hammill (Roger Swickis), son-in-law Robert Gale (Janet Gale), grandson Jason Gale (Tammy Cady), and great-grandsons Jeremy and Gage Gale. She was predeceased by her husband, Clair, in 2003 and her daughter, Janet, in 2005. Her parents, David and Emily (Ellson) Moffat, died in 1965 and 1947, respectively. Her brother, Cy, was killed in action in 1944 on the Corvette HMCS Alberni, and her sister, Joan Jeffrey, died in 2000. Muriel grew up in Fort Rouge and attended Lord Roberts School and Kelvin High School. The Depression years were hard on her family, and she quit school after grade 11 to work. While employed with the Hudson's Bay Company on Portage Avenue, she met her husband-to-be in the Drug Department where he was a pharmacist. When they married in 1944, she was required to quit her job according to company policy of the time. In 1945 they moved to Imperial Avenue in St. Vital where they brought up their two daughters and where Muriel lived for 54 years. For most of her married life she was a homemaker, except for a period of time when she worked for Afflecks and then Dayton's on Portage Avenue and bought herself a car. Until then, the family had travelled to Grand Beach and Grand Marais by train for their annual summer holidays; now they travelled on the new highway in the luxury of a Plymouth Belvedere. Some vacations also became more wide-ranging, a tradition of roaming the continent that carried on when Janet married Bob and the two couples, with, eventually, a grandchild, travelled together, sometimes in Janet and Bob's van. She was a beautiful woman who loved pretty things. She was also a feisty woman and could be crusty when provoked. Once, at five-foot-five and about 130 pounds, she decked a younger man who was abusing his wife. Muriel loved to travel and travelled overseas several times with friends, with Clair, and even on her own. She loved to laugh and have a good time. She was a lifelong Bingo player, playing as long ago as the late 1930s with her mother and as recently as last week. (No, she didn't win.) The song Don't play bingo tonight, Mother,/Stay home with Daddy and me, was a family joke. She also loved to play cards with friends and her daughters. Cribbage was one of her favourite games, and she had the elusive perfect-29 hand a couple of times. In recent years, she enjoyed travelling to casinos occasionally, read the two Winnipeg papers religiously (though they never replaced the Winnipeg Tribune), always doing the daily crossword, and followed several sports on TV. Last month, she had a wonderful time attending every day of the Brier with Bob. She volunteered at Riverview Health Centre, logging well over 2000 hours, in the years when Clair's illness required that he live there and continuing after he passed away until her own mobility became too difficult. Hers was an indomitable spirit. She was uncomplaining about the pain she suffered and managed to maintain her independence, with much loving support from her wonderful son-in-law Bob, to the end. During her final days in St. Boniface Hospital, her family learned that there are angels this side of the hereafter. We are grateful for the attentive and tender care she received from the staff on Ward 2E, and for their guidance and consideration to us. The family is holding a memorial reception for Muriel in the Common Room at her residence, Riverbend Plaza, 400 Osborne St., on Monday, April 21 at 1:00 p.m., to which people who knew her are cordially invited. A private funeral will take place at Glen Lawn Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, Muriel requested that donations be made to the Children's Wish Foundation, to the Canadian Cancer Society, or to a charity of your choice. We can't imagine life without you, Mum. We'll miss you so much. Rest in peace, gallant spirit. GLEN LAWN FUNERAL HOME 455 LAGIMODIERE BLVD. 982-7550

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 19, 2008