The Passing of Violet McManus
Hazel Violet McManus (nee Knight) was born on May 2, 1919 at Leader, Saskatchewan, and passed away peacefully on May 1, 2014 at Legacy Lodge, Lethbridge, Alberta.
Violet lived with her parents north of Richmond, Saskatchewan and was the sixth of ten girls born to Ella Dora and Alfred Knight. When she was eight years old her parents moved the family to Leader, Saskatchewan from the farm, and in the spring of 1929 they moved to Swift Current, Saskatchewan.
In Swift Current, Violet received her early public schooling including part of her high school education. In 1942 Violet met and married Alexander McManus of Madison, Saskatchewan, on June 24, 1942. She raised his three sons from a former marriage - Donald, Jack, and James and three children by their marriage - David, Bruce, and Elizabeth (Robson).
When the children were grown, Violet and Alex retired in Kindersley in 1973, where they made many friends and Violet painted murals on their garden fence. After Alex passed away November 22, 1986, Violet lived in her home on Overlord Crescent for a year and a half. She then sold it and bought into Pinceman Place where she lived until April 15, 1993 when she moved back to Swift Current (53 years after she had left). Ultimately, after a short period in Viscount, Saskatchewan, Violet found a comfortable home near her daughter, Elizabeth, in Lethbridge, a city in which she could be close to three of her great-grandchildren, Jaxon, Grace, and Sophie.
Violet enjoyed her years in the United Church choir in Madison and the St. Paul's United Church choir in Kindersley, as well as her many years on the farm, her six children, and her husband Alex. Friends and neighbours were always welcome and were forever dropping by for coffee or a meal. Violet kept a large farming and gardening operation running smoothly on time, while being a master chef and inspiration to her family, hired help and friends.
Violet was deeply loved by all who had the good fortune of knowing her. She had a special sense of humour, a bushel of commonsense, and a hard-headed view of the world that guided not only her children and grandchildren, but also her many, many friends. She had a special passion for her family and friends, and kept an incredibly well-documented set of photo albums that chronicled the comings and goings of people in her life.
As noted, Violet was predeceased by her husband Alex. But she also lost two of her stepsons, Donald and Jack, her dear grand-daughter Krista, her daughter-in-law Shirley, her love in recent years, Edward Oldhaver, and her own mother and father and nine sisters.
She leaves to mourn her loss one daughter, three sons, 19 grand-children, and many great and great-great-grand-children.
In lieu of flowers, Violet requested that donations be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. A funeral is not planned but rather, at Violet's request, a family celebration of her life and legacy will be held sometime in the upcoming months.