Obituary of Doris Famulak

Doris passed away on Friday March 25, 2011 in Birch Cottage Bethany group in Camrose at the age of 97 years. She was born March 13, 1914 in Halley, Alberta to Elko and Rose Willisko. Left to cherish her memory are children Rudy (Pat) Famulak, Sig (Aloysia) Famulak, Irene (Bob) Lowe and David (Ginny) Famulak. 10 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and one sister Pauline Macahonic. Doris was predeceased by her husband Frank, four brothers and two sisters. Mom was married at a young age, 17 to be exact. Being so young she would have to mature in a hurry, adjusting to married life and work on a farm. At that time luxuries like running water, electricity or phones were non existent and to top it off they had live with the parents. That couldn't have been too much fun. A few years later they decided to venture off on their own, assuming a mortgage for two quarters of land, to try make a living. The real test in their lives came during the depression, when Mom and Dad could only make the interest payments, just to keep the bank from foreclosing. Even during these tough times Mom still managed to find time to take up softball and joined a local softball team known as the Elliswick Bluebirds. Birdie Fowler founder of the Camrose Booster News was one of her team mates. From 1934 to 1937 this team's only means of transport for travel to play their opponents, was the back of Birdie's dad's truck. There were no highways then, so one can imagine these women bouncing up & down the dusty rough roads getting to their destination. Despite all this, the team eventually went on to become provincial champs with Mom being one of the star players. Mom always had a competitive edge. No matter what game she played she wanted to win. Curling and bowling later became Mom's other favourite sporting activities, and participated in them well into her 80's. In curling she became a member the prestigious 8 ender club, which means her team counted the maximum of eight points in one end. A feat that rarely if ever occurs today. If you're a curler like I was you have to feel for the other team. Mom belonged to the Rose City Bowling league and over the years accumulated numerous trophies. So between curling and bowling the walls in the basement became lined with many trophies. Her other favourite past times were fishing and gardening. She was no less competitive in these, always wanting to catch the biggest fish and grow the largest vegetables. Her raspberry patch probably supplied half of Camrose. She would spend a lot of time in her big garden at war with the weeds, ass in the air and hoe in hand, never knowing when to take a break. Her work ethic was "go hard or go home". We used to call her the "wild fisher" woman because when casting, her hook would often come flying back into boat and end up getting stuck in her life jacket, sweater or on anyone else near by. At times like this I would purposely leave her struggle trying getting herself unstuck, while I would keep saying "Oh I just had bite! "or "Mom I got one"! This would frustrate her even more struggling to get unstuck. Of course after a minute or two I would always help her get free. Mom had a pretty good sense of humour and knew I liked to tease her. For years Mom came with Bob & Irene and our families to the Blue Feather Fish derby in Lac la Bich where she would win prizes for herself or in combo with the grandkids. Mom was always a very lucky person. She would enter draws and win; play bingo and win; go to casinos and win. She definitely accumulated her fair share in winnings through out her lifetime. Irene took her out to the casino on her birthday just a couple of weeks ago, and as usual she was a winner. Mom by no means had a gambling habit, always played for fun and knew when to quit. Although winning prizes or money is considered lucky by some, most would agree that having good health and a long life to be lucky. By good fortune Mom had both. She also loved playing cards with her neighbours, friends and family. After Sunday dinners she always brought out the cards and encouraged everyone to play. Most of the card games she liked to played involved winning some sort of jackpot or a little cash prize just for added fun. We all made sure we brought plenty of nickels and dimes when ever we came over. Before starting any card game we would always tease her about whether or not we were going to play regular rules or Camrose rules. Mom and her friends would often modify card rules if they didn't like them. Mom had a thing about tardiness. If you ever had to pick Mom up for any occasion she was always ready at least an hour in advance. You never had to wait. In turn she expected the same from all her children. If you were ever late even fifteen minutes her famous lines were "I thought something happened to you already" or "I thought you weren't coming already". I probably heard those lines more than anyone else. Mom was an amazing cook. Most of her creations had no written recipe. Just add pinch of "this" and enough of "that" to make it taste right. Her home made soup was to die for. She was in her glory when all the family would come over for Christmas, Easter and other special occasions. We always begged her to sit down and eat with us but she always busied herself serving everyone else around the table first. She always prepared way too much food. The grandkids didn't mind at all - they loved it. Most of them had hollow legs. No one ever went hungry at mom's house at anytime. Even if you showed up unexpectedly somehow she would magically drum up something from scratch and as usual it was delicious. When ever she would come over to any of our houses she always volunteered to help out in the kitchen. In 1975 after fully settling in Camrose from the farm, to keep herself busy she decided to cook for pay at a local Pizzeria. Eventually she moved on to the Junction restaurant and finally the Esso restaurant in Camrose. When mom would see us come in the restaurant she would automatically super size the order whether you wanted it or not. We all remember her famous perogy bees where we all got together at her house to make hundreds of them. The only thing I was good for was peeling and mashing the potatoes. Mom was like a machine and out worked us three to one. In the end we would split them up and take them home for special occasions and not just few bags, but ice cream pails full. Mom tried her best to convince the children to stay in school and get as much education possible. She was instrumental in encouraging both Rudy and Sig in playing musical instruments. Everyone knows of the lifelong success and enjoyment that this encouragement has brought for both boys and Mom and Dad. Mom was a devoted Catholic parishioner and was always there for anyone who needed a ride to Mass. As a life long member of the CWL both in St Peter and Paul in Hay Lakes & St Francis Xavier in Camrose she donated hundreds of sandwiches, deserts and hours of her time. She loved donating her time and effort, often missing other activities because of her commitment. Mom will be truly missed by all her family. Hopefully God will appreciate all those perogys in heaven. Her Loving Son: David Vigil Services were held on Monday, March 28, 2011 from the Burgar Memorial Chapel. Mass of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 from St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church with Rev. Larry Pederson as celebrant. Interment followed in the Camrose Cemetery.