Thelma Doreen (Catte) Lawrence

Thelma Doreen Lawrence (nee Catte)

October 28, 1924 – September 8, 2023

It is with heavy hearts, the family says Farewell to their Mom, Grandma, and Great Grandma, Thelma Doreen Lawrence (nee Catte), on Friday, September 8, 2023, at the age of 98 years.  Thelma’s husband, Wesley, passed away in 2015. They were married and together for 72 years.

Thelma was born on October 28, 1924 in the family home on the farm in Lavenham, MB, to Cecil Catte and Mary (Nattrass).  She was a happy child with two older sisters, Mae and Merle to play with, and two younger brothers, Stan and Dennis.  She was reading long before she started school, and attended Ladysmith School, skipping grades to be with her sisters.

Thelma married Wesley Howard Lawrence on December 22, 1943 during World War II. They were married at Westminster United Church in Winnipeg on a weekend before Christmas.  Mom always said they had $20.00 when they pooled their money together.  When they moved to the rented farm 2 miles north of Treherne on Boyne Valley Road, they used their $20.00 to buy baby chicks to raise and sell.  From this meagre beginning, Mum and Dad eventually bought the farm in 1960, and remained there for 72 years.

Mum was a devoted wife, mother, and homemaker, and a partner in the farm. She worked hard with livestock, helping feed and water and tend the animals when Dad was busy in the fields. She raised chickens and hens, and sold eggs every Saturday in Treherne to her favourite customers.  She always had a beautiful garden with rows and rows of raspberry bushes.  Those raspberries, and cream from the cows she milked every morning and night, paid for clothes for school, and all the things a growing family needs. In those days, we had to buy even our own textbooks.

Mum loved to sew, and sewed most of her own clothes as well as her kids. She also loved baking, and spent all day Friday baking pies, cakes and bread for the following week. There was always fresh cookies when we came home from school, or fresh buns from the oven.  Mum liked to keep busy, and would always have needlepoint or knitting on the go. For many years, there was always new mittens at Christmas for grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  She was an avid reader her whole life, and belonged to the Lending Library which sent books by mail. It was always a happy day when a new parcel of books arrived.

Mum also loved curling, and curled with the Treherne Ladies, serving as Secretary of the Ladies Curling Club for decades.  Mum and Dad enjoyed sports of all kinds, and enjoyed watching games when their children were playing.  In later years they enjoyed watching TSN and Sports Net, and all the baseball, curling, and hockey games that would be shown on TV. They were in their 80’s when they travelled with a bus tour to watch baseball games in Minneapolis and had a great time.

Mum was a member of the Treherne United Church, and took part in many fundraisers for the church, including teas, concerts, Fall Suppers, and Treherne United Church Ladies her whole life. She was also a lifelong member of the Treherne Hospital Auxiliary, and supported the hospital in Treherne in many ways.  She was a great baker, and often won first prize at Treherne Fair for her baking and sewing, knitted mittens and toques, quilts, and petite point pictures.

Mum and Dad loved Old Time Music, and loved to attend Old Time Dances and Fiddling Contests all over southern Manitoba.  During her over 30 years working at the Treherne Post Office, she made many friends while giving out the mail. In those days, no one carried a key, everyone just went in and asked. The good old days. She had lots of laughs with Harvey and Mona Hyde, Vic Good, and Eva Finnen.

Mum cherished her family, and loved when everyone would get together and share food and stories, and play cards or shuffleboard. She did her best to keep the family together and close, and planned many family reunions, birthday parties, and special occasions.

Besides her husband Wes, Mum was predeceased by her sisters, Mae Verbrugge, and Merle Hebert and brother Stanley Catte.

She is survived by her brother, Dennis (Anne) Catte, sons, Kenneth (Pat), Gary (Rita, deceased), and daughter Linda (Larry Lamb); Grandchildren, Rick (Pam) Lawrence and Lori (Travis) James, Michael (Carrie) Lawrence, Jeffrey (Lisa) Lawrence and Nancy (Reg) Lemoine; and Kevin (Jodee) Adair, Kimberley Adair (Rob Gagnon) and Jennifer Adair (Dan Dawson);  Great Grandchildren, Seth and Mia James, Reyanna (Braidy) Fehr and Ryan Lawrence, and Great Great Grandson Hudson Fehr;

Caden Lawrence, Ethan and Jackson Lawrence, Wyatt and Emmett Lemoine; and Jillian and Kolby Adair, Claire Adair Gagnon, Quinn and Archer Dawson.

We are happy Mum will be reunited with Dad, and we miss them both.

A private family interment will take place at Woodlands Cemetery.  A Celebration of Thelma’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at the Treherne United Church with Heather Grobb officiating. 

Friends that so wish, memorial donations can be made in her memory to the Canadian Cancer Society, 415-1st St., Brandon, MB, R7A 2W8 or to a charity of choice.

Online condolences can be sent to the Lawrence family by visiting Thelma’s profile page at www.willmorchapel.com.  Jamieson’s Funeral Services of Holland, MB, in care of arrangements.

Mum’s favourite song,

“When you walk through a storm, Hold your head up high, and don’t be afraid of the Dark.

At the end of the storm, is a golden sky, and the sweet silver song of a lark,

Walk on, walk on, with Hope in your Heart,

 And you’ll never walk alone.”

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