Margaret Beth Kraft (nee Perry) died peacefully at the age of 90 at Jubilee Manor in Nelson BC, on April 9, 2015.
She was born August 27, 1924, at the family farm near Lewvan, Saskatchewan. She recalled her life on the farm with her parents and seven siblings as a very busy and happy time despite the challenges of the depression and years of drought.
Mom enlisted in the Canadian Women’s Army Corps at the age of 18 and served her country first in Vermillion, Alberta, then Ottawa, and finally Shilo, Manitoba. It was in Shilo that she met her soon-to-be husband, Dave Kraft, a dashing young paratrooper who would occasionally jump out of airplanes in fright (sic).
Dave remained in the army after the war and he and Beth raised their children Perry, Brenda, and Candace while enjoying postings in Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Alberta.
When they retired, Beth and Dave spent a summer traveling through British Columbia searching for the ideal place to begin the next phase of their lives. They chose to settle in Creston, BC. It was surrounded by mountains which Dave loved but also had a wide open valley to remind Beth of the prairies. Dave got a job with the BC Forest Service and began a second career as a lookout man on the Thompson mountain and then later in the field of silviculture. Beth was always busy tending a large garden in the summer and taking care of their fruit trees. Camping with their children and grandchildren was always a favourite activity. Both Beth and Dave were delighted with their eight grandchildren: Dorian, Ryan, Tom, Katie, Johann, David, Luke and Adam. It was Beth’s dream to have a great-grandchild and she was finally blessed with a great-grandson, Conrad, in 2012.
Beth and Dave were married 59 years when Dad passed away in 2006 at the age of 84. May they rest in peace together as content as they lived in life.
Our family would like to express out sincere thanks and appreciation to the staff and residents of Jubilee Manor where Mom spent her final years. Their care was
exceptional in every way.