PAULINE

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PAULINE McCORD / KRAUSS September 23, 1915 July 10, 2015 Mom passed away peacefully with family by her side. She was predeceased by her sons George and Dave McCord. Mom bore seven children four boys, three girls. Ken McCord and Norma McCord of Winnipeg, Betty Goertzen of Winnipeg, Dorothy Salamanowich of Roblin and Heinz Krauss, Surrey, B.C. Over the years Mom babysat all her 14 grandchildren at one time or another and knitted baby clothes for all. Mom's dad Leeland Parker bought Mom a 1 bedroom lakefront property in Alcona, Ontario, 10 miles from Sioux Lookout, that had no electricity or running water which we all grew up on. All the kids slept on bunk beds in the living room. On this small homestead Mom had to cut down trees for firewood for the cook stove to keep the home warm and for cooking our food. From the lake she carried water up a small hill to empty into the reservoir on the stove for washing dishes and for our baths. With no electricity or running water, mom was quite a busy person. She also washed all our clothes and bedding by hand. These clothes were hung on ropes from tree to tree that mom put together herself. Our school clothes were also made by her hands plus knitting mitts and scarves for the cold winters. In order to survive mom also killed partridge, deer and rabbit for the table. Since we lived by the lake we were fortunate to have a feed of pickerel and jackfish that mom caught. In the summer months mom would can and preserve either deer or moose meat. We always had homemade bread and bannock with a feed of baked beans. Mom was always baking or canning wild berries the family picked. She would walk a mile to the train station to pick up deliveries of groceries, milk, mail and coal oil for lamps that the train dropped off. If we ran out of supplies before a train was due, mom would walk three miles to a small store between town and our home. Mom was a self-taught lady. She knew how to sew, cook, knit, crochet, hunt, cut hair and do all the necessities of life for her family. In mom's later years, she enjoyed shopping and lunches out with Norma or Alvin (her grandson) or dinners at the Red Lobster for Birthdays. She also enjoyed playing board games and putting puzzles together with Betty and Dorothy and was a wiz at cribbage that she played with Ken a few days a week. Mom was proud of her son Heinz. He is with the R.C.M.P. in B.C. and she didn't get to see him as much as she wanted, but kept in contact by phone and mail. At 99½, mom was still strong enough to cook her meals up to three months before her passing. She would occasionally call me (Norma) during the week if she couldn't decide what to make for supper. The phone would ring and when I picked up she'd say "What's cooking good looking?' Rest in Peace Mom You are missed

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 16, 2016