Tribute

HOWDEN, Phyllis Elaine (nee Baltzer)

April 18, 1934 – December 4, 2020

It is with sad hearts that we announce the passing of our beautiful, loving, devoted and forever proud Mom, Grandma & Great-Grandma, the morning of Friday December 4th at the age of 86 in Mission, BC.   Her soul left peacefully comforted by the crooning sounds of her beloved Anne Murray in her room at The Residence In Mission.

Phyllis was born April 18, 1934 in Middleton, Nova Scotia the daughter of Bertha (nee Curry) & Corey Baltzer, big sister to Percy Lawrence (Buster).   She was predeceased by her loving husband Hugh Robertson Howden, her parents & grandparents.

Mom was so proud of her lineage, she was Nova Scotian to the core.  She made sure her kids and grandkids knew where they came from and celebrated that our descendants were among the first settlers in Nova Scotia.  As we traveled the world she would often prove to us that if she met someone from her beloved Annapolis Valley she either knew them, or knew someone they knew.  It is a testament to her loving soul and ability to communicate that she remained in contact with her kindergarten, high school & college classmates until the end of her life.  Lobster traps, the Blue Nose, Lighthouses, Peggy’s Cove, the colorful cottages at Margaretville, these things were a part of the fabric of our lives as lived through our Mother.

Phyllis was a gifted & solid athlete, she played basketball, participated in track & field, loved to skate, swim & ski.  Her “favourite, favourite” thing was the great outdoors, she grew up hunting & fishing with her Dad, brother Buster & their dog Bing.  She loved the water, a good boat ride or a paddle in a canoe, it was there she found peace and was in her happy place.  We spent a lot of time as a family in the great outdoors, appreciating the simple things in life, creating memories.  We share her love of the water and will always and forever “paddle our own canoe” in her memory!

After graduating High School Phyl worked 2 years for the Royal Bank of Canada.  She then attended Acadia University, where she played on the girl’s Varsity Ice, Field Hockey & Basketball Teams graduating from Secretarial Sciences in 1956.  While there she was a member of Council, House Committee, Secretarial Science Club & was Secretary to the Dean of Theology at the University.  After graduation, she worked that first summer at a resort with her buddies, then onto a role at Mercy Paper Company where she became Secretary to the President.  It was after taking a position in Schefferville, QC as the Mine Manager’s executive secretary that she met the love of her life…. Hugh Robertson Howden (her Hughie), they were married in the Middleton United Baptist Church on May 20, 1961.

Mom & Dad’s life together was far too brief, they were blessed with a fun filled journey packed full of Love, adventure, education, travel, hunting, fishing & the most amazing real-life experiences in their years together.  There was a lot of travel moving from Shefferville, QC to Cassiar, BC where Chrissy arrived in 1963 onto Texada Island where Alex joined the family in 1966.  After Texada we moved to Coquitlam, BC, Burlington, ON and then overseas to Sydney, Australia in 1969/1970, what an experience that was!  We returned to North America & a wonderful life in Lakeland, FLA in 1973, back to Canada in the fall of 1976 and Hughie’s beloved prairies where we lived in Estevan and Regina finally settling in Saskatoon in 1980.

Alex & I were our Mother’s reason for living, she was the PTA Mom, on every field trip, and ever present in our lives, she threw the best parties and was the Mom all our friends loved to hang out with.  No matter where we lived Mom cultivated fabulous friendships, she was a part of the Canadian Club or the New Comers Club wherever we went.  She loved to Golf, Swim, shop for Bargains and DANCE, there was always music playing in our house!  She took up the practice of Yoga and never apologized once for being that crazy lady doing yoga in the park, on the dock or nearest beach.  She loved a good dog with soft silky ears, Stormy & Grits must be making up for all those missed pats now.  She thoroughly enjoyed her career working for Statistics Canada in Saskatoon where she made many more new friends while collecting census stats and survey data, she loved her interactions with so many different people.

She spent the last 20 years of her life in British Columbia, loving her life at Cultus Lake & later at Hampton House in Chilliwack where she was a Welcoming Ambassador.  She’s gone to reunite with our Dad in a better place, free from pain and the confusion that dementia brought into our lives these past few years.  Right up to her final days she never forgot who we were, or where she came from, for that we are grateful.

She was THE BEST Cheerleader for her kids & grandkids no matter what the occasion, she was always so proud of every accomplishment, big or small, a new hair cut or a gold medal she celebrated it all!  How blessed we were to have that kind of love in our lives!

Left to cherish & keep her memory alive are her children Chris (Blair) & Alex (Nancy) Grandkids, Shel (Scott) & Great Grandson Carter, Kath (Jordan), Great Granddaughters Brooklyn & Jilly, Nick, Reece & Jesse (Cayden) all of whom were a constant and continuous source of Joy.  In her eyes she had the most beautiful, handsome talented family on the planet, and you didn’t need to ask, she was more than happy to share those facts & her photos with anyone in reach!  Also feeling her loss are many family members including her brother, cousins, nieces, nephews & so many wonderful friends who continued to write and send their love during the toughest days, again, we are so grateful.

We will miss her bright shining eyes and pride filled smiles.  We will miss her unique and personalized cards, gifts and notes, We will miss her laughter & her tears….. In the words of Jann Arden – “Grief is the lingering gift of love”, and so even in the midst of our sadness we know we were blessed with a such a special LOVE.

Thank you to the staff @ TRIM where she spent her final year, and to her friends (family) at Hampton House in Chilliwack for loving our Mom so much and enriching her life.  We also extend our thanks to the staff @ Bakerview Crematorium for their care and kindness during this transition.

No formal service will be scheduled at Mom’s request. A private family service will be held in the future when permitted at her final resting place beside our Dad at Riverside Cemetery in Neepawa, MB.  Memorial Donations if you desire can be made in Mom’s name to: The Trans Canada Trail, something she was very proud to contribute to Tribute | The Great Trail https://thegreattail.ca/give/tribute/  or The Alzheimer Society of British Columbia – www.alzheimer.ca/bc