Enid Theadora May

Enid Theodora May, late of Weyburn, SK passed away February 26, 2021 at the age of 91 years.

She was predeceased by her daughters, Lois Ann and Baby Enid; her parents, Albert and Emily Reddish; Edgar’s parents, Wm Sheridan and Rita May; brothers-in-law, Robert May and Earl McAuley.

Enid is survived by Edgar, her husband of 72 years; their children: David (Pat) and their children: Lisa (Nolan) and great grandchildren, [Sawyer and Holden], Marla (Dan), Jeff (Samantha); Bill (Karen) and their children, Liam and Alex; Cheryl (Miles) and their daughter Meagan (Braden); her sister Joan Jamieson and her son Jeff (Elaine); sisters-in-law, Alice McAuley and Lorna May; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Enid was born in Ogema SK and grew up on the Reddish farm in Amulet.  She moved to Weyburn to attend Weyburn Comprehensive School and remained in Weyburn to begin her working career at the bank.  Enid was a whiz with numbers and could add columns of numbers in her head faster than using an adding machine.  She handled the bookkeeping for the farm and prepared and submitted “spot on” synoptics to the accountants right up to last year.

Enid and Edgar met in Weyburn and dated for a few years before getting married in 1949.  They began their life together farming at Colfax and where they lived when Lois Ann then David were born.  They suffered great sorrow when Lois Ann became ill then died of leukemia at age four.  Edgar & Enid moved to the home farm NE of Weyburn and continued their farming life.  Tragedy struck again when Enid suffered a ruptured appendix while carrying Baby Enid.  Enid had emergency surgery but Baby Enid passed away just hours after birth.  A few years later Bill was born and then Cheryl.

Enid preferred the grain operation over the livestock that they raised – Shorthorn cattle, Lacombe hogs, Hereford cattle then Polled Hereford cattle – but she carried on and did her part.  You could always count on Enid to record when there was fog so that she could remind Edgar that he had to push through with seeding or harvest before the “90 days after fog” weather would hit.  The school bus driver (Ernie Obst) always knew which field Edgar and Enid were working and would drop the kids off at the field so that Enid could go home and get the supper meal ready and back out to the field.  Eating supper in the field was a “right of passage” that we all got to enjoy.  Her plum pudding, with the rooster in the centre, was loved and remembered by all.

Once the children were old enough to join the local 4-H club, first Talmage then Weyburn, we were busy working with our calves.  We always thought we were the ones who tamed them down enough so that the “teaching” could begin.  Only when we were almost adults did we learn how much time Enid spent cutting and carrying grass to the pen and spending time hand feeding the grass to each calf individually.  Enid spent over a decade keeping the white shirts and green vests spotless each night from Achievement Day through Weyburn Fair, removing the crests from the vests and sewing them back on night after night.  Years later when David & Pat’s kids joined 4-H she threw up her hands and laughed when she learned the uniform was just a dark t-shirt.

Enid and Edgar’s home was always the gathering place for family.  It was the place where their children would make a point of getting home to spend time as a family.  Nephew Jeff Jamieson was welcomed as one of the kids for many summers and the creak of the deepfreeze lid always told Enid what was happening in the basement.  It was the place where their grandchildren loved to be.  Lisa, Marla, and Jeff experienced their grandmother’s love every day while Liam, Alex, and Meagan got to spend weeks with her every summer.  Everybody knew about the chocolate cupcakes “hidden” in the oven.

Throughout the years Enid was the one to listen to the recap of our days at school plus whatever else was happening in our lives.  As we grew up and worked through our life experiences she always had time to let us talk for as long as we needed to talk either on the phone or when we were there.  Being available extended to the grandchildren as well and she was never too busy to listen.  Enid was the conduit for sharing information with the family members -- she was the centre of our wagon wheel and we were all the spokes.

Farming life did not really allow for much vacation time but once the children were grown and on their own Enid and Edgar made many trips to visit Joan.  Enid’s favorite locations were the Florida ones that Joan called home.  When they left to go south Enid would tell us they were going for six weeks and Edgar would tell us they were going for three weeks.  You can guess how long they really were away!!

The greatest enjoyment for Enid was family coming to the house.  Highlight of the week was the grandchildren then great grandchildren coming for pancakes every Sunday. Even at the end, when the cancer was becoming too much to bear, the house was filled with family.  While we tried to respect the Covid restrictions, family arrived to spend time with her before departing to clear the way for the next family to visit.  Enid got to listen to the conversations that were taking place in the various rooms of the house and to experience one last time the joy she felt when her family came home.

A Graveside Service will be held on Saturday, June 26, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. from green Acres Memorial Gardens, Weyburn, SK. 

In lieu of flowers, for family and friends so wishing, charitable donations in memory of Enid may be made to: Weyburn Humane Society, P.O. Box 1062, Weyburn, SK, S4H 2L3 or STARS Air Ambulance, 2640 Airport Road, Regina, SK, S4W 1A3, or the Canadian Cancer Society, 1910 McIntyre Street, Regina, SK, S4P 2R3.

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