Shirley Obleman

A graveside service will be held in the Indian Head Cemetery on Friday, April 27, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.. A reception will be held in the Indian Head Community Bible Church, 519 Bell Street, following the graveside service.

Shirley was predeceased by her parents Norman and Elizabeth Obleman, one son Earl, two sisters, Dolly and Evelyn, five brothers: Norman (Bud), Jack, Gordon and Archie.

She is survived by two sons, Wayne and Steven, two daughters, Joy (Garth) Inouye and Loreen (John) Meyer, thirteen grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, if friends so desire contributions may be made to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, 2160 Broad Street, Regina, SK S4P 1Y5 as tokens of remembrance.

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Eulogy:

Shirley Obleman was born in 1936 to Norman and Elizabeth Obleman in Indian Head, Saskatchewan. She was predeceased by all of her siblings: sisters Dolly and Evelyn, and brothers Norman (Bud), Jack, Gordon and Archie. Shirley was also predeceased by her son Earl.

Shirley is survived by two sons, Wayne and Steven, and by two daughters Joy Inouye, married to Garth, and Loreen Meyer married to John. Also surviving Shirley are grandchildren Yvette, Melody, Danny, Bradley, Bree-Anne, Taylor, Anthony, Patrick, Elizebeth, Kyla, Justice, Reanna, Tony, Adam and Brian.

Shirley was born and raised right here in Indian Head. And although she moved the family to Edmonton, a couple times as I understand it, she always returned to this her home town. And now we place her remains among those with whom she would have played, worked, laughed and cried for most of the days of her life.

Shirley’s roots here run deep. They extend to William Fell and his wife Margaret Longmuir Fell who came to Indian Head in the latter 1800’s from Glasgow Scotland. And even deeper, to Peter and Amelia Obleman who came to our area in the mid 1800’s from the British Isles by way of Glengarry, Ontario.

Shirley always considered Indian Head her home, and she was very proud of being from here. Even while away, she never lost touch with the comings and goings of this her community.

The kids remember their mother in many ways. And as it is in most Saskatchewan towns, many of these memories were generated at the rink. They remember her as a fierce hockey parent who was highly vocal in expressing her pleasure and frustration while watching our national pastime. The kids say they could hear her yelling from outside the rink. Imagine that? Well, as one who was raised by a vocal hockey parent, and went on to become one myself, Ya, I can imagine that.

I was told the story by Wayne and Loreen the other night of a night in the old rink (right where the carwash is now) when Shirley stood cheering on her older brother Bud, a goalie. Apparently, Shirley was standing behind Bud when a shot came over the net and the boards to hit Shirley square in the mouth, leaving her spitting chicklets. I also remember Lloyd Blair telling us about what a great goalie Bud Obleman was. Lloyd used to say that if you placed a bottle of wine back of the goal line, Bud would make sure no pucks crossed the line.

I say this only to illustrate that Shirley, her siblings, her parents and grandparents are part of the narrative of this our town. Just were mine, or were Lloyd Blair’s, or any other of the hundreds of families resting here at the Indian Head Cemetery. You could spend a great deal of time here, visiting and remembering at each headstone. Each of them has a story, all of them connect, and together they become our story.

Her children remember Shirley as being a dedicated mother, supportive of even the goofiest proposals, and highly ‘in your face’ when need be. They also say the ‘you knew where you stood’ with their mom. And in my visit the other night, and at our gathering today, I could readily detect a huge amount of love and pride evident flowing from a mother, to her children, and back to her again. The kids say that when she was angry at any one of them, she would go through the litany of their names before landing on the correct one. The painted a picture for me of humor, of occasional volatility, and of love. I can only imagine Shirley’s sadness at losing her son Earl. As the cliché goes, we are not supposed to outlive our kids.

Shirley worked at cleaning jobs and serving jobs. She worked at various schools in Edmonton, at the Plains Hospital in Regina, and at the hotel here in town as well as Glass Brothers Grocery store. She also did house cleaning and baby sitting in and around Indian Head.

Shirley loved Western music and her favorite song was Coal Miner’s Daughter. Her favorite color was red. Shirley enjoyed sewing, puzzles, crafts and reading. Her fondest memory was her first trip to the coast to see Wayne. She saw her most significant accomplishment in life as raising her five kids on her own. And it is not surprising that her favorite place in the world was indeed with her family.

Shirley loved Western music and her favorite song was Coal Miner’s Daughter. Her favorite color was red. Shirley enjoyed sewing, puzzles, crafts and reading. Her fondest memory was her first trip to the coast to see Wayne. She saw her most significant accomplishment in life as raising her five kids on her own. And it is not surprising that her favorite place in the world was indeed with her family.