Doris Shirley (Johnson) Connor Epp
Doris passed away quietly with family by her side at the Lucky Lake Health Centre on Monday, September 26, 2016. Doris arrived on January 11, 1936 to Ernest and Beulah Johnson and was the fourth child of eventually a family of 6 children on the Pleasant View Farm. (This farm is still part of the Johnson family as it is currently farmed by son Steven and Bobbi Jo). Her early memories included playing cards with her sisters, the Loitz and Johnson cousins and always her Dad and Uncle (Eilert).A special place to play was in the hip roofed barn that housed a long heavy rope with a big knot tied at the bottom. The kids would climb the ladder at the north end of the barn, wrap their legs around the knot and swing halfway down the length of the barn, spending many hours getting the thrill of their lives.
Mom attended Sunray School from Gr. 1-8 and had the same teacher in all that time, Mr. Mills. Ernest and Beulah moved into Demaine in 1948 and she continued school there. She took on part-time jobs available such as pumping gas, waitressing and babysitting for Eileen Shirtliff. After high school Doris went to work in the Bank of Nova Scotia in Beechy until she married Pat Connor in 1954. In their first home was one of rooms from the original Connor homestead shack. In 1960 they built a new home as their family had grown to four children. Doris preferred to help Pat outside on the farm in addition to having a garden, milking cows, shipping cream, raising chickens and baking bread. Apparently Mom can make an awesome Flapper pie now. However her first attempt wasn’t a prize winner. She was to take pie to the rink in Demaine. Her larder wasn’t as well stocked as it is today and she decided she could make a Flapper pie. Unfortunately she didn’t have enough cornstarch so she substituted flour. The custard didn’t want to thicken so she added more flour and then more flour. Then the pies were taken to town. Somehow Mom heard about a piece of pie someone had and that it tasted like wall paper paste. I’m not sure where she was at that second but a beeline was made to remove any of the remaining suspect pie. If you have had any pie Mom had made in later years you know she is great at baking. One of her flapper pies has been auctioned off at the annual Ring and Hall Goods and Services Auction for a cool $900.00.
As Mom and Dad acquired more land, Dad needed more help on the farm and Mom would hire a local girl to help in the house and she would help with the fieldwork. She has run most of the machinery they had and found she liked running the combine better than trucking. Mom went for several combine rides last fall and enjoyed the newer sized combine cabs. Heck, she thought cabs themselves were a great addition to the combine.
With a very active family of boys a lot of hockey games were held in the basement with cousins that came over. Mom was grateful if the furnace remained intact through activity as the sounds emanating from below would make you think otherwise. Most Saturdays were spent on the road to hockey games in the winter or sports days for baseball in the summer. In those days “on the road” meant Demaine, Lucky Lake, Dinsmore, King George or Birsay. We remember Mom coming outside after supper and play catch. I wonder how she had time.
Mom and Dad moved to Beechy to a new home Mom designed in 1984. Mom was employed as a postmistress for a few years, a member of the Legion Auxiliary and also took up oil painting as a hobby for several years. The pastime she has enjoyed the most though has been as an active fan of her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews as she has watched them play baseball, fastball, curling, volleyball, football and hockey. She kept score and stats on her own of all the ball and hockey games she was at. She watched games from her car, the stands, her TV and online streaming. Everyone knew she would be there watching if at all possible. If she wasn’t there she expected to be updated by phone and would phone you if you forgot to call soon enough. Family and our events were always first in her mind. The last note posted on Mom’s kitchen calendar for September 24th was “Bobbi Jo” and “RR 7:30 Greg” . It was Bobbi Jo’s birthday and also nephew Greg was going to be recognized at the Roughrider game that night for his induction to the Regina Sports Hall of Fame.
Dad passed away suddenly October 24th, 1995. Mom continued to live alone in Beechy with her kids and grandkids to keep her busy and her coffee friends to share friendship and some traveling. In 2005 Mom married Mel Epp from Langham and eventually they found their way back to permanently live in Beechy. They had friends and family to share many card and hockey games, helping farm with her sons, some traveling to Cuba, New Zealand and visiting Mel’s family. Due to declining health of both Mom and Mel, he has moved to live in Rosthern, closer to his family. Mom always put her family first and for that we are eternally grateful. We are confident she in the hands of our Lord with her toil on earth over.
Doris leaves to cherish her memory her husband Melvin Epp; her six children Peggy (Butch) Erickson, Patrick (Natalie), Levi, Ryann & Ava, Blaine (Jody) Katlyn, Madisyn, Peyton & John, Michaela (Jared) & Devyn; Glenn (Kathy), Becky (Justin), Finley & Elliott, Laura (Steven) & Emily, Heidi; Dennis (Carla), Tatum (Colby) & Madelyn, Austin, Nikki; George (Lynn), Logan (Brittany) Hayden & Macklin; Dereck (Amanda) Douglas; and Steven (Bobbi Jo), Brayden (Justine), Paige, Ashlyn; sisters Maxine (Doug) Danroth, Isabel Cole, Pearl (Dale) Danroth and sisters-in-law Marie Fieger and Nettie Johnson along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Doris was predeceased by her first husband Pat Connor in October 1995; three infant children Joan in November 1956 and twins Patrick and Patricia in February 1962; great-granddaughter Eden Dubasov; her parents Ernest and Beulah Johnson; father-in-law and mother-in-law John and Katherine Connor; brothers Ralph and Carl; and nieces Terry Danroth, Ann Walker and great-niece Margaret Walker; sisters-in-law Marie Johnson, Marj Johnson; and brothers-in-law Pete Fieger and Harold Cole.
Memorial Service was held at the Beechy Community Hall at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, September 30, 2016 with The Reverend David Nevett officiating. Interment followed at Beechy Cemetery. Donations in memory of Doris may be made to the Beechy Demaine Ambulance Service or Beechy United Church. To send online condolences please visit shanidarfuneralservices.com.