Kathleen BJARNASON

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BJARNASON: July 6, 1906 – March 7, 2012. Kathleen Bjarnason, daughter of Bridget and Edward Keats, mother of Ken Bjarnason (Mildred) and Lorraine Rae. Predeceased by her husband, Kjartan Bjarnason, and son-in-law, Dr. Don Rae; passed away on March 7, 2012. The matriarch of a five generation family, she was a loving “Uma” to six grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren. Kathleen grew up on a farm in Ashville, Manitoba, married and lived in Brandon; moving to Portage la Prairie when Kjartan retired from the CPR. A creative woman, she excelled in needlework, cooking and especially enjoyed playing bridge and entertaining. Music played a significant role in her life from the time she was five years old and she was lifted on to the Christmas concert stage to sing solos, to her teen years when she played the piano along with her siblings for the old time dances in the country school. For over eighty years, she provided music for family and friends’ sing-a-longs. She amazed everyone with her whistling too – who knew that birds could whistle Strauss waltzes! As a senior, in Portage al Prairie, she had fun being a member of the Prior Senior Centre’s harmonica band. As recently as February 2012, at Beacon Hill Villa in Victoria (where she spent the last eight months), she requested: “let’s get some people for a sing-song”. With eyes sparkling, she and granddaughter, Andrea, sang: “She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain” with enthusiasm. There will be a Celebration of Kathleen’s Life in Portage la Prairie later in the year. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Kathleen Bjarnason’s bursary for music students at the Community Foundation of Portage and District, P.O. Box 1153, Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 3J9.

As published in Brandon Sun on Mar 17, 2012