Maxine Beedle, a mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother will be sadly missed by her family and friends.
Maxine passed away on February 5, 2005.
A memorial service was held at the Royal Canadian Legion with a tea following by the Legion Auxiliary.
Maxine was born on June 27, 1925 in Whitewood, Saskatchewan to John and Georgina Black. They lived throughout Northern Manitoba before she joined the Army, where she met and married Ron Ballantyne.
They moved to Zabellos for a short while, then moved to Prince George where they started their family.
After the loss of her two sons they moved to Quesnel in 1955 and continued to raise their family. The family settled in the Bouchie Lake area and she lost another son and her husband Ron.
She remarried in 1961 to Dick Beedle, the family then became the Beedles and the Ballantynes.
The house was not only filled with their own children, but with many neighbor’s children as well. Between the clothes hanging on the line and strapping on her apron to fill the counters with baking, Maxine still managed to get involved in the Women’s Institute and the Girl Guides, both as a Leader and Commissioner.
As the children grew and left on their own, Maxine needed to fill her time. She volunteered with the Quesnel Crisis Line and worked at Baker Lodge, Bev’s Fabric Shop, then the Post Office, before settling in at Dunrovin.
Here she was in her element. Staff and residents loved her for her compassion, warmth, hugs, costumes and her popcorn balls.
She retired after 10 years so she and Dick could travel.
After the death of another son and husband in 1992, Maxine moved into the Dragon Lake area. There was less yard work, no stairs, but she always missed the old house that was always filled with children.
We will miss her and the warmth and smells and memories she created for us.
We are all holding the strings of your apron mom, an apron no one can fill.
We love you mom...Patti Anderson, Marylou Apps, Wayne Ballantyne, Diana LaRouque, Rick Beedle, Barb Hudson, Ed Beedle, Lynn Sampson, Elizabeth Onciul, Juanita Curtis and all your grand, great and great, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and sister Ginger Howden and brother John Black.
Maxine was predeceased by sons Ryan, Aaron, John and David Ballantyne and husband Dick Beedle.
The family would like to thank Dr. Leroux, the staff from Long Term Care and all her wonderful caregivers who made it possible to keep mom in her home for as long as we could. To the staff of Dunrovin, thank you for making her last month comfortable and peaceful.