Obituary of Betty Hansford

It is with tremendous sadness that the family of Betty Hansford (Brown) wish to announce her passing at Fred Douglas Lodge in Winnipeg on October 13, 2022 with her daughters by her side. Survived by her loving husband Albert (Ab); children Diane (Joe), Laura (Tom), Barb (Al ); grandchildren Kate (Mike), Sarah (Matt), Kelsey (Bill), Roy (Christa), Kaija, Sean (Alise), Mark, Stefan; great grandchildren Lyndon, Emerson, Connor, Alex, Addison, Connor and Brandon; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins with whom she had a special relationship; and her sister-in-law Shirley Parsons who has been a great help to Dad in the last few months. Betty was predeceased by her parents, David and Ida Brown; in-laws Edwin and Edna Buryl Hansford; Ab’s siblings, Eileen (Bob), Thelma (Lorne), Robert (Helen) and Kay (Bob). Mom was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She was proud to have grown up in Elmwood where she had many friends and kept in touch with a lot of her chums from Lord Selkirk school. She then met the love of her life Albert (Ab) Hansford and they were married on May 30, 1959. They resided in Transcona until April 1970 when Dad was transferred to Thunder Bay with Prudential Assurance. Mom became actively involved in many aspects of the community through volunteering and business. The family were long time members of First Church United and Mom sang in the choir for many years as she loved to sing. The good friends they made during their time at church are still their friends to this day. She was Chairman of the Christmas Cheer Fund for many years and was on the original board of the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium. Being a great lover of cheese, Mom and Dad started the Cheese Chalet on Victoria Avenue which became a booming business with gift baskets, many different cheeses and strange things like chocolate covered ants and crickets. Once Dad opened Hansford Insurance, Mom sold the Cheese Chalet so she could support him in his business and do the bookkeeping for him. She also started her cake decorating business and did many beautiful wedding and birthday cakes for close friends and family. Our house was always full of friends and family as Mom loved having people around her. Christmas was a special time at our house and seemed to last for weeks with lots of laughter and great food. Every summer we returned to the family cottage at Victoria Beach, Manitoba where Mom loved spending time with all the friends she had made over the years having spent time there since she was a young girl. We had a lot of family gatherings at the cottage and many nights were spent playing cards and board games and trying to catch flag thieves with fish hooks. In 1993, Dad retired and they moved permanently back to Manitoba to spend summers at Victoria Beach and winters at Leisureworld in Mesa, Arizona. Mom and Dad made many lifelong friends in Mesa and enjoyed playing golf, tennis and pickle ball. Mom was always up for trying new things and loved skiing, swimming, needlework and became quite the quilter in her latter years, entering many quilting shows. Mom and Dad took many trips back to Thunder Bay to visit friends and family, most recently at the end of May 2022 for their granddaughter Kelsey’s wedding. Later in life she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease which slowed her down only slightly. Mom and Dad then moved into Sterling House, a wonderful assisted living residence in Winnipeg, where they made more friends and enjoyed their life immensely. Dad continues to reside at Sterling House and is well looked after by the wonderful staff. Thanks to the staff of Sterling House and Fred Douglas Lodge for their compassionate care, always going above and beyond for our parents. Also thank you to Dr. Isaac for taking such good care of Mom through the years and the wonderful staff at St Boniface hospital for their care and compassion during her stay there. A Celebration of Life for Betty will be held on Friday, October 21, 2022 at the Masonic Memorial Centre at 420 Corydon Avenue from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Parkinsons MB or the Christmas Cheer Fund as these charities were very close to Mom’s heart. Please be kind to one another.