Thelma Edna Pirlot (nee Kyle)

Our amazingly strong and resilient Mom and Grandma Thelma Edna Pirlot (née Kyle) passed away peacefully at the age of 98 on August 12, 2022. As per Mom’s request, a private graveside service will be held. Named for a character in the book that her mother was reading prior to her arrival on April 16, 1924, our Thelma was always a put-together lady who never liked her hands for they showed the wear and tear from milking cows in her younger years and of being a hard working woman who could do anything she set her mind to. Mom married our beloved father Bill Pirlot on June 16, 1944. She kept the home fires burning as a truck driver’s wife. She could sew, knit and crochet; can the best pickles, choke-cherry syrup and salsa; make homemade wine; paint and swing a hammer. Her soup was second to none. She enjoyed dancing, curling and playing cards into the wee hours in her heyday, and went to the casino just for coffee in her later years. A great day included lunch at Red Lobster with Marci. She taught grandchildren to count by playing cribbage and Grandma’s bed was always ready for sleepovers. Her purse was a survival kit that held a lifetime supply of Kleenex and Scotch mints aka peppernuts. She enjoyed vacations with Dad in retirement to Arizona and on the occasion of their 50th anniversary to Scotland and Europe with her dear cousin Patsy Vollans. She turned camping into glamping well before that phrase was ever heard of. The three-week vacation to California in Billie’s big orange van, summers with Cory, and trips to Vancouver to visit Loreen held prominent place in Mom’s vast collection of stories and photos. Mom always said she raised three families: Loreen born within her first year of marriage, Bill born almost 7 years later and then the surprise of Marci at the age of 43. She spoke proudly of Loreen’s accomplishments as a singer, cheered on Billie as an athlete and was grateful that Marci was there to walk beside her in her golden years. She sorely missed Dad since his passing in 1997 but always got by with a push and a cup of tea even with declining health, the shattering loss of her son in 2015 and the arrival (and survival) of covid. She hated leaving her apartment at the age of 90 but delighted almost until the end in telling tales of growing up around Manor, SK with her parents Bill and Maria Kyle (née McBride), and siblings Al, Ray, Bubs, Stu, Mona Wiggins, Violet Adams  and surviving sister Dorothy Beatty. Mom was a hockey player, an egg grader and worked in the Manor Hotel. She became an entrepreneur with the opening of The Duck-Inn Café and Bill’s Bar during days of rations and with Dad fighting TB in Fort San. After establishing a home in Regina, she took in boarders to help make ends meet. She loved the homes that she and Dad created on Athol Street and Yarnton Crescent and it showed both inside and out. Mom cherished her McBride ties to Scotland and her Kyle roots. Her legacy lives on in daughter Loreen Pirlot, grandchildren Jessica Malach, Jonathan Kyle Malach (Mariko; Jonin Kyle and Takeo); daughter-in-law Joy Pirlot, grandchildren Cory (Christine; Christopher, Kayleigh and Kyle), Rosalyn (Travis McMillen; Kieran and Declan), Jason (Kailey; Carys and Cormac); and daughter Marci (Dale) Brisbourne, grandsons Colby and Wyllie, cousin Kim (Regan) Rabe and family, sister-in-law Brith Pirlot, cousin Charlotte Kissock, cousin Mary MacKenzie in Scotland, and many nieces and nephews. She will be laid to rest beside Dad and Billie. Your work is done, Mom. You are with your Bills as you had longed for. Today, we lift up a glass of sweet white wine in your honour and say thank you for the many memories and life lessons. Donations may be made in Mom’s memory to the Village of Manor (community cemetery fund), Box 295, Manor, SK, S0C 1R0.