I went for a walk today on the path in our forest. I could feel your hand in mine. We stopped to admire the autumn scenery on a crisp prairie day.
Lezley was a prairie girl who touched many people with her friendliness, engagement, support, and compassion. She was a child of the 60's, a rock and roller at heart.
We met in high school and were best friends for 58 years, married for 53 of them.
Her family was everything to her. She was so proud of her two sons, Aaron and Alec, and their partners Stephanie and Mimi. She adored her step granddaughter Kiki. Lez used to say that she was blessed with her sons' talents. One would take care of our cars, and the other would take care of our computers
I went for a walk today on the path in our forest. I could feel your hand in mine. We stopped to admire the autumn scenery on a crisp prairie day.
Lez and I travelled the prairies, never bored or tired of its beauty. We came to call it "Rambling On". Our first ramble was a couple of years before we were married, hopping across the Saskatchewan landscape, taking photos of notable scenes that we entered in a Tourism Saskatchewan photo contest. Over the next 55 years or so, we criss-crossed the prairies and Western Canada, taking in the nature and beauty of our great country. One spot quickly became our favourite - the Cypress Hills. We climbed onto Bald Butte, commonly referred to as Old Baldy, many times. She so enjoyed the view of the prairie from that vantage point. That is where her ashes will be spread so that she can enjoy that view forever.
I went for a walk today on the path in our forest. I could feel your hand in mine. We stopped to admire the autumn scenery on a crisp prairie day.
Lezley led a full life. She was a pilot who had her private pilot's license by the time she was 25. She was a software developer, excelled in volunteer work, was a supporter of Canadian wineries, and Canadian rock and roll music. She was a master quilt maker. And she surrounded herself with wonderful friends, notably the twelve of them known as the Macarenas. We also spent many late summers travelling to the Okanagan and beyond with our dear friends Carolyn and Brittany to stock our wine cellars for the winter.
I went for a walk today on the path in our forest. I could feel your hand in mine. We stopped to admire the autumn scenery on a crisp prairie day.
Lezley travelled to the Netherlands for the first time in 1972 on our honeymoon. She was enthralled with the country and my relatives. Over the next 53 years she went back (as she referred to it) many, many times. She embraced my Dutch family and they embraced her. She learned to speak Dutch and went back several times on her own. Some people joked that she had become more Dutch than me.
Travels to Europe in June usually included a week at an automobile race in France. The 24 Hours of Le Mans was our "gathering of friends" and a place for her to display her unabashed support of Porsche Racing. She used to say that falling asleep next to the track with cars passing by at 250 kmh was never a problem.
I went for a walk today on the path in our forest. I could feel your hand in mine. We stopped to admire the autumn scenery on a crisp prairie day.
Lez dedicated a good portion of her life to volunteer work. She was active in the La Perle Community League, Parent Parking Patrol, Neighbourhood Watch, and most significantly, Quilts of Valour Canada.
Lez started QOVC after seeing an injured veteran being interviewed on the local television news. He had a non-descript blanket over his injured legs. She decided that was just not good enough and arranged to provide him with a quilt. One thing led to another, she created QOVC, organized local quilt making efforts and grew the charitable organization into a nation-wide entity that has now made and delivered over 27,000 quilts across Canada. For her efforts, she was presented by the Government of Canada with the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal.
I went for a walk today on the path in our forest. I could feel your hand in mine. We stopped to admire the autumn scenery on a crisp prairie day.
Many years ago, Lez found this quote from Hunter S. Thompson and concluded that is the way she would like her life to end.
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
I miss you already, kiddo.