E. ELNA GRANT (CARLSON)

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E. ELNA GRANT (nee CARLSON) It is with some sadness that I have to inform you of the death of my aunt, Elna Grant, in Pinawa Hospital, on April 27, 2011 at 10:55 a.m. Three months earlier feeling weak , and having no energy , her friend Bea Stam had taken her to Emergency, where the staff, with requisite understanding, immediately admitted her, and took her into their care. At 89, these things happen. There was no pain, no medication given - she was just tired. So, what to do? Affairs in order? She was a career path secretary, organized, sharp as a tack, now at the end of her life. Elna would, of course, turn to Patty Drew. They met at the plant 32 years ago ( we just clicked my aunt said) and had remained steadfast friends ever since. While she lay in bed, Patty did the legwork, making sure what needed to be done was done. Elna was born on January 2, 1922 at Winnipeg Beach to Emma Anderson and Carl Carlson. She had two brothers, Anders and Bill, and one sister, Irene (my mother). They grew up in St. James, and Elna graduated from St. James Collegiate in 1938. She took post-secondary education and was soon employed with the Provincial Government. Elna was a very accomplished and popular dancer. Jitterbug was her speciality, won many dance contests, and the boys lined up to dance with her. She met her future husband Ross at a dance in Winnipeg Beach. She and her girlfriends regularly took the train up for some of the best times of their lives . Ross graduated from the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Pharmacy on March 16, 1948, and they married on August 7 that same year. They moved to Souris in 1950 where Ross operated the drug store and Elna worked at the Bank of Montreal. In 1970 they moved again, to Pinawa where they bought the drug store and Elna started her career at Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. A woman of many interests - sports, travel, art, books - Elna's special gift was that of friendship, friends that last a lifetime. Years after leaving Souris she would still return each summer to renew the bonds she cherished. The people on Byng Crescent in Pinawa adored her - a beloved honorary grandma to her friends' children and grandchildren, engaged in the events in their lives. On the morning of her passing, Patty Drew and Lynn Patterson were with her by her side. A bit of a scramble, but the last of her affairs had just been put in order ( good it's done ). As she was slipping away, Patty asked her are you afraid? to which Elna replied no...I am not afraid. . Half an hour later she was gone. A death with dignity, and a passage into grace. We will miss her - Graham

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 07, 2011