It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Elsie (Chornomitz) Mitchell on September 3rd, 2015, at the age of 70 years in Preeceville, SK. Elsie was born on January 25, 1945 in the hospital in Preeceville. Elsie was the youngest of 10 children born to her parents Annie (Owchar) and Onufry Chornomitz.
Elsie lived on the family farm, north of Preeceville, until she was six. Then in 1951 the family moved into town and Elsie began school. Elsie received all her formal education in Preeceville, graduating Grade 12 in 1963. After her school years, Elsie lived and worked in Yorkton at the Coop. For three years she was the Manageress for the Infants Clothing Department. In the midst of her career she had time to start a romance with a handsome young farmer by the name of Ken Mitchell. Ken and Elsie fell in love, and were married on October 15, 1966 beginning a partnership of life and love that would span 49 years.
Elsie and Ken were married in what was then called the Preeceville United Church in the old church building that stood on the same spot as the new church stands today. And so Elsie became known as Ken’s “first wife”. Elsie and Ken then lived on the farm south of Preeceville and raised their family of two sons, Blair and Colin. They lived on the farm till about 1997, when they moved into town and their current home on 6th Street SE behind Formo Motors. Elsie had many health issues later in life having a brain aneurysm losing sight in one eye, and getting Crohn’s disease and battling it for many years.
Elsie entered Preeceville Hospital towards the end of June 2015, then went to Regina, June 25 and remained in hospital where she was diagnosed with cancer. She returned to Preeceville Hospital about three weeks ago, where she remained in Palliative Care, until her passing on Thursday last September 3, 2015 having been surrounded by the love and support of her family, and many, many friends.
During Elsie’s life she has known many loves. First and foremost was her love for her husband Kenny and her sons, Blair and Colin, and her grandchildren, extended family and close friends. But in Elsie’s life there has been many other loves as well. There was the love for her life as a farm woman, known by her family as an incredible baker, and cook. She loved gardening and her flowers. Elsie loved picking mushrooms and berries, which resulted in lots of hard work canning. When Blair and Colin were young they were active in hockey and baseball, which meant that Elsie was also a “Hockey Mom” and a “Baseball Mom”. She made sure they got to their games.
In the midst of all the work she did for her family, she also made time to watch her sons play and do what was needed in order for them to take part in sports. She was well known for keeping the household under control as Ken and the boys got too excited watching the Maple Leaf, Blue Jay and Rider games on TV. Elsie and Ken shared a special bond of love and to use family words “nuttiness” or “craziness”. Family remembers things like Elsie receiving a bale loader for her birthday one year. They remember that she did all the laundry and of course Kenny never remembered to clean out the pockets of his pants and Elsie never checked them so countless pocket watches were dried and destroyed with Elsie going to the Coop after laundry day to buy yet another watch. Family remembers Ken who needed a parka mended and would write that on the calendar that hung in the house “fix parka”. Elsie would ignore it.
The month would go by and the calendar flipped to the next month. And Ken would write the request again every month. During Elsie’s life, she loved curling and entered many bonspiels, for many years she acted as the returning officer in all the elections, and was a member of the Lioness Club in Preeceville. The family had a cabin at Nelson Lake for many years, spending lots of time there in the summers, something Elsie also loved. And of course family knew that Elsie loved her soaps on TV, one of the ones especially was “Young and the Restless” or as Kenny called it “Old and the Useless”. Elsie had a wonderful imagination and loved having fun. Family and friends remember, for example, the elaborate costumes that were made by Elsie and her friends to masquerade in for Halloween each year. And there was the love of playing Canasta, Kinsmen TV bingo, going to Bingo, and playing “Stupid” a card game.
Elsie loved crafts and trinkets, both making and collecting, fresh cut flowers on the table every day, and amassed a wonderful collection of fine china. She enjoyed some special trips to the US including one to Sacred Heart, Minnesota and Las Vegas, Nevada. But above all she loved her grandchildren, and her family. Family gives thanks to Elsie for being a wonderful wife, phenomenal mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend. They give thanks for her great sense of humour, wonderful smile, goofy and fun nature. They give thanks for the loving person she was, with a very kind and giving heart, always worrying about others rather than herself. And they give thanks for Elsie whom they have experienced as a strong, determined woman, wonderful mom, someone they could always count on to be there for them and never let anyone down.
There will be many memories for all who have known and loved Elsie. The memories that remain are part of the legacy that Elsie leaves each of you. Elsie was predeceased by both her parents Annie and Onufry Chornomitz, brothers Joseph, Andrew, Sam (Vicki) of Gerald, SK, sisters Pearl (Bill) Drabeth of Tisdale, SK, Nettie (Mike) Leason, Tillie (Ted) Woloshyn of Regina, SK, Rose (Paul) Romanyshyn, Mary (Steve) Shuya of Yorkton, SK, nephew Clinton Shuya of Yorkton, SK. She leaves to mourn her loss her loving husband of 49 years Ken, sons Blair (Dena), Colin (Belinda), sister Irene (John) Pantiuk, sister inlaw Vicki of Gerald, SK, grandchildren Morgan, Mia, Macey, Kara, and Avery, cousin Lucy Blahay, and numerous nieces and nephews, extended family and friends. Elsie will dearly be missed by all of us. Funeral service was held on Monday, September 7, 2015 at 2 p.m. in the Trinity United Church in Preeceville, SK, interment followed in the Preeceville Community Cemetery. Memorial donations in Elsie’s name may be forwarded to the Preeceville Hospital Auxiliary Building and Equipment Fund as tokens of remembrance, condolences can be made at www.preecevillefuneralhome.com. Preeceville Funeral Home in care of arrangements. Amen may she rest in peace.
