KATHLEEN (KAY) SWICKIS

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KATHLEEN (KAY) SWICKIS May 3, 1915 - April 24, 2008 Peacefully in her sleep, on Thursday, April 24, 2008, Kathleen Nora Swickis (née Moist) passed away in her 93rd year at Grace Hospital. Born in Winnipeg on May 3, 1915, Kay leaves to mourn her her five beloved children, Roger (and Judith Hammill) of Gibson's Landing, BC, Walter (and Marlene) and Bruce of Grand Marais, MB, Patricia Nation (and Ken) of Geelong, Australia, and Harry of Chilliwack, BC. She is also survived by eight grandchildren - Darrell and David Swickis and Tannis (Swickis) Baxter, Stephen and Michael Swickis and their mother Judy Swickis, and Christopher, Ryan, and Joanna Nation. She also leaves six great-grandchildren - Chelsea and Declan O'Gorman, and Codey, Travis, Jade, and April Baxter - who always brought a smile to her face. Also surviving are her brother and sister-in-law, Lloyd Bus and May Moist, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Walter Swickis, in 1974, by her parents Frederick and Cathleen (Lappin) Moist, and by her brothers Harold and Bill Moist. Kay attended St. Mary's Academy and Daniel McIntyre Collegiate, and survived the tough years of the Depression, finding employment during the Second World War at Parkhill Bedding. When the boys came home in 1945, she met and married Walter. Her life entered a second, hectic phase as she raised five children and brought her father to live with her family. She was the kind of Mum who made lunches for her five children and her husband during the week and special picnic lunches for Sunday afternoons at City Park. She helped her children with their homework, sitting at the kitchen table in the evenings working out algebra problems. She was also a lifelong gardener - her Irish mother was planting potatoes the day before she was born - and Kay, working in a steaming kitchen, would put up shelves of preserves for the winter. Her kitchen filled with the aroma of homemade cookies and cakes and pies every Saturday. She was a prodigious knitter/crocheter/seamstress, skills she learned from her mother and passed down to her daughter, and which are being realized in this generation in her fashion designer granddaughter. Kay was a faithful member of St. Ignatius Church, and her children recall her shining their shoes and readying their outfits, with matching sweaters for the oldest boys that she had knit herself, then trudging through the snow to church on winter Sundays. Whether riding her bike to the Tomboy Store to take advantage of bargains to make ends meet during the tough times, or travelling by bus to visit her husband Walt at Deer Lodge Hospital (Kay never drove a car), Kay was a dedicated wife and mother. After Walt's early death, and with her children scattered near and far, Kay entered a third, more contemplative phase of her life. She spent decades volunteering at an organization where her counselling skills were put to good use. She contributed generously to several charities despite her own limited means. She delivered Meals on Wheels into her seventies, and swam at the PanAm pool until late in life. Kay formed many cherished friendships over her long life, and knew how to be a good friend. She enjoyed many Christmases in warmer climes, and especially loved the ones in Australia with Pat and Ken and her three grandchildren there. She lived independently in her own home until felled by a stroke at 83. In an epilogue to her life, Kay spent the last nine years in a nursing home, and her family would like to thank the dedicated staff of Unit 1 at Tuxedo Village for their care over the years. A funeral mass will be held for Kay at St. Ignatius Church, Stafford and Corydon, at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, 2008, followed by interment at Chapel Lawn. In lieu of flowers, Kay would wish that donations be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba or to a charity of your choice. Happy in Heaven.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 26, 2008