WALKER Melba

September 23, 1933 – April 15, 2013
It is with both sadness, and a sense of relief that Melba’s family shares the news of her passing. The struggles encountered as a result of a stroke 12 years ago ended in Wynyard SK. on April 15th with family by her side.
Melba was born in Melita, MB on September 23, 1933, the 4th child and first daughter of Allister and Millie Ross(nee Coates). After completing her normal schooling in Melita and venturing to Alberta to take a secretarial course, Melba returned to Melita to marry James Henry Walker on July 11, 1953. Jim and Melba returned to Alberta, where they started their family. Ross was born in Edmonton in 1954 and in 1956 the move was made to Calgary where Terri Lynn was born.
In 1982 Jim and Melba moved to Lethbridge when Jim took a job with the City of Lethbridge Electric System. In 1989 they began a new life as busy retirees. Their active retirement years ended when Melba suffered a stroke in February 2001. After the stroke, Melba made a few moves to various locations until finally in 2011 she settled into Golden Acres Lodge in Wynyard SK. under the watchful eye of the staff and family.
Everyone who knew Melba knew how happy she was when she became a Grandma. When Ashley and then Leanna joined the family life was pretty much complete! Of course it then got better when the two great-grandsons arrived. Although she really didn’t get a chance to be a big part of Dylan and Rydir’s lives she was very proud to be called ‘Great-Grandma’.
Melba was many things to many people. She was a loving wife; a supportive Mom; mother-in-law; Grandma and Great-Grandma. She was a sister; sister-in-law; an aunt; a steadfast and loyal friend. Music and dancing were sources of great enjoyment, and she never said no to a good party or dinner invitation. For as many as she attended she always reciprocated. She was a sports fan and also a participant in many sports. She loved curling and in later years golf. She was to her dying day a staunch Stampeder and Flames fan. She was a vicious crib player and in fact enjoyed games of all sorts. Everyone who ever played against her, or with her, be it a sport or game of any sort knew the rules and knew they were in for some stiff competition. Her indomitable spirit lives on in the memories of all those left to miss her.
Her husband Jim; her son Ross and his wife Lonna ; her granddaughters Ashley and Leanna and their children, Dylan and Rydir, all of Wynyard; her daughter Terri Lynn(Diane) of New Westminster; her sister Barb Robertson (Boyd) of Onanole, MB; her brother Doug Ross (Lavina) of Vernon, BC; and special friends Shirley and Murdoch McPherson of Lethbridge. Melba is also survived by a large number of nieces and nephews and all of their families, too numerous to mention by name as well as a contingent of life-long friends in various places with whom she spent many memorable times with.
She was predeceased by her parents, Allister and Millie and her brothers Jack(1982) and Roy (2008)
A celebration of Melba’s life will be held at McInnis & HOLLOWAY’S Crowfoot Chapel (82 Crowfoot Circle N.W), on Friday, May 3, 2013 at 2:00pm. A grave side service will be held in the Melita MB cemetery later this year. (date to be determined)
If you so desire, memorial tributes may be made to the Melita Health Unit or the Melita United Church, Melita, Manitoba R0M 1L0