Our mom loved her family, their camping spot on the Red Willow River, the farm, beautiful clothes, sweet food, flowers, coffee, and dancing (not necessarily in that order).

Mom was born to Lawrence and Jean (née Ray) Lock four years ahead of her brother Ken, her only sibling. The Two Rivers District was her home for most of her 92 years. A few exceptions were living above Edwin John’s garage to attend Beaverlodge High School, the war years in Calgary and Ontario, senior winters in Yuma, a duplex in Beaverlodge, Prairie Lakes Seniors Apartments in Grande Prairie and lastly, the care homes in Hythe.

Mom’s younger years were filled with riding horseback to attend the Two Rivers school, earning money selling eggs, spending time in the bush, taking piano lessons, and twirling a majorette baton with the Beaverlodge Band.

Mom met her husband, Melvin Longson, when they both wore diapers. They went to school together, dated during their teen years, and in 1952, tied a knot that joined them together for 63 more years.

In 1953, daughter Linda was born, followed by son Wayne in 1955, and in 1958, daughter Mary Ann arrived. We freely admit each of us was spoiled by Mom from the day we were born.

In 1979, the six grandkids started coming into her world, and Mom had a special place in her heart for each one. Mom is quoted as saying she listened to others and thought grandkids couldn’t be that good, but after hers arrived, she knew they could be.

As a family we were fortunate to have many relatives and friends living nearby. There was no lack of opportunity for Mom to host coffee time with her signature snack—crackers, pickles and cheese. A smile always greeted you and a wave from the living room window bid you goodbye. Lots of family and friends around also meant people to visit, party, travel, and camp with, do a host of other recreational activities with, and thankfully sometimes lend a helping hand with the workload.

Mom enjoyed work—she had trouble being idle. She worked on the farm picking rocks, cleaning granaries, driving the grain truck, and walking miles roguing. Her favourite work was tending to her lawn, garden, and many flower beds, as well as sprucing up their camping spot.

When she was troubled, Mom had her bench on the riverbank where she could go to unwind or perhaps shed a few tears. The bush and the river always gave her solace.

Dad’s spinal injury changed what our parents could do in their later years. Lack of mobility for Dad meant finding entertainment that involved less physical movement—this led to Mom’s era of being a lucky lady at the slots. It was fortunate that after Dad’s injury he could still get behind the wheel, and the two of them continued to pursue their years-long hobby of looking at crops and farmyards. Thanks to her wonderful caregivers, Mom was able to go on drives until a week before she passed.

Mom often mentioned her fear of losing the ability to take care of herself. Unfortunately, she was afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease in her later years, robbing her of independence, her ability to communicate, and her dignity.

We were gifted with a mother who possessed both inner and outer beauty. If we had been given the chance to choose our mom, we could not have done better than the one we were blessed with.

Mom was predeceased by our dad, Melvin Longson; as well as her parents, Lawrence and Jean Lock; her in-laws, Les and Pearl Longson; her brother, Ken Lock; her brother-in-law, Dalton Longson; and her niece, Debbie Chornoboy.

Mom is survived by her children and their families. Children: Linda Johnson (Dennis), Wayne Longson (Charlene), and Mary Ann Bennett (Stuart). Grandchildren: Russel Johnson (Normie), Teresa Boucher (Gerald), Chad Longson (Amanda), Kelsi Longson, Kristin Vatne (Kent), and Kelly Lanyi-Bennett (Stephen). Great-grandchildren: Tate Johnson, Ethan Johnson (Shinelle), Kallie Johnson, Cole Boucher, Samantha Boucher, Landon Longson, Jaxson Longson, Hudson Longson, Daci Jones, Nash Jones, Evyn Jones, Jake Vatne, Ryan Vatne, Halle Vatne, and Lola Lanyi-Bennett. Great-great-grandchildren: Ryson Gingles, Keverlyn Johnson, and Chet Johnson. Mom is also survived by her sisters-in-law, Betty Longson (and her ten children), and Gloria Lock (and her three children).

A memory day will be held at 1:30 pm on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at the Beaverlodge Community Centre (1016-4th Avenue).

Mom’s wish was that any donations on her behalf be given to STARS (https://stars.ca/).