Ev (Evelyn) Klause died suddenly on January 25, 2017 at the Royal Masonic Care Home in Vancouver, BC after four days of gently administered palliative care. She is lovingly remembered by her daughters, Elrose and Verna Klause, son-in-law Peter, grandchildren, Darla, Skylar and Ethan Budden and Gregory and Summer Kinash as well as sisters, Frances, Betty, Dorothy and Gladys, brother, Lawrence, brother-in-law, Art Klause, their spouses and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Norman, her beloved son, Timothy, her parents and her sisters, Rose and Vera. Ev was born on March 6, 1927 to Gus and Elsie Mantay and was raised on a farm close to Springside. She worked on her parent's farm, attended bible school in Edmonton and worked in Yorkton prior to marrying Norman Klause in October of 1952. They farmed together just outside of Saltcoats for over 50 years until Norman's death in 2005, living on the same farmyard for most of those years. In 2006 Ev moved to Vancouver to be closer to Verna and her family and to avoid the "beastly" Saskatchewan winters. Her formative years gave her a lifelong appreciation for sports and sporting competitions. After becoming a resident of Vancouver she traded her passion for the Saskatchewan Rough Riders and Yorkton Terriers to the Vancouver Canucks. Ev was determined and resilient. Although she was only able to attend school until Grade 9, she completed adult equivalency classes after her family no longer needed her attention. She supplemented the family farm income by driving a bus on a Saltcoats school bus route, working in the laundry department at the Yorkton Hospital and preparing meals for road crews in the Saltcoats area. She was passionate about providing hospitality, especially with her food. Coffee and something to eat were always on offer to anybody who dropped by. Ev loved to travel and would often visit her daughters wherever they happened to be and accompany them on longer trips. Norman was content to go on shorter day trips with her in Saskatchewan. Until shortly before Norm's death, they often travelled country roads selling Watkins products, but mainly driving and visiting friends and acquaintances. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2010 and in the subsequent years required increasing assistance with day to day life. Even with this devastating disease she was able to show her concern and compassion for those around her, alternately brighten or frustrate the people who gave her assistance and helped her remember her life was meaningful. At an earlier memorial service in Vancouver the Chaplain of the Care Home lovingly reminded us that Ev was one of a kind. Although her memory was often clouded during her final years, we and those who were around her, will remember her sense of humour and her ability to compensate for her illness by constantly documenting the small details of her life. She may not have remembered what she ate or if she had taken her medications, but everything was recorded in the notebooks she kept, so that she could refer to them. Especially important to her in the final years of her life was her never faltering religious faith. Cremation has taken place and her family has arranged a Memorial Service to celebrate her life with all her friends and family members at Heritage Baptist Church in Yorkton, SK on Friday, August 4, 2017 at 1:30 pm, to ensure that she will miss all of the Saskatchewan winter that she was so averse to. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer Society Canada (www.alzheimer.ca). Friends so wishing may forward their condolences to the family by visiting www.christiesfuneralhome.com. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Christie's Funeral Home & Crematorium, Yorkton, Saskatchewan.
