It is with deep sadness and sorrow, that we announce the peaceful passing of a wonderful Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother and Great Great Grandmother in her 93rd year.
Elsie was born in London, England and was a war bride who survived the 1940 Blitz in the UK. She married William (Bill) Naroski (1919-1986) in 1946 and moved to Sturgis, Saskatchewan along with their first child Carole. That new family trio would finally settle in Fort William (Thunder Bay).
Elsie worked as a Red Cross homemaker and once her children were grown, she worked in the cafeterias of Selkirk and Hammarskjold, eventually retiring from Westgate in 1992. The staff often came to chat with Elsie and the students looked forward to the new menu items and fresh muffins in the morning.
Remaining active in retirement, Elsie enrolled in a clogging class at the 55+ Centre where she met her second husband, Pat McManus (1921-2008). They were married in 1994 and were active with the Happy Cloggers and June’s Cloggers. Elsie became somewhat of a music director by putting all the songs together on tapes and CDs for their performances. Elsie would delightfully sew matching costumes to suit each occasion's performance.
Knitting was her passion and she created numerous outfits for all of the preemie babies and donated them to the hospital. Her knitting even promoted her to a ‘Nanny's Knitting’ business class at the post office. Elsie was pretty tech savvy with her computer and cell phone but would still mail handwritten postcards and letters to family and friends around the world.
Elsie baked relentlessly, her date squares and ginger snaps were enjoyed by many. She travelled the world over, including Australia, Hawaii, from coast to coast across Canada and back ‘home’ to Essex England.
As large as Elsie’s family was, she always found more space in her heart to take in foster children, because eight just wasn’t enough. She was also a Godmother to other children throughout the years.
If you visited Elsie, you could easily tell that violet flowers were very special to her. She had numerous violet tea cups and teapots wearing knitted cozies to keep them warm. Her home was a kind of shrine for all things Royal Family.
In Elsie’s later years, she always had the support and assistance from family and the fortune of two angels, Trudy and Faith. We cannot express our gratitude enough for all of the time you gave to Mum. You both went over and above the call of duty for any home care provider. Elsie also was a palliative care volunteer and a long-time member of the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 5. She was an active member of St. Michael's and All Angels Anglican Church. Elsie was an original ‘Swim Mom’ with the Thunderbolts back in 1972 when the club was formed.
Elsie lived to 93, and because there is some feistiness in the Jackson lineage, she truly leaves a legacy of chubby cheeks and strong willed children to carry on for generations to come. She will truly be missed by so many friends, neighbours, relatives, physicians and her forever grateful children for teaching us so many moral and ethical values of life. We miss you eternally.
Elsie is survived by her brother Bernard (Sue), children Carole (Tom), Judy, Wendy, Kevan, Rosanne (Craig), Melanie (Allen), Shaun (Barbara) and Daryn (Silvie).
Grandchildren Kyle, Ryan, Kaila, Nathan, Richard, Carly, Neil, Brittany, Amie, Rachel, Kathleen, Tess, Hannah, Alexandra and Taylor. Great Grandchildren Alisa, Jordan, Niven, Finlay, Myles, Mabel, Jane, Brock and Great Great Grandchild, Noah.
Stepchildren Tim (Christine), Danny (Michele), Mary Anne and Jennifer. Step Grandchildren Greg, Kate, Allie and Riley. Predeceased by parents Richard and Rose Jackson, siblings Alan, Kathleen, Peter, Marian, Josephine, Maureen and Anne, husbands Bill Naroski and Pat McManus and grandson Jordan Mosa.
The family wishes to sincerely thank Drs. Stewart Kennedy, Sarrazin, Cassie, Bon, Migay and Bezanson. Nurses April, Lorraine, Chantal and Ruth (St. Joseph’s) and all other health care workers. Your care and compassion meant the world to us.
Cremation has taken place and an interment will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Michael's and All Angels Anglican Church or the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
