Obituary for Elsie Grace SCHMID (Owen)
Schmid (nee Owen) Elsie Grace
Elsie Schmid passed away at Arbor Trace Memory Care Facility in London ON on October 24th at the age of 89.
Born in Dover Township, Elsie was the daughter of the late Luke and Amelia (Markham) Owen. After attending high school, she worked in Chatham and met her future husband Frank at a strawberry social at Botony Church. After they married, they moved to Burlington, then Hamilton, then Ingersoll in 1961 where they started a business, Frank A Schmid, Jewellers. They were married for over 40 years before Frank predeceased her in November 2000.
She was a loving mother to her daughters Nancy Ann and the late Karen Vera.
Sister to the late John Owen (Genevieve) Sister-in-law to Albert Schmid (late Carol Ann) Proud Aunt to Susan Abray (Rick), Robert Owen (Teresa), Ken Owen (Betty), Linda Hills (Lee), Bill Owen (Penny), Tim Owen and Gary Schmid.
Proud Great Aunt and Great Great Aunt to many nieces and nephews.
Elsie was an active member of Trinity United Church, specifically a member of Unit 7 of the United Church Women (UCW) and the Flower Committee where she honed her skills at flower arranging. Baking pies, making jam, picking the fruit to make both, crafting weekly to create items for the Christmas Bazaar, organizing church dinners and making table arrangements for those dinners and other events created a busy schedule which she enjoyed.
She was an avid gardener and maintained a large vegetable garden and a stunning rock garden for several years.
She was an animal lover, and all neighbours knew to take any stray to Elsie!
She was one mother of several in her extended neighbourhood, they grouped together to be available to whomever, whenever.
She believed in community - with her friends, she gathered pop cans to be crushed and sold for “Coats for Kids”; and found discarded dolls and washed and made clothes for them to donate to kids at Christmas; and delivered Meals on Wheels for several years.
She was an avid reader and loved her morning read and coffee.
She loved going to thrift stores and garage sales and could see treasure where others could not.
She travelled far and wide and marked off several locations in her book “1000 Places to See Before You Die”
She was a loyal friend, wife, and mother.
She was active and fit; she learned to swim in her 40’s and walked most mornings across town and back.
She loved to have fun and laugh and explore and “poke around” in shops.
She loved to bake and would fight you for the right to lick the chocolate frosting off the spoon!
And she will be missed!
Her family and friends are grateful for the support from the Alzheimer’s Society (Woodstock location) and are grateful for the support and care received from ALL the staff at Arbor Trace where she lived from November 2018.
Friends and family will be received at McBeath-Dynes Funeral Home in Ingersoll on Thursday, October 26, 2023. Visitation 1:00pm, Service 2:00pm. There will be a short service and an interment to follow at Harris St Cemetery.
Donations in memory of Elsie can be made to the Alzheimer Society Southwest Partners (AlzSWP). https://alzswp.ca/
Elsie Schmid passed away at Arbor Trace Memory Care Facility in London ON on October 24th at the age of 89.
Born in Dover Township, Elsie was the daughter of the late Luke and Amelia (Markham) Owen. After attending high school, she worked in Chatham and met her future husband Frank at a strawberry social at Botony Church. After they married, they moved to Burlington, then Hamilton, then Ingersoll in 1961 where they started a business, Frank A Schmid, Jewellers. They were married for over 40 years before Frank predeceased her in November 2000.
She was a loving mother to her daughters Nancy Ann and the late Karen Vera.
Sister to the late John Owen (Genevieve) Sister-in-law to Albert Schmid (late Carol Ann) Proud Aunt to Susan Abray (Rick), Robert Owen (Teresa), Ken Owen (Betty), Linda Hills (Lee), Bill Owen (Penny), Tim Owen and Gary Schmid.
Proud Great Aunt and Great Great Aunt to many nieces and nephews.
Elsie was an active member of Trinity United Church, specifically a member of Unit 7 of the United Church Women (UCW) and the Flower Committee where she honed her skills at flower arranging. Baking pies, making jam, picking the fruit to make both, crafting weekly to create items for the Christmas Bazaar, organizing church dinners and making table arrangements for those dinners and other events created a busy schedule which she enjoyed.
She was an avid gardener and maintained a large vegetable garden and a stunning rock garden for several years.
She was an animal lover, and all neighbours knew to take any stray to Elsie!
She was one mother of several in her extended neighbourhood, they grouped together to be available to whomever, whenever.
She believed in community - with her friends, she gathered pop cans to be crushed and sold for “Coats for Kids”; and found discarded dolls and washed and made clothes for them to donate to kids at Christmas; and delivered Meals on Wheels for several years.
She was an avid reader and loved her morning read and coffee.
She loved going to thrift stores and garage sales and could see treasure where others could not.
She travelled far and wide and marked off several locations in her book “1000 Places to See Before You Die”
She was a loyal friend, wife, and mother.
She was active and fit; she learned to swim in her 40’s and walked most mornings across town and back.
She loved to have fun and laugh and explore and “poke around” in shops.
She loved to bake and would fight you for the right to lick the chocolate frosting off the spoon!
And she will be missed!
Her family and friends are grateful for the support from the Alzheimer’s Society (Woodstock location) and are grateful for the support and care received from ALL the staff at Arbor Trace where she lived from November 2018.
Friends and family will be received at McBeath-Dynes Funeral Home in Ingersoll on Thursday, October 26, 2023. Visitation 1:00pm, Service 2:00pm. There will be a short service and an interment to follow at Harris St Cemetery.
Donations in memory of Elsie can be made to the Alzheimer Society Southwest Partners (AlzSWP). https://alzswp.ca/