Margaret Julia WARD

MARGARET JULIA OSTER Beloved daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by her daughters, Joan (Ken) MacTavish of Fort Frances, Ont., and their children, Jim, John, Bruce, Robbie, and Nancy; Nora (George) Paulenko of Fort Frances, Ont., and their children, Heather, Jacqueline, and Catherine; Madeline (Patrick) McColman of Kagawong, Ont., and their children, Ernie, Victoria, Patricia, and Cynthia; Dorothy (Werner) Doebele of Keremeos, B.C., and their son, Charles; Eileen (Ed) Sobkowich of Winnipeg, Man., and their children, Dale, Lori, and Scott; and Kathleen (Tony) Pankuch of Thunder Bay, Ont., and their children, George, Jane, and Susan; and her sons, Jim (Diane) Oster of Fort Frances, Ont., and their son, Bradley; John (Norma) of Bridgewater, N.S., and their children, Sarah, Rebecca, and Patrick; Brian of Sudbury, Ont., and his daughter, Kris-Ann; and Lawrence (Laura) of Castlegar, B.C., and their children, Paul and Jennifer. Margaret also is survived by her brother, Edward James Ward of Edmonton, Alta.; 26 grandchildren (listed above with their parents); and 21- great-grandchildren, Katie, Mallory, Emily, Spencer, Ian, Benjamin, Christopher, Joshua, Brendan, Olivia, Kennedy, Avery Rose, Liam, Cameron, Cassidy, Brendan, Skylar, Aaron, Matthew, Kaitlyn, and Megan Julia. She was predeceased by her parents, Edward and Edith (Thomas) Ward; her beloved husband, Leo Patrick Oster; her eldest son, Leo Francis; two brothers, Sidney and Thomas; and only sister, Martha (Jack) Reynolds. Born Margaret Julia Ward on Sept, 5, 1912 in Pinewood, Ont., she was raised and educated there until entering St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg to pursue her nursing training (RN). After graduation in 1935, she remained at St. Boniface. Then in 1936, she married Leo Francis Oster and subsequently left nursing to raise a young family in Stratton, Ont. She returned to nursing at La Verendrye Hospital in 1954 and continued as head nurse, Pediatrics/Geriatrics, until her well-deserved retirement in 1974. Margaret was an active member of the C.W.L. for 50 years and also a member of the Grey Nuns Association. Prayers and visitation will be held Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2004 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Fort Frances. Funeral services will be held Thursday, Sept. 9, 2004 at 10 a.m., with Fr. Francis Pudicherry officiating. Pallbearers will be Mike Cawston, Brad Oster, Dale Sobkowich, George Pankuch, Jerry Donaldson, and John McTavish. Honourary pallbearers will be Madelyn Manley, Betty Mueller, Kaye Latonas, Margaret Rousseau, Bonnie Carlson, Gladys Payne, Madeline Martin, Paulette DeVos, and Louise Chambers. In lieu of flowers, in memoriam donations may be made to the Development and World Peace Fund, c/o St. Mary’s Church in Fort Frances. Margaret’s earthly remains will rest at Holy Cross Cemetery in Fort Frances, beside her husband Leo, beloved partner in death as well as in life. In addition to her devout faith, the greatest joy in Margaret’s life was her large and loving family. She was never happier than when she could be close to all of them at one time. Time is cherished, day by day and only God knows when . . . the breath we take will be our last- and we won’t pass this way again. All our days are numbered, but love will still live on . . . in every heart that we have touched, and in the lives we built upon. Cherished Time-Jill Lemming, 1999