Irene (Ball) Keller

Dec. 20, 1929 – Jan. 18, 2017

On Friday, December 20, 1929 on a cold winter day close to Boissevain, Manitoba a daughter was born to Frederick James Ball and his wife Annie Dennett both formerly of the United Kingdom.

This was their first born child and they named her Irene. Twenty three years later she became known to me as "Mom".

She was a special person even back then. I'm sure most of us have been told that we are special or "you are one–a–million". Well mom was extra special because she was "One-in-ten million" That was the population of Canada in 1929.

It wasn't long until she had 3 sisters and a brother.

After moving back to England they all received another sister – Aunt Do bringing the total to six.

After the death of their mother Annie in 1946, Irene and her siblings found their way back to Toronto, Canada.

In the winter of 1951-52 Irene met John Keller, they married on July 19, 1952 and had 4 wonderfully fantastic children.

Mom had a number of different occupations throughout her life which included technichian at a medical laboratory, factory worker, delivery person, fast food order cook and deisel fitter at Lace Lingerie Nylon Stocking Company now known as Victoria's Secret.

She was at the end of the production line where she would hold up every pair of panty hose and declare "Deisel Fitter"

The longest and most notable of all her life experiences was that of Wife, Mom, Gramma and Great Gramma.

She filled all of these roles with high praises.

She taught us at an early age to eat neatly and to keep our faces clean. If there was a speck of dirt on our faces or a hair out of place she was quick to correct the situation with a kleenex soaked in her spit.

She even spit on her finger last year to flatten this hair which was sticking straight up.

**Lick fingers – flatten hair **

School lunches were a mystery and always a challenge. It was usually ripe red tomato sandwiches or sugar and butter sandwiches and a banana. Somehow the waxed paper and the paper lunch bag failed to do their jobs and by lunchtime everything was a soupy mess.

UHHhh!!!!

Now I know what the spoon was for.

I think that was her way of keeping the bullies from taking our lunches.

The other day, Wayne reminded me of one of his memories.

Mom was mixing up a batch of fudge on the stove and Wayne somehow spilled some on his arm. Mom quickly grapped a pound of butter and began to chase Wayne around the house with the butter in hand. When she caught him she proceeded to rub the butter all over the fudge on his arm. Mom was only trying to relieve the pain from the hot fudge but Wayne thought she was trying to add the main ingredient – butter - before he ate it all off his arm.

I have many memories of my mom.

At an early age she would tell me the stories of when they lived at 169 Warrington Road, Penketh, North Warrington, Lanscashire, England and how during the war they would go the Red Lion pub accross the road, tug on the soldiers jackets and say

"Got any gum Chum"

You know – she rolled that address off her lips even the last time we were together.

Then there were the times that the air raid sirens would blow and all would rush to the shelter in the back yard. More times than not someone would have to go back into the house and get Earl.

Afterwards they would go through the streets collecting fragments of the exploded bombs.

Later in life she would ask me "What happened to that box of bombs, David" I would tell her that it probably was left behind in England. She was okay with that.

She would share with me how she would ride a bike through the foggy streets and a spooky forest to get more medication for for ill mother Annie.

It was important for mom to remember the old times and those were her most vivid memories as Alzheimers disease crept in.

She would often share how the six children came all alone to New York on the ship "Aquatania"and then on to Toronto

She would recall how they were given shoes on the ship and when they arrived in New York they were greeted by the press and were given peaces and hot dogs – two things they had never tasted before. That always meant a lot to her. When I was hospitalized as a child mom brought me a bag of peaches because she knew they would probably make me feel better.

Mom grew up with very little and endured through many hardships which molded her into a very giving person. She would give so much that she would have nothing left for herself. I think that she never wanted her children to experience life as she had. She and dad would always shower us with so many gifts at Christmas.

I asked her once what she would get for Christmas as a child.

She said she was so excited to receive a fresh orange to eat.

The one thing that mom treasured and did not share with anyone was her privacy and solitude.

Mom would often talk about when she met dad and how he swept her off her feet – literally. They used to go dancing at the Palace Pier in Toronto.

Living at Eden House wes reluctantly acceptable to mom. She did love pub night.

Volunteer musicians came to the home and entertained with songs of old from a different era that the residents would relate to.

Mom would say repeatedly "If dad were here he would be dancing with me".

I would suggest that we could dance. She always turned me down.

"It's not the same David" she would say.

She told Lynn that when she danced with dad she could sink her head into his chest and feel safe and secure.The world couldn't touch her there.

She shared a love of old country music with dad.

One of her favourite artists was Hank Williams.

The music that you have been listening to through the visitation time is thanks to Debbie, Faith, Shane and Dianna who put the songs together on one cd.

Her favourite song to dance to was "Tennessee Waltz" by Patti Page.

Just imagine them dancing togeter in heaven with mom's head tucked into his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her as we play that song now.

Song – Tenessee Waltz

She loved gardening. Farming days were mostly vegetables with emphasis on lots of potatoes. After the farming days she migrated to flower gardens wherever she lived.

She did, however, despise frogs with a passion and worked hard at their home in Maple Leaf Acres to keep the frogs out of her small water pond so much so that she built a frog proof fence around the pond.

She eventually removed the fence and the pond to get rid of the frogs.

I inherited mom's love of nature and the outdoors.

As a family we would go camping in the summer. I recall one camping trip when I could not find mom anywhere around the campsite. I went exploring on my own determined to find her. She was standing in the small river on a sand bar in ankle deep water eating fresh clams.

There was one time she disowned me though and even refused to acknowledge that she knew me. I am not sure why.

We were on a family adventure at Wasaga Beach.

I was 3 or 4 or maybe 5 and had to empty my bladder in the worst way.

Mom was relaxing on her blanket and told me to pee in the water. I walked out into the water up to my ankles, dropped my shorts and called back to mom "Right here mom?"

I'm not sure why she kept looking the other way – even after repeated calls.

Coming home from school to the smell of bread baking in the wood cookstove.

Christmases with relatives.

Taxi driver to all those school events

The car accident that almost took her life in 1979

Her favourite sweater – the one she is wearing now.

Making soap from scratch.

Fresh picked lillacs.

Knitting for everyone.

The first movie she took us to see at the cinema – "Born Free"

The drive- in theatre.

And the list could go on and on.

I Remember and will always remember you mom.

The last memory I have to share today is of a recent visit with her.

Mom, Debbie, Lynn and I had a very memorable and most wonderful visit that I will always cherish.

Mom was cold and asked for something to warm her up. She rquested a shot of whiskey.

The restaurant did not serve whiskey.

I had to improvise.

I filled a paper ketchup cup with ginger ale and set it on the table in front of her and said nothing.

She raised it in the air and said "Dibosia" and down the hatch it went.

"Oh, that's strong" she said as she scrunched up her face. After a second shot of GINGER ALE with the same reaction she was as warm as toast.

We visited for hours reminiscing about the things that were important to her – mostly England and times of visiting her cousins Beryl and Gwen Owens at the farm and trips to Liverpool. She talked about dancing and movies and when I mentioned the name Rock Hudson her face lit up with a big smile.

I am saying goodnight to you Mom but not goodbye until we meet again.

"Good Night Mom"

Let's sing together now the song that mom loved to hear at the end of pub night.

Song – Good Night Irene.