Joyce Marleen Short

Joyce Marleen Short (McLeod) of Shoal Lake, MB passed away peacefully at the Russell Health Centre on Friday, April 26, 2024 at the age of 89 years.

Remaining to forever cherish her memory is her husband of 63 years Ross Short of Shoal Lake, MB; children: Greg (Vickie) Short of Lac Du Bonnet, MB, Shelley Short of Saskatoon, SK, Gladwyn (Karen) Short of Lloydminster, AB, Glendon (Glenda) Short of Shoal Lake, MB, Laurie (Chris) Alexiuk of Winnipeg, MB; grandchildren: Ash, Alana (Cody), Coal, Monte, Kelby (Nevin), Brady (Deanna), Kody, Aaron (Jasmine), Matthew (Carolina), Jordan, Mackenzie, Jamie; great grandchildren: Grayson

She was predeceased by sister Faye McLeod in June, 1943, brother Albert McLeod in October, 1960, mother Margaret McLeod (Park) in 1989, father Wilfrid McLeod in 1991 and son Garth Short in February, 2023.

Joyce was born on April 10, 1935 and was the oldest child of Wilfrid and Margaret McLeod and the big sister to Faye and Albert.   She grew up on the family farm SW of Shoal Lake.  She attended Raven Lake School until grade 9 and the Shoal Lake Collegiate for grades 10, 11 & 12.  She started Nurses’ training at the Dauphin General Hospital in the fall of 1953 and graduated in 1955.  On June 11, 1960 Joyce married childhood friend Ross Short and together they farmed and raised 6 children on their own farm SW of Shoal Lake.

Mom started work at the Shoal Lake Hospital in 1958 and went on to a 27-year career in Nursing.  She was a kind, compassionate and confident nurse and mentored many of the younger nurses as they began their own career.  She was well respected by her peers as well as the community that she served.  Mom made lifelong friends at work and she happily retired in 1996.

Joyce was also a very talented lady.  She was an avid seamstress sewing clothes for herself and her children, Halloween costumes, figure skating dresses, Canadian Centennial and RM of Shoal Lake Centennial outfits and parkas.  She would also keep busy knitting sweaters and mittens for herself and her family, and baby sweaters for her grandchildren.  Mom planted a vegetable garden every summer and the farmyard would be full of flowers and the yard work would be well looked after.

Mom was also very active in the Shoal Lake Community.  She was a volunteer in the Shoal Lake Figure Skating Club for 15 years organizing many carnivals, test days, playing music and holding down various board positions.  She was also a Director in the Ag Society for many years gathering and displaying the school artwork for judging at the Shoal Lake Fair every July.  For two years she held the position of the Board Chair for the Manitoba Shorthorn Lassie’s Auxiliary. She was active in the Nurses’ Union and United Church activities and would often be seen working in the kitchen at the rink, making perogies and helping with the Shoal Lake 4-H Beef Club.  For many years she was also a Board Member (secretary) of the Pioneer Club which served out of the Drop In Centre.

Joyce was a very sociable person and loved to dance, support local events, play cards and marbles with anyone who would play, go out for dinner; and she especially enjoyed going for coffee every Tuesday morning and lunch on Friday with her coffee group.  It was important to Mom to celebrate milestones in her life with her family and friends such as her 25th, 40th, 50th and 60th wedding anniversaries.  Mom also loved to travel.  She and Dad went to Churchill by train, cruised to Alaska and visited Arizona, Florida, Montana, South Dakota, Ontario and Western Canada.  She enjoyed watching curling and attended many Briers and Scotties Tournament of Heart Bonspiels with Dad.  Mom curled in the Ladies Curling Club, usually skipping her own rink, and she really enjoyed curling in mixed bonspiels with her family as everyone knew how to curl.  Joyce participated many times in the West Man Games with Ross where they played spades, 500 and cribbage.  Mom loved to puzzle during the winter and did crossword puzzles and read many, many books year-round.

The most important thing in Mom’s life was her family.  She was a very busy lady for a long time raising 6 kids, working as a Nurse, being a farmer’s wife and just being a mom.  She was a hardworking and patient person with a great sense of humour and calmness about her.  She and Dad supported all of their kids in curling, hockey, figure skating, baseball, piano lessons, 4-H, Brownies, Guides, Cubs and school sports and clubs.  Mom was always watching someone play or participate in something.  She was thrilled to become a grandma in June 1983 and was just as excited when the twelfth grandchild was born in December 2001.  And much to her delight she became a great grandmother in July, 2022.  She has provided a lot of babysitting to her grandchildren throughout the years.  She so enjoyed when family would gather for Christmas and the house would be full of people; or when there was a wedding, birthday or family reunion that needed to be celebrated.  Upon Dad’s retirement from farming, Mom and Dad moved off the farm and into Shoal Lake in 2000 where she enjoyed her retirement for the last 24 years.

Family and friends were everything to Mom and we are so grateful for the many happy memories we have that we will hold close to our hearts.  We will forever miss her.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude for the wonderful care Mom received from the medical staff at the Russell Health Centre during the short time she was there.