Sarah Edna Wilson

Sarah Edna Wilson (Rempel) was born at home in Waldheim on April 16, 1938. Mom was the seventh born in a family of nine children. She was special from the day she was born as she was the only child in the family to be given a middle name. Sarah cherished her early life with her siblings. They were a very tight-knit group. Stories of her childhood brought smiles to all of our faces. Not having much meant they had to be imaginative and resourceful, skills that went on to serve them well in life. Due to financial constraints, Mom had to leave school and started working at the age of 14.

In 1956, Sarah married Abe Friesen. Darlene was born in 1957 and Judy followed closely in 1958. Mom stayed home to raise her girls and loved her new role as a homemaker. She absolutely adored babies and fostered many your children. Sarah was a very skilled seamstress and cook. In 1972, she made the brave decision to leave domestic abuse behind. With the support of family and the YWCA, she and her daughters started fresh. With her newfound freedom, she embraced life fully. Sarah enrolled in classes to get her GED, sometimes getting better grades than her teenage daughters. She learned to drive a car and her friendships flourished. Mom loved her sisters and friends. In her last days, she received many calls from her lifelong friends giving their love and support. Mom was a true and loyal friend.

After receiving her GED in 1976, she started as a postmistress at Ford’s Pharmacy (thanks to her friend Marj who told her to apply). It was there that she met the love of her life, pharmacist, John Wilson. They married in 1977 and enjoyed travelling to tropical Barbados a few years later. Through their work at Ford’s they made many lifelong friends. She was known for her elaborate afghans and macramé projects. She and john love spending summers at their small cabin at Big Shell. They had 33 wonderful years of marriage before John’s passing in 2009. Sarah missed him every day.

In 2017, Sarah downsized from her large 4 bedroom home on Preston Avenue to Bethany Manor. She enjoyed the friendships and community that Bethany provided. Sarah often dealt with complicated health issues. She underwent three open-heart surgeries in her adult life due to scarlet fever she had as a child. Despite these challenges, Mom was always grateful, brave, and upbeat. She appreciated all the care and support she received from Homecare and the Palliative nurses who supported her in her final months at home. A special thank you to Laura, Sunny, Patty and Smino who took such good care of her. Mom had a recent stay at St. Paul’s hospital. Thank you to Jenna, Jewels, and Debbie for providing such compassionate care in mom’s final days.

Mom is incredibly loved and will be missed. She would always say, “If I can do something to brighten someone’s day, I’m going to do it!”

She is survived by her daughters Darlene Santoro and Judy (Paul) Whelan, step-children Heather Panich, Barb Wilson, John Wilson (Theresa), brother John (Rose) Rempel, sister-in-law Alvena Rempel, grandchildren Jordan (Megan), Shayla, Alauna (Darrick), Naomi (Brendan), Josh (Taisa), Laura (Craig), Sarah (Jordan), Jonah, Erica (Brendan),Matthew, Theo, Vanessa, Isaac, great-grandchildren Dom, Lucas, Aiden, Evan, Remy, Hank, Jane, Rhett, Brock, Alexia, Caleb, Norah, Maliyah, Rio, Athena, special friends Goldie, Ann Teichrob, and Irma Lowen.

Sarah is predeceased by her adoring husband, John Wilson, siblings Mary Figley (Roy), Issac Rempel, Helen (Cornelius) Zacharias, Jake Rempel, Sam (Gert) Rempel, Tina Pedde, Ann Cayer, step-daughter Wendy Wilson, and grandson Jason Wright.

A Celebration of Life for Sarah will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday January 28, 2022 at Acadia McKague's Chapel (915 Acadia Drive Saskatoon).

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the YWCA Crisis Shelter, Tamara’s House, or MCC. Arrangements in care of Travis Minor - Mourning Glory Funeral Services (306) 978-5200