Obituary of Louise Therese Dyck

Louise Thérèse Anna Dyck nee Bedard was born December 12, 1923, in La Broquerie, MB., and passed away on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, on her 100th birthday.

She was the 10th child to Hector Bedard and wife Léopoldine Coté. Three younger siblings were born after her. So 13 children at all. Unfortunately, two brothers died as infants.

Mom completed high school in La Broquerie. She married my father in December 1942. Together they had two girls, Yvonne and Claudette. They lived in Fort Francis, ON., at this time.

Mom ran a restaurant there and she separated from my dad when Yvonne and I were only four and five years old.

When she left us, she worked at Salisbury as a waitress. She changed jobs and worked for the Singers Sewing Machine Company. She did an advertisement for them on the French CKSB radio station.

She began to design and model clothes - which caused her to travel to the US, modelling and selling her designs, even to actresses.

Mother could sew anything, she even sewed wedding dresses. She managed a sewing factory owned by the lawyers Shukett.

After five years on her own, she got her daughters back and needed to change jobs. The lawyer helped her get the girls back. Mom took up hairdressing in Toronto where she lived for two years. Then managed a hair salon in Winnipeg.

Mom was a hard worker, and always looked to improve her way of earning a living, as she was a single mom raising two girls.

She became a realtor and was the first female realtor in Manitoba. She received many awards as the top salesperson in Winnipeg. She retired at 70 years old from real estate.

Mom married Mike Prystayko, who was a CN conductor and became widowed after 17 years.

After Mike, she married Reverend Peter Dyck, and also became a widow after 21 years of marriage to him.

Mom had married three times in December. She told my sister and I to lock her up in December if she became a widow again. We had a good laugh.

Our mother has favourite things like the number 12. She was born on the 12th of the 12th month; Louise Bedard had 12 letters in her name; L for Louise is the 12th letter of the alphabet. She loved yellow roses and the colour blue…

Mom was able to live in her own home, do all her shopping, clean and cook until age 95. Then her health became an issue.  She could no longer do those things anymore and needed help needs someone to take care of her.

In July 2023, she moved into the Menno Home for the Aged in Grunthal.

Mom is survived by two daughters one son-in-law, eight grandchildren 18 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great-grandchildren. In all, there’s 59 of us - quite a legacy.

She has her baby sister that lives in Virginia USA, and many nieces and nephews.

We are very proud of all our mother achieved in her life. She worked hard and made it as a single mom.

We are very proud of you, Mom.

You’ve taught us so much.