Eileen (Gunderson) Larrivee

     Eileen May Bernice Larrivee (nee Gunderson) was born on June 2, 1930 to Olive and Hans Gunderson. She passed away on February 28, 2019 at the Kelvington Senior Lodge. She was eighty-eight years of age.

     Eileen was raised on a farm near Lintlaw, SK with thirteen siblings: Helen, Ruth, Annie, Olga, Clarence, Harvey, Oscar, Thelma, Esther, Kay, Margaret, Evelyn, and Olive. They all worked hard doing chores and going to school. Eileen was a daddy’s girl, she followed him all around the farm trying to help him. One day, when Eileen was four years old, they couldn’t find her anywhere – they looked all over the house and the farm yard and she was nowhere to be found. Then someone went into the cellar to get potatoes for supper and there was Eileen – eating raw potatoes right out of the potato bin. She loved potatoes! From then on they called her Potato Queen.

     Eileen’s father, Hans, died when she was only sixteen years of age, her heart was broken and she really didn’t get over that. She always talked positively about her parents and loved them both very much. When she left home she travelled a lot between provinces trying to find her niche in this world. In that period of time her daughter, Ethel was born.

     During her travels she met the love of her life, Adrien. He was in the Air Force so once again she travelled and wherever she went she made their house into a home. Every Christmas Eileen was determined to carry on the family tradition of having lefsa and lutefisk. Years later they bought a farm near Ketchen, SK and she was living very close to where she grew up. Eileen made the farm come alive! She raised all kinds of animals and her garden was huge because she grew everything. When it came time for harvest she was busy canning veggies and would store some in the basement for winter. She grew pumpkins and won a contest for the biggest one! She enjoyed having many chickens, and collected the eggs every day. When it came time to butcher chickens she would fill her freezer and even can the meat in quart sealers. She also shared a lot of her produce with family and friends. When all the daily work was finished she would spend time with her sisters, playing cards and going to bingos all over the country side three or four time per week.

     Eileen has four grandchildren, which she would always make a point of visiting a few times a year and they loved going to see her at Grandma and Grandpa’s farm. She was also blessed with eleven great grandchildren whom she loved very much. She will be missed by all.

     Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Adrien; daughter, Ethel Tremblay; grandchildren, Michael (his son, Ryley); Steven (his wife Amanda and their children, Austin, Xander, Ethan and Caden); Jason (his wife Brittany and their children Kaison and Emmerson); Debbie (her husband Mike and their children Logan, Tatum, Kacianne and Megan).