Irene Hamerton

  • Irene Hamerton
  • Date of Passing: September 5, 2017
  • Born: April 7, 1933

Obituary

Irene Hamerton, age 84, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 5, 2017 after several months of illness. She was predeceased by her loving husband, John L. Hamerton.

She was the beloved mother to: Kate (Dino) and Sarah (Jim); sister to: Christine (Peter) and Cherry (John); stepmother to: Susan and Michael (Joy); grandmother to: Keith and Colin; step-grandmother to: Peter and Melina; aunt to: Jeremy (Karen), Christopher, Rebecca (Brendan), James, and Anna (Eoin), and great-aunt.

A gentle soul, thoughtful, compassionate, interested in everything, loving and full of wit, she was treasured by her family.

On April 7, 1933, Irene was born to Irene Beatrice and Frederick Keith Tuck of East Grinstead, Sussex, England.

She had a wonderful childhood in a close family and made living in southern England during the Blitz, and the hardships of war, into adventures shared with her sisters, and stories to delight her daughters and grandchildren.

After taking her A-levels, Irene trained in Library Science and worked for several English libraries, public, private, veterinary and medical.

As Librarian of the Pediatric Research Unit at Guy’s Hospital in London, she met John. Together with Kate, Sarah and Susan they moved to Winnipeg in 1969.

She prepared the index and bibliography of John’s two-volume genetics textbook and worked as a librarian, including over 17 years in the Manitoba Department of Natural Resources.

In 1980, she and John began their farming life with 5 acres near Cooks Creek. After getting 3 sheep to “keep down the alfalfa,” they embarked on 25 years of sheep-farming, buying 80 acres near Anola in 1992.

Irene loved gardening, taking after her father, and she loved animals, feeding many an orphaned lamb and loving many cats and dogs. She navigated the adventures and hard work of farming life with humor and delight, even dodging bears in the bush! Always a nature lover, she adored trees and walking, camping, dog-sledding, and hiking the Rockies with John and the Manitoba Naturalists.

She and John were avid readers and theatre-goers. She was a wonderful hostess who befriended scientists and sheep farmers. She was a supportive wife, and the kindest of mothers, indulging her daughters by recounting pets’ adventures and transcribing their poems on birthdays and Christmases.

After John passed away in 2006, Irene moved to Brandon to be near Sarah. At 73, she began “visiting the elderly” at Hillcrest Place Personal Care Home, outliving 3 of her 4 charges and regaling her daughters with her stories. She befriended new neighbors and attended many symphony concerts with new friends who became dear to her. She took joy in her grandchildren.

Irene loved her adopted Canada but also her visits to family. She had a rich, full life and stoically accepted what came her way. She chose to end her suffering open-eyed and with principle and dignity.

We thank the nurses and support staff of the Palliative Care Unit of the Assiniboine Center in Brandon. Drs. Edward and Hunter, Dr. Wiebe and the MAID team, for their kindness and care in her final days and at the end of her life. We are inspired by her kindness and strength of mind, and will always honor and remember her life and example.

In lieu of flowers donations in memory of Irene can be made to Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF), 720 Spadina Avenue, Suite 402, Toronto, ON M5S 2T9 or to Care Canada, Donation Processing Centre, PO Box 2359 Station Main, Winnipeg, MB R3C 4A6.

A memorial will be held in Brandon, Oct. 7, 2017; for information, email ihamertonmemorial@gmail.com.

Funeral Details

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