October 16, 1940 – April 25, 2022
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Carol Demmans (nee Iverson) on April 25, 2022 at the Maidstone Hospital. She was 81 years of age.
Mom was born in Edmonton, AB on October 16, 1940 to Arthur and Esther Iverson. They named her Irene Carol Sylvia but she liked to be known simply as Carol. She grew up in Meadow Lake, SK and had many stories to tell of childhood escapades with her sister Alice and brothers Howard, Reg, Willie and Kim. Some of her fondest memories were of time spent at Greig Lake, SK with family. While in high school she met and fell in love with Lyall Demmans and from that point on they were inseparable. They moved to Red Deer, AB where Lyall found work on the pipeline and then began training to be a carpenter. They were wed on October 12, 1958 in Edmonton. They welcomed daughter Cally and son Maury before the lure of farm life drew them back to Meadow Lake. They took over the family farm in Morin Creek, SK and Mom quickly learned what farm life was all about.
They started out in a converted granary but as their family grew with the addition of Cindy, Jody and Noreen they moved into the Demmans homestead house. They built onto it and included their children in the planning and completion of the addition.
Mom grew to love the farm lifestyle. She taught herself how to make delicious bread and buns and the meals she delivered to the field were the highlight of the day for Dad and anyone he had helping him. She would drive the black Impala to the field with the piping hot meal wrapped in a towel along with a glass of milk for everyone. We would sit on a blanket on the ground and enjoy the meal along with a mason jar or thermos full of tea. The farm was her home and she took great pride in telling anyone who asked that she had lived in the same place for over 60 years.
Mom improvised with her own recipes and always took great pleasure finding new recipes in magazines and newspapers. She learned how to drive the grain truck and kept things rolling smoothly during harvest. She was a tinkerer and could fix anything. She and Dad had spare parts stashed everywhere because you never knew when you would need them – and invariably they did need them to fix something. She could repurpose just about anything.
Mom loved music, especially gospel and country. It’s a good thing, since Dad loved to sing and broke out in song without warning. She also loved to watch soap operas and movies on TV. In her later years she watched Hallmark movies and often watched the same ones over and over again. She couldn’t wait for “Christmas in July” to come on.
Mom was a nurturing person through and through. She loved growing her garden each year as well as the many flowers she kept in their house and outdoors. She had her seed order ready for this spring. Her love of animals was legendary. She and Dad named every cow and calf and could tell you the bloodlines and the personality of each one. Every spring and fall there were long treks to herd the cattle to pasture and back. She loved the many dogs they owned through the years but none more than her beloved Maddie, who unfortunately died this past year. It gave her great pleasure to see the calves born each year and to watch them run around playfully in the pen and field. Mom loved hummingbirds and it brought her great joy to see them return in the spring and quarrel over the nectar in her feeders. She made sure they never went without. From feeding Annie the calf to enjoying Walter the fish, she always took pleasure in spending time with other living things.
Mom loved her family above all else. Losing Dad was devastating for her but she persevered through the heartache and all of her health issues in order to spend more time with her kids, grandkids, great grandkids and her remaining brothers Reg and Kim and their families. She became known as Curly Grandma when her hair grew back in darker and curly after chemotherapy. She was loved deeply by all of her family and friends. She offered unconditional love to those she came into contact with and welcomed everyone into their home.
She was by nature a shy homebody but loved it when company came over. She loved to hear her family around her. On her last day she gave us a hard time when the room grew quiet – she wanted to hear her loved ones. Family was the reason she kept going. She struggled with health issues from a very young age but she never gave up through the many health crises she faced. She had an inner strength that we all admired. She credited it to her Norwegian heritage that she was very proud of. She even admitted to a bit of a stubborn streak but that served her well when times got tough.
Mom was predeceased by her parents Arthur and Esther Iverson; husband Lyall; infant sister Mabel; sister Alice Houston and brother-in-law Floyd; brother Howard Iverson and sister-in-law Pauline; brother William Iverson and sister-in-law Helen; and grandson Kevin Demmans. She leaves to mourn her children Cally (Chong) Daongam and their children Rai-Lin, Daniel (Caitlin), Lewis and Jorgia (Connor); Maury (Rita) Demmans and their children Neal Demmans and Alanna (Diego) Campos; Cindy (Kathy Edwardsen) Demmans and their son Cole; Jody Demmans; Noreen (Mark) Tourond and their children Justin, Janelle and Lyndon. She also leaves to mourn her beloved brothers Reginald (Bette) Iverson and Kim (Nancy) Iverson as well as great grandchildren Isidora and Abigail Daongam and Enzo Campos. She will be missed by nieces, nephews, in-laws and by all whose lives she touched.
A graveside service for immediate family will be held at a later date in Meadow Lake, Sk.
Donations in memory of Carol can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or the Lung Association (Lung Sask).