White Domain

There were a number of eulogies at Edna's funeral. Here are two.

The first was written and delivered by Tracy Ireton, a daughter-in-law.

On May 19, 1917 the world was blessed with a person who would eventually come to influence the lives of many people in a quiet and unselfish way – not the least of which were her 7 children.

I am honoured to share a few thoughts and memories of Edna, fondly referred to by her sister Gladys as "Ed" and to us as "Mum".

There are endless amounts of words and stories that could be used to describe her life. She led a simple life, but by no means was she a simple woman.

Her many quiet passions included the Women's Institute, of which she was a Lifetime Member, the Literary Club and the Old Time Fiddlers. She enjoyed many a good game of cards with Gladys and Bill, Cliff and Iva, Herb and Ellen, Cecil and Esther Devlin and Gordon and Wilma McIntosh to name only a few. She was a fantastic cook and if there are buns better than hers, I have not tasted them... she could make the best gravy out of virtually nothing in the bottom of the roast pan!

In the early days of raising her family she worked on the family farm, she spent an enormous amount of time cooking and cleaning, raising chickens and selling eggs.

I can share with you the first time we met. It was 1984. John had picked me up in town and we headed out to the farm. We went into the house and on into the dining room... there was her table – I knew it was a table because I could see the 4 legs holding it up! I could not see the top of the table because it was covered in food and surrounded by people laughing and joking. She called for me to "sit in" and eat as though we had known each other forever and despite the fact that her table was already full.

Because my memory is not nearly as sharp as hers, I cannot recall exactly who else was around that table!

I would soon come to learn that this was not an isolated incident and that a trip to Mum's had always meant that you could not leave until you ate a meal or at least had a cup of tea.

She was an avid gardener. The tomato seeds were to be started by March 19th, ashes went on the rhubarb as soon as it came through the ground and the peonies ideally should be blooming in early June.

Her sense of humour and her wit followed her everywhere and always... I recall a day that Bob had worked in the front flower gardens – getting them planted and watered and looking really quite nice... he was pretty proud of his work.

Enter the family dog. "Old Sidney" as Mum called him... well "Old Sidney" and John had disposed of a nuisance ground hog earlier in the week and John had left the dead ground hog back on the pasture. Now you see, I think Sidney must have had a bit of Mum's green thumb and perhaps he thought Bob's garden needed a little fertilizing. He dragged the ground hog home and half buried it – guess where?... lo and behold, Bob came across this dead and decomposing thing in his beloved garden – well let's just say that Mum saw the humour in this act of kindness more than Bob did! I can still hear and see her laughing to this day!

It is no surprise that Mum always took an interest in what was happening in her family. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren were her pride and joy.

Her list of passions is long – her one obsession however that cannot go unmentioned is her love of quilts and quilting. The many quilts that you saw displayed here are but a tiny sample of the beautiful work that she has created over the course of her life – working into the wee hours of the morning many a night – even after 2 strokes left her only able to use 1 hand, she continued to produce quilts that left us in awe.

I am certain that I could spend all day here talking about her life and all of the ways that she has earned the tremendous amount of love and respect that each of us has for her. She had an unwavering spirit and will. She is truly the Matriarch of this family and the thread that has bound us all together.

Thank you.

The second eulogy was written and delivered by her granddaughter, Julie Ireton.

For Jeff it was her homemade buns...
For Derek it was her apple pie.
For Dan it was her sense of humour and witty comments
And for me it was her incredible memory... for dates and details... especially the weather.

These are some of the things we’ll remember about our Grandma Ireton.

As the eldest of Edna’s 13 grandchildren and five great grandchildren…I looked up to my Grandma as the matriarch…head of the Ireton family... a strong role model for us all.

She was so strong, I had to remind myself from time to time, she wasn’t always going to be here. Every year, we celebrated her birthday with a family gathering…She hit some real milestones over the past few years... 90, 91, 92...Even though she’d battled back after a stroke, she was living with diabetes and heart disease... she just kept going... like the energizer bunny.

My friends still talk in amazement about seeing my Grandma at my wedding... seven years ago. Long after the ceremony, the cake was eaten and dancing was over... a large group of us hung out by a camp-fire, singing and carrying-on. After one in the morning... there was Grandma... still sitting in her wheelchair by the fire... laughing at the antics and wanting to stay to the very end...

While life wasn’t always easy, Grandma built an impressive family that would always surround her like a warm embrace. We have a uncommon kind of closeness. All seven Ireton kids and all the grandkids have stayed in eastern Ontario…rarely more than an hour or more drive away. And for some... well... only footsteps away.

So it’s very lucky that I got to share something with Grandma on Sunday evening we hadn’t had for a very long time... a whole hour and a half alone... just the two of us... visiting, talking, laughing. She was in bed. But she was still so sharp, witty and man, that memory.

We talked about our travels together, my kids, who she loved to see and hear about…And she talked about her other grandkids... filling me in on Mary Ellen’s broken knee and lamenting the fact Jason is so far away.

Although the last week has been difficult, we all got a chance to say good-bye in our own ways... What a blessing. And over the past few days together, we’ve been able to reflect on a life well-lived... one that touched each of us so deeply.

You ask Sarah what she remembers and she talks about Grandma’s old ’68 Lemonz... A green bullet that Grandma drove with pride. Sarah remembers it went like stink. Laurie talks about that old car too... with vinyl seats and no seat-belts. She says when Grandma took corners, it was like being on the tilt-a-whirl. Everyone remembers she liked to drive fast... It had a 350 small block engine... (I picked up that information somewhere)... And as teens that car made our Grandma really cool.

But you know, she wasn’t always fast cars, sunshine and happiness. She didn’t take any crap off any of us. And Blair in particular says he remembers getting a tin ear on more than one occasion... but he can’t really recall why!

Our Grandma was unique, creative and generous.

Maggie seems to have her smile. Mary Ellen has her drive and determination to be a wife, mother and farmer. Aislyn, Hillary and Aidan have her love for the farm that she lived on for close to 70 years. Jennifer has her ease with hosting huge family events.

And Jeff... well, we’re getting him the recipe for Grandma’s homemade buns. And we expect him to bring some to the next Ireton gathering... and we’ll eat them up in Grandma Ireton’s honour.