Obituary of Delphine Mary Montagnais Gayse

On September 29, 1929 Delphine Mary Gayse was born to Adam BigCharles Montagnais and Sophie Chalifaux in Grouard, Alberta. Nana had two sisters and one brother, Irene, Marcella, and Charlie. The family history is from Delphine herself. She wrote a letter on one of her visits and it outlined her early years, the following is from the letter. "We lived in East Prairie when I was very young. We moved to High Prairie when I was about seven years old so that I could start school, I was only eight years old when my dad died. I was young still, I missed him very much. I quit school at an early age so I could go to work. I did house work for a lot of people in High Prairie, then I got a job in McLennan at the hotel for $40.00 a month. Sure sounded like big money then. I stayed there for almost a year. This was in the 1940's during the war. Then I moved back to High Prairie, went to work at the hotel there, changed jobs a few times but went back to the Spaulding Hotel. Then after the war ended in 1945, I met Wally and got married on November 19, 1948 and moved to Dawson Creek in 1949. In the early 1950's we moved back to High Prairie, stayed a couple years, and then returned to Dawson Creek. We had eleven children." From those eleven children came 26 grandchildren and then 29 great-grandchildren, and the daughter and son in laws who held a special place in her heart. As you can imagine, family gatherings were big, but Nana could whip up a turkey dinner like no one else. Her stuffing and homemade buns were a force to be reckoned with, not to mention her mushroom and peas in a cream sauce. But the star of the meal was the gravy- dessert was often blueberry cheesecake, pineapple delight, or a Gayse favorite, bread and gravy. Someone once said that they admired Nana because she could make a four course meal out of a bag of bones. Christmas was one of the highlights for everyone. All age groups opened their gifts from Nana at once because we all got the same thing, just different colours and sizes. Nana was the master of knitting slippers, dishcloths, scarves, and chair socks. I am sure every one of us has at least one of these items in our houses today. Between Papa keeping the grass trimmed and Nana taking care of the flowers, their yard was impeccable. Nana had an enormous garden which she was very proud of. Her strawberry patch was bird proof but not grandkid proof. Nana enjoyed her many spontaneous visits from her brother Charlie and was thrilled when he moved in with her in November of 2009. They seemed to both enjoy the thought of taking care of one another. Even though Nana moved between four houses she brought along many memorable collectables such as: salt and pepper shakers, the yoddler, and the family clock. How many people can fill a clock out of pictures of their kids? For those of you who have not seen the clock, Uncle Gene made it with Nana and Papa's picture at 12:00 and each child's face was a number in the order of their birth from 1 o'clock to 11 o'clock. And who could forget the famous bathroom sign. Not only was Nana a mother, gardener, a baker, and a cook, you could also add doctor to the list. Pinex, vicks, homemade soup, watkins rub, and cod liver oil were only some of the remedies. I am sure every one of us have given Nana a call to help cure some ailment. Nana had a smile that would melt your heart. Anytime anyone walked in the room she always gave them her cute, innocent smile right up until her very last days. We would like to thank the hospital staff and Arlyn for the care they gave Nana over the last couple of years. Also thank you to the many people who visited, brought cards and flowers, and attended the service. your kindness was appreciated. Delphine passed away on Saturday, February 25, 2012 in Chetwynd, at the age of 82 years. A prayer service was held on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 7:00 pm at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, Chetwynd. A Funeral Mass was held on Thursday, March 1, at 11:00 am at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, Fr Michael Anyasoro officiated, Interment followed in the Tuscoola Mountain Cemetery. Memories Presented By Delphine's grandchildren; Trina Cloutier, Tammy Davis and Trisha MacTavish. For friends so wishing, donations may be made in memory of Delphine to the Chetwynd Hospital Foundation Extended Care, Box 121, Chetwynd, B.C, V0C 1J0. Very Respectfully Reynars Funeral Home & Crematorium