FLORENCE ODDSON

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FLORENCE ODDSON Florence Oddson died on November 22, 2002, aged 99 years. She was born in Winnipeg on August 26, 1903, one of four children of Mildiridur Jonsdottir and Thorsteinn Villjalmsson Oddson to survive infancy. Life was difficult in those times, and Florence endured many hardships, but she seldom complained. When she was just three days old, the family home that her father built burned to the ground. She was carried to safety out one door, her mother out another. Those were the days before Winnipeg had a fire department. Her fathers side of the family had been skilled saddle-makers in Iceland, so Thorsteinn opened a small harness and shoe shop in Norwood, where he worked long days. At night, he built houses on land he purchased in St. Boniface. When Florence was eight, her father contracted pneumonia and died. Life was a struggle for many years after that. Florence finished school at 14 and took a job at CN Rail, where she worked for the next 50 years, and was promoted to a position of considerable responsibility. Her younger sister Eleanor also joined the company and stayed on for 50 years, while her brother Gunnlaugar "Lou" worked for some years at CP Rail. When Florence was 25, her older sister Gladys died of mastoiditis, leaving behind a husband (the late Bruce Hare Roberts) and two young children. It was decided that Mildiridur "Mildred," Florence and Eleanor would go to live with them and help with the childrens upbringing. For eight years, they lived together in St. James, eventually returning to their home on Eugenie Street. Florence lived there until well into her 90s. Florence had a lifelong love of reading, a keen sense of humour and a mischievous laugh. Communicative, upbeat and caring, she was constantly helpful, supportive and encouraging of others. She is survived by a niece Patricia Gravenor (nee Mildred Roberts) in Montreal; and Patricias children, Donald, Nancy, Eryl, John David, Kristian and Tanis; and a nephew in Calgary, Arthur Roberts (Ollie Moroz) and Arthurs daughter Gail.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 30, 2002