ANTONSON Elsie. Oct. 2, 1924 - June 28, 2011. With a single tear slipping from her eye as she slept, Elsie Elizabeth
Christabelle (Bailey) Antonson took her last breath Tuesday morning and went to be with her Lord, joining her father, mother, stepfather and three sisters in a peaceful place. A wonderful daughter, sister, soldier, wife, mom, friend, neighbour, co-worker, and choir member – she filled all life’s roles with
great love. She leaves behind her husband of 64 years, Al, four children, Brian (Sue), Rick (Janice), Judy (Bob) and Greg (Eunice), five grandchildren, Brent, Sean (Hilary), Jeremy, Kristin
(Tim) and Andrew, and three great grandchildren, Tristin, Sierra and Riley, with one more to be born in August. She also leaves brother-in-law Alf and sister-in-law May, nieces, Marian, Holly, Joyce and Sheryl, and nephews Frank, Harold, Keith, Carl and
Scott. Extended family of Alan and Anne and Wendy, and many close friends and the wonderful neighbours of Cottage Lane also mourn her loss. Elsie was born in Wynyard, Saskatchewan, moved west in 1944 to join the Army, met Al and married him in 1947, and lived as an
adult in Vancouver, Burnaby and Abbotsford, and filled the dash (“-”) between 1924 and 2011 with her winning smile and her welcoming heart. As a lifelong Christian, active in church and choir, Elsie became friends with a host of pastors and their wives, and
now sings in a heavenly choir. Her singing led us all on road trips
and summers at Camp Luther. She travelled the world with Al, and read voraciously, passing along those loves to her children and grandchildren. And her sharp wit and keen sense of humour kept us all on our toes, and she said repeatedly “Every day on this side of the grass is a good day”. She always will be an inspiration to us, she was so comfortable in who she was, what she
was and what she stood for. She was a very forgiving woman, and she got lots of practice at that with our family!
We celebrated her life at Peace Lutheran Church in Abbotsford on Monday July 4th. Her ashes were spread in the Memorial Garden at the Church. We all thank the Menno Home in Abbotsford for the wonderful care they provided our Wife/Mom/Grandma/Great Grandma/aunt/sister-in-law in her final months. She will be with us beaming her beautiful smile in our hearts and memories forever. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Menno Home at 32910 Brundige Avenue in Abbotsford will be much appreciated. Online condolences to the family may be made to www.wiebeandjeskefh.com WIEBE & JESKE – 604.859.5885