May Lillian Nave

May Nave died on March 31, 2025, surrounded by love. She will be remembered with a smile by her son Boyd Nave and partner Christian St. Arnaud; daughter Val Nicholson and husband Greg; daughter Cynthia Nave and husband Terry Zakreski; daughter Sandy Foord and husband Carey; her grandchildren Morgan, Hannah, Jorden, Ali and Riley; brother-in-law Dale Nave and wife Mabel; and many nieces, nephews, other family and friends. She was predeceased by her husband Ed in 2010, and by all her brothers and sisters.

Mom was born in Borden, Saskatchewan, on April 24, 1930, and grew up in Langham. An event that shaped her outlook on life happened when May was 14. She saw a small child wander into the path of an oncoming truck. May ran out and saved the little boy but she was badly injured. She often told the story of the wonderful light and overwhelming peace she experienced, before she regained consciousness to find her sister Rose tending her in the hospital. It was so beautiful she didn’t want to come back but it wasn’t her time, she said.

May completed a business education program in Saskatoon and, while working at the doctors’ office in Kerrobert, she caught the eye of a handsome young hockey player. May and Ed were married on September 1, 1956, and together, they raised four children, made many moves, and built several businesses before retiring in Saskatoon. Always a hard worker, Mom was never one to sit still – caring for her grandchildren, baking her famous cookies, and puttering around her house and yard. Well into her eighties, she insisted on shoveling her own snow and cutting her own grass. Mom loved animals, especially her little dogs, and she was never without a pet (or six), right up until her last few years. Her enthusiasm for Hallowe’en was legendary, as was her collection of scary decorations, enjoyed by everyone who passed her house each October. She loved making snowmen with incredible attention to detail (if you know, you know), and her Christmas tree, dubbed The Festivus Pole by her family, stayed up in a corner of her basement year-round because, why not?

Mom was someone people gravitated to – co-workers became friends, total strangers would pour out their life stories to her and, even as her memory failed and she moved into a care home, other residents loved her, especially her close friends Shirley and Bill. Special thanks to the staff at Cozy Nest, who helped care for Mom and supported us through her last days, and to Ryan Lensen from Acadia McKague’s Funeral Centre for his exceptional care.

"If every single person who has liked you in your lifetime were to light up on a map, it would create the most glitteringly beautiful network you could imagine. Throw in the strangers you’ve been kind to, the people you’ve made laugh, or inspired along the way and that star-bright web of you would be an impressive sight to behold."

– Donna Ashworth

Arrangements entrusted to Ryan Lensen