Lucille Martin

Eulogy: Pat Korchinski

I would like first to thank my siblings and their spouses for all their input as I try to honor my sister Lucille on behalf of our family.

Lucille was born March 8, 1951, ten minutes ahead of her twin sister Barb. That gave her the right to be the boss in our family. Jerome was the oldest and thought he was the boss but Lucille was the real boss. She was the only one of us girls who went to the barn to milk the cows, feed the pigs, horses and chickens and then come into the house to do the domestic duties. She was a second Mom to all her siblings not only while we were children but also in our adult years which also included all of our spouses. There was always food on her table to feed whoever came to the door. That was before cell phones. Pius and Anthony were more like her sons than her brothers as they were close to Joseph's age. And of course she always looked out for Jerome and made sure he didn't' starve to death.

She loved to sing and dance, play ball (she was the back catcher and when she threw the ball to you; you had better catch it or get out of the way) and she could hit the ball a mile. She played volleyball, was a curler and later in life took up golfing.

Oh, when Gerrard came into her life. To mom and dad, Gerrard was a saint. After all he was Father Kosolofski's nephew. Us girls went on a lot of adventures then as mom and dad gave us strict instructions. We could go out with Gerrard and Lucille and return home at curfew with them. Little did they know we would go to town, go our separate ways and return to what we called Frenchie's corner which is where Reynold and Joeanne live now, get back into Gerrards car and return home.

Lucille was the first one of us to get married and as Sylvia said they looked like movie stars getting married in the palace in Grande Centre called Tropicana.

Gerrard and Lucille included us older siblings in all their adventures. We would travel to the drive inn in Meadow Lake and just before we got there we would stick as many as we could in the trunk so we didn't have to pay for them; then let them out when we got inside.

And as Theresa said, Lucille could do it all. She was the true definition of a matriarch. Head of our family, her family the church and the community. She did it all. Super talented and not afraid to tackle any project. Sewing upholstery, removing flooring and tiling. You name it, she could do it. Even some things she shouldn't have been doing like moving cement blocks. She kept a huge selection of old clothing that she lent out for numerous events. She could literally have opened her own vintage store.

Lucille, Barb and I were privileged to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2018. We walked in the footsteps of our Lord. We nearly lost Lucille when she wandered into a restricted area in the Dead Sea and got stuck in the mud. Some kind souls went in and pulled her out while Barb and I stood panicking.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention our annual golf trips to BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Arizona and Mexico. Lucille made sure she brought the cards and Barb always set the wager. There were lots of laughs and tears and great great memories.

Our last adventure as sisters was in August of this year when all six of us attended the CWL National convention in Saskatoon for six days. We went to all the meetings and parties. We sang at the opening and closing Masses. We had our pictures taken at every event. They couldn't believe that we were sisters, like real siblings. And unbeknown to us we appeared repeatedly in the CWL National Magazine. We prayed, we danced we wore silly costumes, and we of course played lots of cards for money.

Lucille carried the principles of Mom and Dad throughout her whole life and her morals and values remained steadfast. She loved life and lived it to the fullest. Her faith in Jesus Christ her Lord and Savior was the light for her path. She served all of us in our family, in her family and in her community. Her work on earth was completed. She earned her place in her heavenly home. Rest in Peace. You will always remain in all of our hearts because you taught us all how to love unconditionally.

Special Tribute: Trevor Finlay

Thank you for joining us today to celebrate the life of Lucille Elizabeth Martin, loving Wife, mother and grandma. We would like to thank everyone for their support and love. We appreciate every prayer, every thought, every phone call and text message that we have received over the past week. It has been hard, and we are heartbroken. Mom has left us and no one could have seen it coming. We take comfort in knowing she is with the lord in heaven and will forever be watching over us.

Just over 30 years ago Serena and I were married in this church. Lucille was a large part of that day in every way. From decorating the hall to planning the day. The choir playing here today played on that day also...the Bender Band...Bendernackle choir what ever you want to call them they were fantastic then and they continue to amaze me. Serena and I have been fortunate to live and raise our family a half mile away from Mom and dad's house. They helped us build our house, supported us as we became parents and have been our "rock". Whenever we needed anything mom and dad were there. No matter what we needed. Having 3 boys, there was dirty diapers, a few trips to emergency, babysitting and feeding them.

The boys have a "path" to grandma's house, but they often went off the beaten track and by the time they reached grandmas they needed dry shoes and clothes, a hot chocolate and of course their favorite snack while they warmed up and watched a movie. Grandma always kept everyone's favorites snacks handy.

It has been my honor to call Lucille, mom for the past 30 years. She has been my guide, and my mentor.

Our lives have changed forever, and we will miss mom so much, but we will be ok because that is what mom would want.

Dad we are all heartbroken, but don't you worry we are here for you.

I would like to share some memories from the last week with you.

As a stroke survivor myself I know mom was aware of our presence and I know that it brings some comfort when you are surrounded by your loved ones.

Mom was surrounded by the love of her family. We shared memories, stories and songs.

Some card games were played...as many of you know mom loved to play games of any kind and liked it even better if she was winning. She particularly like hitting me when playing the marble game.

I found out that Joseph's favorite song is "Angels Among Us" by Alabama. It was played many times. Mom is definitely an "angel among us".

A song by Jelly Roll has significant meaning to us. The song is called "I am not Okay" and the lyrics go like this "god knows, I know, when it's all said and done, I am not okay, but it's all going to be all right, it's not okay, but we're all going to be all right".

What a great message and I truly believe that mom would totally agree with these lyrics. We all share the pain of losing Lucille but we're all going to be all right.

We will forever cherish Lucille. She was a loving wife of 55 years, mother of 4, grandma to 11. She was a guiding influence as we raised our children and helped them become the people they are today. Involved in every part of our lives.

The following are some messages from the family to mom and grandma:

Mom was always happy to spend time with family and friends. Sharing food, telling stories, cheering on the grandkids while playing sports, dancing, playing cards, golfing, sitting around the campfire, hanging out at the beach, kayaking and going for walks were some of her favorite things and we have countless memories of the time we spent with her. Mom loved nature and was always happy in her garden with her flowers and veggies. Finding new flowers and watching them grow and bloom brought such joy! We would often just wander around admiring all of Gods beautiful creations surrounding us. She loved waterfalls and would not hesitate to walk a long path to get to them!

When saying goodbye to grandma I told her, "You were an angel in all our lives, and now you are going to be our guardian angel and that's how I know everything is going to be alright."

Thank you, grandma, for your unconditional love, guidance and wisdom. You led by example...no one worked harder than you. Grandma, you were always on the move, whether it was baking, gardening, taking care of us or volunteering in the community. You never really knew when to stop. Now you have taken a moment to stop. Please join hands and take a moment to "stop" with Grandma.

Mom, you are the soil in our garden, the water in our waterfall, the air in our lungs and the love in our heart. We will miss you.

You have made us all better people.

We love you.

Mom gifted us with a very special message Saturday night as we opened Christmas gifts. An angel garden ornament was opened these words were written on it..."You can no longer see me but please know that I AM THERE. I am a flower in the garden, I am a butterfly in the air." Leave it to Mom to tell us exactly what we needed to hear.

Prayer Service
Sunday, December 29th, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church
Goodsoil, Saskatchewan

Mass of Christian Burial
Monday, December 30th, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.

Celebrant ~ Father Dong Doan

Co-Celebrant ~ Deacon Allan Hinger

Urn Bearers~ Her children

Honorary Urn Bearers ~ Her grandchildren

Special Tribute ~ Trevor Finlay

Eulogy ~ Pat Korchinski

First Reading ~ Pius Bender

Second Reading ~ Anthony Bender

Intentions ~ Grandchildren and Lucille's Siblings

Songs of Praise by the Bender Family

Lunch will be served at the Goodsoil Hall

Rite of Committal
St. Boniface Cemetery
Goodsoil, Saskatchewan

Survived by:
Gerrard Martin, her loving husband of 55 years, whom she married on October 25th, 1969

Her Children:
Joseph (Jeanette)
Serena (Trevor)
Venessa (Jonny)
Jeremy (Kristy)

Her Grandchildren:
Jonah, Noah, Isaiah (Keiara), Aiden, Rhea, Kennedy, Victoria, Dane, Charlotte, Alyssa and Kaelem

Predeceased by her:
Parents Joe and Lynn Bender
Mother and father-in-law Joe and Bertha Martin
Siblings Cynthia and Gerald
and numerous other family members who were dear to her heart

Memorial Donations
Heart and Stroke Foundation