Jessie Beatrice Baillie
Posted Apr 17, 2025 | 2:28 PM
OUR MOM
Jessie Beatrice Baillie
October 16th,1921 – April 7th, 2025
Jessie, Beatty, Bea, Wife, Mom, Grandma, Big Gramma, Great-Gramma, Great-Great Gramma, Sister, Sister-in-law, Auntie, Friend.
Oh, the things our mom has seen and done! Born on the farm at NW21-48-18W2nd. Growing up riding horseback to the river flat to see her dad and to school. And according to her, the trips going took a lot longer than coming back. Marrying dad (Bill Baillie) and moving to Prince George, where he was serving in the army. And she worked in a laundry for a whole 25 cents a day. That woman knew how to operate an iron. Can you imagine what an adventure that must have been back then? Playing softball on the Fairy Glen Girls softball team in 1948. Mom knew how to do so many things. She baked buckets full of cookies and the best bread and buns. And the canning she put up! Meat… pears…peaches… pickles and even potatoes! Jams and jellies of every kind. And always had a freezer full of garden produce, we never went hungry. She drove school bus and milked cows (damned fast too, the milking, not the driving). She quilted, knitted, dabbled in ceramics and always had a big garden. Us lucky ones have a few of these handcrafted treasures. She’d spend a month or more on crocheting a pineapple table doily. I remember her finishing one and having it on the kitchen table.. all starched and perfect. And dad burnt a hole in it when a smoke fell out of the ashtray. Not a happy moment. She did a lot of work, but she had fun too. Curling and bonspieling (there is a difference), picking berries with her sisters, ladies club afternoons, having people over to play cards and even going to the pub occasionally with dad and other couples. The laughs we had when dad ventured into wine making. Jugs of it were stored in the basement. He never once complained about having to go down there for pickles or jam or potatoes. Mom couldn’t believe he pretty much had it gone by Christmas! It was hilarious.
I don’t ever remember her complaining about anything, (maybe the doily and the wine). She milked cows and fed pigs and drove school bus every spring and fall when dad was farming. She rarely ever missed taking out dad his lunch in the field. Dad and her butchered chickens and geese (oh how I hated those geese). We always had meals at the kitchen table.. no eating in the front room!
And then, there was the sisters berry picking adventures. Whatever they got up to on their days in the bush (and I’m sure it wasn’t just berry picking) they always came home with pails full of blueberries, all cleaned and ready to freeze. I know there was adult beverages consumed and even a nearly lost sister a time or two. When the berry fever hits, sometimes the directions get a bit turned around.
She went from being a kid that looked forward to harvest being over so she and her siblings could get fresh straw to fill their mattresses, to a woman that, in her nineties, figured out an IPhone and IPad. Facebook was a bit of a mystery.. particularly when she went live… and didn’t know it. We all had a good giggle over that.
She so enjoyed fishing trips with Pat and Percy and Martin and Florence. She was one of the original Fairy Glen Community Club members. And loved to read. I don’t ever remember mom “just sitting”. She was either crocheting, knitting or had a book in her lap. And we can’t forget the quilts. Beautiful and a complete mystery to our dad. Taking perfectly good material, cutting it up into little pieces and sewing it all back together.
She moved from the farm in 2018 to her own little cozy apartment in Kinistino. With daily visits from Carol and grand kids, and faithful visits from Dick and Dianne, and visits from Tom and Lynn and Shannon she was happy there until she was over 100. She realized herself that she didn’t want to live alone anymore. We were so blessed that Bev could offer her a home at her Care Home. She was loved and looked after so well there. She only spent a short time in the Melfort Hospital before she passed on to her next adventure. For that we are so thankful.
She was the last of her kind. The last of her generation. Content, feisty, supportive, tough as nails, funny, kind, generous, but most of all she was a great mom. Rest easy mom. You more than earned it.
She is lovingly remembered by her 4 children – Carol Ilnisky (Russell), Dick Baillie (Dianne), Tom Baillie (Lynn), Shannon Hiebert (Leo);
10 Grandchildren, Carol’s children: Bev Johnson (Daryl) Todd Ilnisky (Cindy) Brad Ilnisky (Pam); Dick’s children: Heather Taylor (Doug) Rick Baillie, Michael Baillie; Shannon’s children: Chris Hiebert (Amy), Brett “BJ” Hiebert (Janelle); and Tom’s children: Derrick, and Tami Kautzman (Jason);
33 Great and Great-Great-Grandchildren: Blake, Christina, Greg, Dodge, Kadence, Braxton Stella, Hank, Melanie, Steven, Sawyer, Adeline, Scarlet, Sophie, Lincoln, Connor, Kaylee, Kaylynn, Greyson, Brendan, Brady, Dixon, Elena, Madoc, Merrick, Marco, Kaden, Jasten, Tayvia, Victoria, Parker, Ella, and Owen.
A Private Family Celebration for Jessie will be held at a later date.
Memorial donations may be directed to a charity of your choice.
Arrangements entrusted to Fedusiak Funeral Chapel & Crematorium (306)752-3838
- Date : 2025-04-07
- Location : Melfort, SK