Obituary for Dorothy Ethelwin Cox
With her family by her side, Dorothy Ethelwin Cox passed away on Sunday, May 7, 2023 in Carberry Hospital following a stroke on April 28th.
Dorothy was born on October 19, 1922 in the family home at NE 27-9-5 in the R.M. of Grey, 9 miles north-west of Elm Creek, Manitoba, the eldest child of parents, James Frost and Ethel (nee Goddard) Foote. She started school at 5 years old in the Wingham School one mile south of the family farm home and later completed grades 5 & 6 the same year. So, she finished Grade XI there at age 15. She completed her Grade XII at the St. Norbert Academy run by the Grey Nuns in St. Norbert before teaching on permit in the Moosehorn community at New Scotland School (a rural one-room school) for one year. She attended Normal School in Winnipeg the next year followed by 2 years teaching at Boyne School, east of Carman and one year as Principal teaching Grades 9 – 11 at Roseisle, east of Carman. Then it was off to Justice in 1946 as Principal again and teaching grades 9 – 11. In Justice she boarded at Herb Cox's, and there she met their son, Laval who she married in July 1948. But her teaching career didn't end there. After her two sons were born, she was called up to teach for ½ year when a teacher left suddenly. In 1959, when her second daughter was only 3 years old, she went back teaching full-time in Justice, grades 10 – 12 for 2 years, followed by 17 years at Elton Collegiate before retirement in 1978. During this time, she took night classes and summer school until she got her BA in 1968 and BEd in 1971.
Dorothy had many interests in her 100 years, some being sports, music, horticulture, traveling and genealogy. As a young lady she loved to play ball, skate, ride her bike and, above all, walk. Growing up, before the convenience of cars, she did a lot of walking and continued to do so up until her passing. As a teenager, she was able to take piano lessons from a neighbour for a couple of years, and some more at the convent when taking grade 12. She was able to play quite capably, as well as lead choirs, and she and her friend Beth took turns playing for church services at Wingham. Soon after coming to Justice, she was handed the duties of choir leader and played the organ and led the choir in the Justice United Church for quite a number of years.
She was always interested in plants and gardening. Also, she said it was a stress reliever from teaching school to get out in her garden and dig up her flower beds in the spring. As long as her children can remember, the window sills in their house were always lined with milk cartons where she was starting tomatoes, onions, petunias, geraniums, etc. This she carried on right up to her passing, as she has sturdy tomatoes and onions in her apartment window and even carrots – nobody knew you could start carrots indoors. But her bedding plants were not only for her own garden, even before retirement, she and Laval started a greenhouse business, Dorothy's Greenhouse in Justice. They operated it from 1977 until 1997. She sold her plants in the community and transported them to Erickson and Hamiota, even Russell, to the Farmers' Market in the Town Centre in Brandon, and one year provided the flowers for the boulevards of CFB Shilo.
Dorothy loved to travel, and she and Laval made several trips to England and Australia, where she met many cousins, many of whom she didn't know that she had. As well, they traveled across Canada a number of times, sometimes by themselves, sometimes with some of her siblings and their spouses, which she said brought her closer to them all. They also made trips to the southern United States and she always enjoyed learning about new places and some of the local history and what grew there. Once they made a trip to Jamaica with some of her siblings and their spouses, which was quite a highlight for her.
With the advent of computers, she progressed to email and Family Tree Maker. This was such an accomplishment as she grew up without hydro, without radios and certainly not television! Genealogy became a passion for her. It became known in the family on both sides that she was doing this and would get emails, letters and phone calls about new births, marriages and unfortunately deaths. Her file currently has over 6000 names in it.
In 2014, she sold the Justice family home of 51 years and moved to an apartment in Marshall Manor in Carberry. Here she met new friends, attended Carberry United Church and took part in seniors' activities, remaining in her own apartment, pretty much independent and walking as much as she could until her passing. Last October, she had such a great time at her 100th birthday party, celebrating with family, friends and former students of both Justice School and Elton Collegiate.
Dorothy is survived by her four children: Larry (Linda), Herb (Linda), Rosalie (Wally) and Heather (Brad), 6 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren: Marshall (Roxanna – Easton & Levi), Candace (Sean – Nathan & Elias), Dallin (Janelle – Kaylee & Macie), Carla (Broc – Quinn & Ashton), Calvin (Jess – Deklan, Carter & Callie) and Jeff (Sheri – Lucas & Alayna). She was pre-deceased by her husband, Laval and two grandsons, Andrew and Stefan.
Mom truly found a second home in Carberry after living her whole married life in Justice. She and we appreciated how kind, caring and helpful the businesses and church were. She talked often of her friends in the Marshall Manor and in the United Church and her walking partners to and from church. We truly appreciate and thank the most caring staff of nurses and doctors at Carberry Hospital. You made Mom and all our family so comfortable. It is hard to express how much your kindness meant to us. The family wishes to give heartfelt thanks to the Carberry Home Care workers and nurses and staff of Carberry Hospital for their outstanding care of Dorothy.
The funeral service will be held at Carberry United Church on Monday, May 15, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.
Donations in memory of Dorothy may be made to the Carberry United Church, Box 239, Carberry, MB R0K 0H0, CNIB, 1080 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3G 3M3, or the charity of your choice.
Dorothy was born on October 19, 1922 in the family home at NE 27-9-5 in the R.M. of Grey, 9 miles north-west of Elm Creek, Manitoba, the eldest child of parents, James Frost and Ethel (nee Goddard) Foote. She started school at 5 years old in the Wingham School one mile south of the family farm home and later completed grades 5 & 6 the same year. So, she finished Grade XI there at age 15. She completed her Grade XII at the St. Norbert Academy run by the Grey Nuns in St. Norbert before teaching on permit in the Moosehorn community at New Scotland School (a rural one-room school) for one year. She attended Normal School in Winnipeg the next year followed by 2 years teaching at Boyne School, east of Carman and one year as Principal teaching Grades 9 – 11 at Roseisle, east of Carman. Then it was off to Justice in 1946 as Principal again and teaching grades 9 – 11. In Justice she boarded at Herb Cox's, and there she met their son, Laval who she married in July 1948. But her teaching career didn't end there. After her two sons were born, she was called up to teach for ½ year when a teacher left suddenly. In 1959, when her second daughter was only 3 years old, she went back teaching full-time in Justice, grades 10 – 12 for 2 years, followed by 17 years at Elton Collegiate before retirement in 1978. During this time, she took night classes and summer school until she got her BA in 1968 and BEd in 1971.
Dorothy had many interests in her 100 years, some being sports, music, horticulture, traveling and genealogy. As a young lady she loved to play ball, skate, ride her bike and, above all, walk. Growing up, before the convenience of cars, she did a lot of walking and continued to do so up until her passing. As a teenager, she was able to take piano lessons from a neighbour for a couple of years, and some more at the convent when taking grade 12. She was able to play quite capably, as well as lead choirs, and she and her friend Beth took turns playing for church services at Wingham. Soon after coming to Justice, she was handed the duties of choir leader and played the organ and led the choir in the Justice United Church for quite a number of years.
She was always interested in plants and gardening. Also, she said it was a stress reliever from teaching school to get out in her garden and dig up her flower beds in the spring. As long as her children can remember, the window sills in their house were always lined with milk cartons where she was starting tomatoes, onions, petunias, geraniums, etc. This she carried on right up to her passing, as she has sturdy tomatoes and onions in her apartment window and even carrots – nobody knew you could start carrots indoors. But her bedding plants were not only for her own garden, even before retirement, she and Laval started a greenhouse business, Dorothy's Greenhouse in Justice. They operated it from 1977 until 1997. She sold her plants in the community and transported them to Erickson and Hamiota, even Russell, to the Farmers' Market in the Town Centre in Brandon, and one year provided the flowers for the boulevards of CFB Shilo.
Dorothy loved to travel, and she and Laval made several trips to England and Australia, where she met many cousins, many of whom she didn't know that she had. As well, they traveled across Canada a number of times, sometimes by themselves, sometimes with some of her siblings and their spouses, which she said brought her closer to them all. They also made trips to the southern United States and she always enjoyed learning about new places and some of the local history and what grew there. Once they made a trip to Jamaica with some of her siblings and their spouses, which was quite a highlight for her.
With the advent of computers, she progressed to email and Family Tree Maker. This was such an accomplishment as she grew up without hydro, without radios and certainly not television! Genealogy became a passion for her. It became known in the family on both sides that she was doing this and would get emails, letters and phone calls about new births, marriages and unfortunately deaths. Her file currently has over 6000 names in it.
In 2014, she sold the Justice family home of 51 years and moved to an apartment in Marshall Manor in Carberry. Here she met new friends, attended Carberry United Church and took part in seniors' activities, remaining in her own apartment, pretty much independent and walking as much as she could until her passing. Last October, she had such a great time at her 100th birthday party, celebrating with family, friends and former students of both Justice School and Elton Collegiate.
Dorothy is survived by her four children: Larry (Linda), Herb (Linda), Rosalie (Wally) and Heather (Brad), 6 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren: Marshall (Roxanna – Easton & Levi), Candace (Sean – Nathan & Elias), Dallin (Janelle – Kaylee & Macie), Carla (Broc – Quinn & Ashton), Calvin (Jess – Deklan, Carter & Callie) and Jeff (Sheri – Lucas & Alayna). She was pre-deceased by her husband, Laval and two grandsons, Andrew and Stefan.
Mom truly found a second home in Carberry after living her whole married life in Justice. She and we appreciated how kind, caring and helpful the businesses and church were. She talked often of her friends in the Marshall Manor and in the United Church and her walking partners to and from church. We truly appreciate and thank the most caring staff of nurses and doctors at Carberry Hospital. You made Mom and all our family so comfortable. It is hard to express how much your kindness meant to us. The family wishes to give heartfelt thanks to the Carberry Home Care workers and nurses and staff of Carberry Hospital for their outstanding care of Dorothy.
The funeral service will be held at Carberry United Church on Monday, May 15, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.
Donations in memory of Dorothy may be made to the Carberry United Church, Box 239, Carberry, MB R0K 0H0, CNIB, 1080 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3G 3M3, or the charity of your choice.