Obituary of Mina Martin

Mina Martin
It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of our beloved Mother. Mina was born on December 20, 1929 in Fort William, The Lakehead, now part of Thunder Bay, ON, to Albert and Esther Smith (nee Boyd). She is survived by her four daughters Catherine (Matthew) Johnston and Alison Martin of Timmins, Leslie (Kurtis) Krug and Michelle (Bob) Pawliuk of Regina; her sister Joan (Bob) Knott of Mississauga and her baby brother William Boyd Smith of Thunder Bay; her grandchildren Sean and Jennifer Johnston, Rachel and Michael Krug and Laura and Caitlin Pawliuk as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents; her sister Marion Smith and her brother Jim (Ella, predeceased). Our mother was a ground breaker. She was the first of her family to obtain post secondary education, leaving her home in Thunder Bay at the tender age of 18 to take the long train ride to attend Teacher’s College in North Bay, ON. While there, she made lifelong friends. They had a round robin of correspondence which they kept up for over 60 years. She was the first in her family to own a car, and taught other family members how to drive. She was considered a superior teacher and taught for several years, before leaving to raise her family. Summer often found her taking the two-day drive with her four children from Regina to Thunder Bay, where we spent our days on the shores of Lake Superior. She returned to work when her children were older, working for the Ministry of Agriculture in the Walter Scott Building until her retirement. She often said how lucky she was to work in such a beautiful building in the middle of a beautiful park. She was active in the Anglican Church all her life, a member of the ACW and the Altar Guild. She, along with her friend, Nettie Saul, worked many church bazaars and dinners, and made a quilt to sell to raise money for the church. She loved birds, fine china and quilting and was a founding member of the Prairie Piecemakers Quilters’ Guild.