Evelyn Landin
October 20, 2024
October 20, 2024
October 20, 2024
Mom would’ve been thrilled to know that she passed away in the same year as Kris Kristofferson. She loved him.
My Mother, Evelyn Lois Landin, was the youngest of 3 daughters born to Gustav Albin Landin, son of Swedish immigrants and born in Bovill, Idaho, and Grace Almeda Metcalfe of Winnipeg, Mantoba. Evelyn was born in Kingston, Ontario on September 29, 1944.
Mom had a difficult, yet interesting, childhood. When she was about 3 years old, her Father decided to leave the family and out of spite, took baby Evelyn with him. He was a carpenter by trade and worked long days, and was not equipped to parent a toddler. He left little Evelyn in the full time care of a kindly, elderly woman named "Mrs. Passmore" while he went off to work. I don't know very much about Mrs. Passmore, other than she was a fairly well-to-do lady who lived in a beautiful house, dressed Mom in frilly little petticoats, gave her piano lessons, and basically doted on her. I believe she spent at least a few years with Mrs. Passmore, and described them to me as the happiest years of her childhood.
According to my Mom's recollection, her Mom, my Grandma Grace, came knocking on the door one day demanding that her daughter be returned to her. It had taken sometime to track her down, as you can well imagine would have been very difficult in the early 1950's. Evelyn said a sad goodbye to Mrs. Passmore, who was very angry that she was taken from her. This was one of the hardest days of my Mom's younger years.
Her and my Grandma travelled by train to Langley, BC, where my Grandma had moved with her new husband, James Schell. James and Grace went on to have 5 more children together, plus a step-brother Jimmy who came with James.. I believe there were 5 siblings, including her 2 elder sisters, living in that 2 bedroom home that she arrived at when she almost 10 years old. Life for her had just changed significantly, and it was a difficult adjustment.
Mom got polio when she was 12 years old, and was in quarantine for her 13th birthday. I remember her telling me how isolated she felt. People were not allowed to come in the room with her. It was 1957 and polio was a very scary disease that crippled people. Fortunately, Mom came out of it mostly ok a few months later. Her legs remained weak throughout her life. She was never able to develop any real muscle tone, which resulted in her legs always being quite slender. Fortunately for her, this was a very attractive in women in the 60's so she didn't mind.
When I think of it now, her legs and circulatory issues were her downfall in the end.
Langley Lodge Tribute
My Mother, Evelyn Lois Landin, was the youngest of 3 daughters born to Gustav Albin Landin, son of Swedish immigrants and Grace Almeda Metcalfe, the daughter of a British war bride. Evelyn was born in Kingston, Ontario on September 29, 1944.
Mom is lovingly remembered by her sisters Hazel, Linda, and Debbie, her brothers Jim, Terry and Michael, her daughters Shauna and Sheri, Grandchildren Tanisha, Megan, Theo, Ember and Apple Jordyn, and great grandchildren Dominic, Jaxson, and Sawyer. Evelyn was pre-deceased by her sisters Audrey and Gracie, husband Roy, and middle daughter Shannon.
Mom had an interesting childhood. Her father abandoned the family when Mom was 3 and took her with him, mostly to spite my Grandmother. Upon realizing that he could not raise her on his own, he left her for several years living with an elderly lady named Mrs. Passmore in Cornwall, Ontario. Mom spoke fondly of her time with Mrs. Passmore and had wonderful memories of this part of her life. Eventually, her Mother tracked her down (no small task in the 1950’s) and brought her to Langley, BC. where she was now living with her new husband, James Schell, and a few more children. They went on to have a few more after that!
Mom overcame polio when she was a young teen, and spent her 13th birthday in quarantine at the hospital. Her legs were always thin and under-developed after that, which fortunately was a very attractive thing for women at the time. She had beautiful legs!
Mom went on to marry a boy from her 11th grade home room at Langley Secondary School, Gordon McIntosh. They married in May of 1965 and I arrived in October of 1967. followed by Shannon in 1965 and Sheri in 1973. That marriage sadly was not built to last and Gordon moved to another province in 1973, leaving my Mom alone to raise us girls.
Mom moved us all to Kamloops in the summer of 1976 to get a fresh start. She was a very hard worker, and generally had 3 part time jobs on the go for most of our childhood. She waitressed at various restaurants, bartended at the Legion, and worked retail at Woolco. As a single Mom, she had to have the flexibility to care for us the best she could, but, she also had to make a living. Me and my sisters were the definition of latchkey kids in the 70’s and 80’s, running a little wild as a result. She had her hands full with us, that’s for sure.
When I was 15, Mom met the love of her life, Roy Halladay. Roy was a regular at the Legion, and could always be found hanging out at the ‘Stand Up Bar’, which was where the bachelors hung out at the edge of the dance floor. He literally swept her off her feet. They loved to dance. Roy was a cowboy at heart from Saskatchewan, and 20 years her senior. He introduced her to horse life, and she embraced it whole heartedly. She learned to ride western style, and they lived on a couple of different acreages in the Kamloops area. My younger sister Sheri was part of this lifestyle with them, but Shannon I had both moved on after high school so missed it.
Roy’s daughter Dianne was a horse trainer in the Standardbred race industry in Cloverdale, and it wasn’t long before they invested in their first race horse, Black Rogue. They loved the racing game so much that they relocated to the coast and bought a couple more. They were stabled at the fairgounds in Cloverdale and training there own horses. Mom, Roy and Dianne had great success with their filly Shy Dixie, who won several stake races and Filly of the Year in 1993. Interestingly enough, I had also became involved with harness horse racing in Calgary when I was 18, and ended up working at the track in Cloverdale for a trainer stabled in the same shedrow as Mom and Roy. Those months we worked together in the barn are some of my favourite memories with Mom.
By this time Mom was in her mid-40’s and decided to go back to school and get her Long Term Care Aid Certificate. She worked right here at Langley Lodge alongside her step-daughter Dianne Ferguson, who had taken the course with her. Fun fact - my Great Grandmother Alice Metcalf was also a resident here at Langley Lodge until she passed in 1995.
Mom and Roy eventually relocated back to the interior, and settled in the North Shuswap on a large acreage Roy had bought with his son. They spent the next 20 years out there, living the cowboy life. They rode their horses all the time, Roy cattle penned, they went to the auctions and bought all the burnt out laying hens and rehabilitated them back to egg production. They bought blind goats and lame calves and guinea hens. They raised and loved a few different dogs and basically lived their best life during this time. Mom continued to work as a care aid at Shuswap Lodge in Salmon Arm, until she retired at 65. They made one more move together, back to Kamloops in 2012 as Roy needed regular dialysis by this time and proximity to the hospital was necessary.
Sadly, Roy passed away in 2017. I moved back to Kamloops at the same time and was looking forward to living a slower pace of life with my Mom. I’m so glad I did because it soon became apparent that Mom was having some memory issues. She suffered a stroke in 2018 and the decline was quite rapid after that. We both moved down to the coast as I was still working, and we both needed the support of my sister Sheri during this time. She settled into an apartment right across the hall from Sheri which worked out really well for all of us. Then Covid happened. The adventures we had with our Mom as her dementia progressed would take an hour to share with you, but let’s say she kept us on our toes. In 2021, we could no longer keep her safe and made the difficult decision to move her into Langley Lodge.
Mom spent her last 3 1/2 years as a resident here. When she first arrived, she was always trying to do her old job, and was often found pouring coffee for the other residents, clearing tables, and sometimes even going room to room offering to help others get into their pyjamas. She kept the care team on their toes that’s for sure! Dementia is such a horrible disease, but my and my sisters were so grateful that she was somewhere safe and so well cared for.
Mom gained her wings on October 20th, 3 weeks after her 80th birthday. It was the hardest day of my life but I will be forever grateful that I could be there with her when she passed. I’m sure anyone who has been down the path of dementia understands the horrible relief of it all. I’m happy she is now at peace, but she is missed every single day.
I would like to thank the amazing 2nd floor care team here at Langley Lodge. Jenny, Julia, Manjit, Georgiana, Laura, Shelley, and Emily all made a huge difference in my Mom’s last years. My Mom loved the music program and the outdoor concerts in the summer. These were our best times together over the last few years. Very special memories for sure. The administrative team on the ground floor always greeted me with a smile and kind word. I have actually missesd my almost daily visits here and the wonderful people that work here. I find myself worrying about the other residents on the 2nd floor and will pop up there next to see how everyone is doing.
I know I’ve been talking a while, but I would like to finish with this quote by Frederick Buehner from his book Whistling in the Dark: A Doubter’s Dictionary.
"When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again, you will know me. It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart. For as long as you remember me, I am never entirely lost."
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