HILDA EVELYN COMRIE

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HILDA EVELYN COMRIE

Hilda Evelyn Comrie (Strickland) was born on November 2, 1929, at Hamiota, Manitoba to parents Isaac Peill Strickland and Myrtle Mae Strickland (Hanna). She passed away at the age of 95 on March 7, 2025. Hilda was predeceased by her loving husband David Comrie in 1990. She is survived by her three children, 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren: Jean Lawson (Tim) and children Kim Lawson (Chris Cherepuschuk), Meagan Lawson (Curt Struth) and Scott Lawson; Dr. James Comrie (Mary Dalton) and his children David Comrie, Julia Rosengren (Luke), Robyn Kowal (Jon) and Kristen Comrie; and Susan Wehrle (Herman) and children Eric Wehrle (Lexie), Robert Wehrle (Stephanie Zirino), Michelle Wehrle (Kendall Plett) and Carl Wehrle, as well as many nieces and nephews. Hilda was the last living family member of her generation. She fondly remembered her siblings Phyllis Chappell (George), Lyle Strickland (Phyllis), Barry Strickland (Ilene), Dorothy Purdy (Smith) and Joyce Beatty (Everett).

Hilda taught ‘on permit’ for one year after graduating from grade twelve in Hamiota. Permit teaching was common during and after the Second World War while many formally trained teachers were serving in the military. Hilda received only six weeks of instruction in preparation for a full year of teaching grades one to eight at Medina, a one room country school in southwestern Manitoba. She boarded with a local farm family and travelled to school daily by horse and buggy.

Following one year of Normal School training in 1949, Hilda spent her career teaching primary students in Minnedosa. She paused from 1956 to 1967 to start her family, resuming when her youngest child started school. She retired in 1984. Hilda said that she felt privileged to have been a part of the lives of hundreds of children. They enriched her life beyond measure.

Soon after coming to Minnedosa, the Senior Choir in the United Church became a second home. There she met a handsome baritone soloist and farmer, David Comrie, who became her husband on July 26, 1952. Together they raised their family on the farm and were happily married for 38 years.

Hilda was a dedicated community participant. She was active in the United Church of Canada all of her life, serving in many capacities throughout the years. She volunteered with children’s choirs and youth organizations, and worked on boards and committees both in the Cameron district and in Minnedosa. She enjoyed her affiliation with the Cameron Ladies Club in her early years on the farm. She played an active role in the formation of the Rolling River Festival of the Arts, serving as president for four years. As a Minnedosa resident, she also served on town council for three years and became a long-standing member of the Minnedosa Library Board.

After David's death, Hilda fulfilled a life-long dream of designing and building her own home in Minnedosa. Her passion for travel was satisfied with a number of journeys across Canada and to the United Kingdom and Europe.

Integrity is a word whose meaning was of utmost importance to Hilda. She lived her life to the fullest with integrity and optimism and will be dearly and forever missed.

A Funeral Service was held Friday, March 14, 2025, at The Minnedosa United Church, with Interment at the Minnedosa Cemetery.

White’s Funeral Home in care of arrangements.

www.whitesfh.ca

As published in Brandon Sun on Mar 22, 2025