September 8, 1930 - January 22, 2023
Margaret passed away peacefully on January 22, 2023, at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
Margaret leaves to mourn sons Garry (Ann), Ronald (Lynda); grandsons Aaron, Stuart, Matthew (Connor), Jesse, Graham, Russell; granddaughter Heather (Brad); and five great-grandchildren.
Margaret is also survived by her sisters: Isabella Hemphill, Mae Corcoran, Carol (Vern) Lindsey, and Violet (Marcel) Stocker and her brothers: Bob Graham and Don (Charlene) Graham and sister-in-law: Lauranne Graham.
Margaret was predeceased by her husband Gordon (2016) and son Larry (2014); her parents George (1971) and Stella (1990) and her brothers: Garfield, Laurence, Jackie, Hugh and George Graham and her sisters: Jenny Smallwood and Myrtle Mowles, sister-in-law Betty Graham.
Margaret (Mom)was born September 8, 1930, the fifth child of Stella and George Graham. She was born on a farm near Heward Sask where she lived till her teens. She was a typical farm girl from a big family who had chores and walked a few miles to a one-room school with one teacher who taught all grades.
Mom, like so many country girls, went to work at a young age. She clerked in the local store and worked as a waitress in Stoughton, Sask.
Mom always played in sports and while playing ball she met her coach and soon-to-be husband, Gordon Robinson. There is a story that the coach benched Mom, and she was furious, but when she went home there was her coach sitting at the dinner table being doted over by her Mom.
Mom and Dad were married in 1948 and moved to Regina, where Larry, Garry and Ronald were born. Mom was mostly a stay-at-home Mom until 1962 when she landed a job at Sask. Medi-care. Mom worked in various Government of Saskatchewan agencies until her retirement in 1987.
After Mom's retirement, Mom and Dad moved to Parksville. Mom curled and started golfing. She had a hole-in-one while golfing with Gordon and her grandson Russell. She taught fitness classes in the Legion and church and taught yoga into her late 80's.
When Mom was a child living near Heward, their house caught on fire and the family lost everything including one of Mom's little brothers. Mom never forgot how the community came together with donations enabling the family to buy a house in Stoughton and she expressed her gratitude throughout her life by volunteering for many organizations.
She held offices in all the churches she attended, taught Sunday school, and worked with the folks in special care homes including volunteering at Trillium for 20 years. While she was fighting cancer she said going to Trillium was good therapy as folks there had more problems than she had.
When Larry was in cubs Mom volunteered to help at Father and Son banquet. She was horrified to find they served canned wieners and beans with ice cream Dixie cups.
At the next parents meeting Mom gave her opinion and was told if she can do better take the job. She took on the catering, and with help from friends served turkey and cabbage rolls with Angel food cake made from scratch.
Mom will be remembered in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area for catering at the church, curling rinks and for friends' special occasions. Her fresh-baked pies and Yorkshire pudding with all the trimmings were hits.
If you ever worked with her preparing meals you would realize she was a fanatic about hot plates. And woe to anyone that dared to serve her soup in a cold bowl. She was never happier than being surrounded by and cooking for family and friends. The grandchildren loved her mud pies, chocolate mousse cakes and oreo cookies.
Mom enjoyed life to the fullest and her family and friends were very important to her. She always said how lucky she was to have so much love from her family, even the grandchildren teasing her, tongue in cheek, about avoiding "the mean side of Grandma".
In her life, Mom touched many and as one relative said, she made the world a better place. No better tribute can be asked of her life.
Donations to a local Cancer Society or charity of your choice are welcome in Mom's memory.