Obituary of Loraine Elizabeth Arnold

Loraine Arnold, resident of the Yorkton Crossing Retirement Home, widow of George Arnold, passed away on Tuesday, February 15th 2022. She was 97 years of age. Loraine was born at the home of her grandparents, Elizabeth and John Austin in Imperial, Saskatchewan on May 31, 1924, to David and Norma Mooney. Loraine was the eldest of five children, Jack, Gordon, Rae and Harry. Loraine was mother to Lynne, Barry, Wendy (deceased), Bryce, Tanya and Murray (deceased). She raised her children with love and devotion on the farm near Stalwart and in the city of Yorkton, Saskatchewan with her husband George Arnold. As a school teacher, Loraine was known for her extraordinary caring, patience and excellence. She taught in several schools near Stalwart (Bermuda School, Stalwart School and Imperial School), as well as Fairview School, Angus Spice and Dr. Brass Schools in Yorkton. She taught Grade One, which according to most educators, is the most difficult level of teaching. She especially loved teaching music and art. Loraine always said that teaching for her was a labour of love. Loraine's hobbies included raising horses, bird watching, music and painting. She formed the second 4-H Light Horse Club in Saskatchewan and started bands in the communities wherever she lived. She also played in the Yorkton Community Band and in the well-known band, The Odds and Ends. The subjects of her paintings, water-colours, mostly, were mainly flowers, farms and the landscapes of Saskatchewan which she loved dearly. She was particularly proud of her personal art exhibition, which was a one-man show in Yorkton. Oh, and she loved playing golf, especially with her grandchildren. Loraine was a life-long learner and continually sought activities which challenged her and kept her active in community events. Loraine is survived by her children, Lynne (Marvin Chambers), Barry (Judy Kazakoff), Bryce (Della), and Tanya (Fred Bowen). She was predeceased by her husband George Arnold, daughter Wendy Goodhand (Tom Goodhand) and son Murray (Darlene). She has 14 grandchildren and 16 great grand children as well as many nieces and nephews. The funeral service was held on Saturday, February 19th 2022 from the Yorkton Memorial Gardens Family Centre with Crystal Bailey officiating. Daughter Tanya gave the family tribute. Music played was 'In the Garden', 'How Great Thou Art' and 'The Old Rugged Cross'. The interment took place in the Garden of Memories with son Barry as the urnbearer. Condolences can be left at baileysfuneralhome.com Autobiography — Loraine Elizabeth Arnold Below was composed in Loraine’s mind and written in her own words. I am unsure exactly when she wrote this, but it was obviously after her retirement in 1985. Loraine was born on May 31, 1924, at the home of her grandparents, Elizabeth and John Austin of Imperial, Saskatchewan. She was the eldest of five children: Loraine, Jack, Gordon, Rae and Harry, all borne to David and Norma Mooney. She grew up on the farm which she loved and shared in the household and outdoor tasks (weeding and hoeing the garden, milking the cows in harvest time, rounding up the cattle when necessary, etc.). She attended Rolling Ridge (a country school) from Grades I to X, then completed grades XI and XII at Imperial High School. Following graduation (1942), she attended Normal School (now called Teachers’ College). After six weeks of training she was asked to accept a teaching position at Cullyton, a small rural school in the Stalwart area. Teacher shortages in war-time had closed many schools, so to alleviate the situation, Normal School students were asked to form the work force with only three or four weeks of training. She taught in other country (Bermuda School) and town schools (Stalwart and Imperial) until 1946, then married George Arnold, a corporal with the R.C.A.F., who was stationed at Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. After a year’s absence, she returned to teaching and took charge of Cochrone School, High Bluff, Manitoba. George had in the meantime obtained his discharge from the airforce, so at the end of the school year they returned to Imperial, Saskatchewan where Lynne was born. In the years that followed, George and Loraine lived in Bellevue, Alberta (a mining town) where she became active in the United Church, belonged to a Craft Club and formed the coal miner’s band. Barry and Wendy were born during their four year stint in the mountains of the Crowsnest Pass. Upon returning to Saskatchewan, they lived briefly in Imperial where Bryce and Tanya were born, then moved to the Arnold farm at Stalwart where Murray was born, bringing their family to six children: Lynne, Barry Wendy, Bryce, Tanya and Murray. They resided on the farm for the next fourteen years. While on the farm, Loraine was active in the community of Stalwart where she formed a band and a 4-H Light Horse Club (the second only to be formed in Saskatchewan). As a hobby, she, with the support of her husband, raised saddle horses. The family was always involved as well in school and church activities and in music. All six children played one or two instruments and were involved in recitals, festivals and band concerts. Loraine played piano and saxophone. Loraine went back to teaching while still on the farm and taught Grade One for four years at Imperial. Every summer for five years she returned to university to upgrade her certificate from temporary to permanent. In 1969, George’s work took them to Yorkton and then came the heart-wrenching move from the farm. During her employment in Yorkton she took sabbatical leave to enrol at the University of Regina to obtain her Bachelor of Education degree. She returned to Yorkton and taught Grade One at Fairview School until her retirement at age 62 in 1985. She had taught at Angus Spice, Dr. Brass and Fairview Schools in Yorkton. Loraine’s day with her students always started with on half hour of singing. It was her firm belief that every child could sing. For her there was no such child as a “monotone”. There were children who had not grown up with music, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be taught and learn to enjoy that wonderful means of expression. First they had to be taught how to listen. “What did you hear? Was that piece fast or slow? Did I play up high or down low?” Then came tone matching. I would sing a piece “out of tune” (not so easy to do by the way). They would all laugh and I, in all seriousness, would say, “why are you laughing?” Then with a very worried look on his face, one little student would say, “It didn’t sound like the piano.” Now we were on the track of “tone matching” and that’s why my students (average age of six) sang well. For me it was a labour of love and one in which I could be quite creative and invent little gimmicks and devices as we went along. This was ear training, so essential to every form of music. Teaching Grade One in depth is hard work but is so rewarding. My main goal of course was to teach them to read and well, and to understand arithmetic. Besides that, I opened the door on Social Studies and Science, hoping to whet their desires for more studies as they advanced. And there was art. To begin with, I got rid of every copied picture and colouring book that was in my room. Instead I taught “art” according to the seasons. That meant taking them to the window or outside and asking questions such as, “Is all the grass the same color? Oh, why not? What shape is that shadow? Why? What color is it? Does that chimney over there stand straight or does it sit on a slant like the one in your drawing? Oh, why not? Then let’s fix the one in your drawing. Which end do we fix, the top or the bottom?” Those were the art lessons and the pictures produced were quite astounding. Six and seven year old are capable of so much more than we give the credit for. Our task, so our obligation is to “stretch” their minds—not hammer them with unrelated facts. Now in retirement, she has time to “stretch” her mind artistically. Her goal as an artist has always been to “capture in a painting a fragment of a visual experience that has touched my heart and to share it with you the viewer.” L.E.A. Service Details. Service When: Saturday, February 19th, 2022 1:00pm Location: Yorkton Memorial Gardens Family Centre Address: Highway #10 East YORKTON, SK Interment Location: Yorkton Memorial Gardens Address: Highway #10 East YORKTON, SK Online Memory & Photo Sharing Event Ongoing Online Event About this event In Loving Memory Of Loraine Arnold May 31, 1924 - February 15, 2022 Look inside to read what others have shared Family and friends are coming together online to create a special keepsake. Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in this book. View Tribute Book