| Bye - Susan Kary Bye was born on May 9, 1960, in the Coronation hospital to proud parents Bennie and Shirley Kary. She was raised as a farm girl north of Veteran along with her brother Weldon. When her cousins “the Kary boys” came to visit Weldon, much to her chagrin, the consequence of not engaging wholeheartedly in the gun-wielding, mud-slinging war games would mean being locked in the bale fort as a prisoner of the war. Susan learned early in life that to stay in the game she’d have to perform with fierce competitiveness and calculated measures of risk. Susan attended school from elementary to Grade 10 in Veteran. She attended Grades 11 and 12 in Consort and graduated in 1978. During the summer months in high school, she worked at the Coronation Treasury Branch. Her passion was to become a health professional after witnessing her grandmother’s illness and how deeply it affected her family. She pursued a Combined Lab and X-ray Technician Certificate from NAIT in Edmonton, graduating in 1979 and received her training in Hanna, Alberta. Susan started her career at the Bashaw Hospital in 1979 and then in 1980, became a technician at the Consort Municipal Hospital. Susan and Howard met in 1976, and after four years of courtship, they were married on August 30, 1980. In 1983 Susan and Howard purchased the family farm from her parents. She always played an active role in the ownership and operation of Golden Gates Farm. Her farm upbringing, education, and banking experience gave her the skill set to do the farm accounting, to strategize, and to operate large machinery with competency. For five years they focused on their careers and building their farm. Then, one day, a neighbour lady said to Susan: “If you’re waiting until you can afford kids, you’ll never have any -- so you’d better get on with it!” So they did! In 1986 Patricia Leanne was born, weighing nine pounds and 11 ounces. Four years later, Kyle James was born, tipping the scales at 10 pounds, five ounces. Susan and Howard thought they should re-think their farming motto “go big or go home” when it came to having more kids. Susan approached parenting with as much passion and dedication as she did her career and farming. Her kids became her priority. She valued morals and a strong work ethic, and she instilled these values in her children. Susan also believed in giving Kyle and Patricia valuable life experiences. Taking them on vacation to distant countries where they experienced new cultures, and exposure to music was as important as schooling to Susan. Gardens, animals, birds and pets, and the annual harvest were a family affair; the children could mature with a sense of involvement, accomplishment and self worth as they grew up. It’s difficult to describe Susan’s character in a few words. She had a contagious smile that would light up a room. She used it often, and it caused even strangers to smile back. Susan had an assertive-yet-gentle manner and her humour was quick and witty, often leaving listeners in shock and awe -- but always eager to hear more. No topic was sacred to Susan. A cabinet maker who came to advise Susan on new counter tops got a taste of her irreverent humour. She was intrigued by granite, but the cabinet maker did not recommend it because of the long distance from suppliers, logistics, and cutting and installation costs. Susan said: “I want to look down on granite for a few years before I have to stare upwards at it.” She got her granite countertops. The prankster in Susan kept her co-workers and family in stitches. There was the time that a Consort Hospital administrator found his car keys frozen in a bed pan full of suspicious yellow ice. The time that she mooned her father-in-law has become a rural legend. Seeing Howard’s grain truck drive into the yard, she jokingly dropped her pants in welcome, only to discover that Howard’s dad was also in the truck. It is hard to say who was more surprised, Arnold, Susan, or Howard! Susan loved her birds and animals. She was proud of her flock of content laying hens and the big brown eggs they produced, her exotic birds, and the hen house that neighbours referred to as Susan’s “chicken palace.” The local game warden can attest to several reluctant trips out to the Byes to negotiate confiscation of wild goslings that Susan had hatched in the incubator to save nests from being destroyed. Susan maintained bird feeders for blue jays and chickadees, maintained houses for the blue birds -- and maintained the pellet gun for sparrows and magpies. Susan liked the gentle quality of Golden Labs and for the last 24 years these dogs have been part of the family. Susan’s green thumb was evident to everyone who drove into the farm yard. Shrubs and potted flowers outside and inside the house welcomed visitors to a very homey environment. Roses were her favourites. The colored lilies that Howard proudly planted in all of the flower beds one fall gradually disappeared; Susan had stealthily planted pink and red roses in their place. Susan’s friends respectfully called her Veteran’s own Martha Stewart because she had gained and shared much wisdom in the art of homemaking. Susan has a picture album full of cakes that she baked over the years for birthday parties for family and friends. Each cake had a special theme appropriate for the person and for the occasion, and was covered by a secret icing recipe that could never be relinquished. Susan learned the art of making perfect Angel food cakes from her mother Shirley. She gave her friends and the local 4-H cooking clubs specific instructions on how to replicate her success. Mid-summer meant trekking into the hills in search of saskatoons for a new batch of pies to last until next year’s crop. Susan had a huge appetite for life, embracing a wide range of experiences. She was as comfortable with fine dining in an elegant evening gown as she was with sitting in a stubble field wearing a tattered plaid jacket, and eating supper off a paper plate. She was as excited about attending the opera as she was about heading to Vegas with the boys for a weekend of Nascar. She was a die-hard fan of Jeff Gordon, in the Dupont #24 car, and a very vocal adversary of Tony Stewart in the #20 Home Depot car -- much to the entertainment of everyone who knew this at the track. As a teenager Susan was an aggressive snowmobiler recognizable by her authentic John Deere helmet. She had to keep pace with the Tkach boys and she took her fair share of spills, scrapes and bruises. “Road rash” she called it. She was privileged to learn to play music from the late Harold Eikle and could play the piano with ease. Strumming the guitar was more challenging to her but this talent was picked up by her children. Susan’s latest musical encounter was with a new set of drums that arrived at Christmas in 2006. Soon after, the recognizable and energetic rhythms of Johnny Cash came banging up from the basement. Susan had a huge circle of friends and admirers. With her closest women friends – her “sisterhood” – she shared babysitting, camping, shopping excursions, scrapbooking, birthday parties, and heartfelt conversations. The sisterhood was her support group, but often she gave as much consolation as she received. Somehow through her own experiences she was able to bring hope and humour to others. Susan was a gifted mediator. During the hectic combine season, you would find her following shortly behind Howard to ensure that his instructions to the crew were understood, that questions were answered, and that nerves or tempers were calmed. It was her personal touch that inspired motivation to achieve each day’s objectives. Appreciation of her people skills came one wet day last September when some of the combining crew and farming friends converged on her hospital room in Calgary to share stories of the latest harvest antics, trials and successes. After they left, the nurses couldn’t get into the room fast enough to learn how Susan had drawn such a congregation of respectful men to her bedside. People skills were never more necessary than when Susan allocated tickets to dance performances in Consort. Though Susan was deemed the “Ticket Nazi” for Tara’s Academy of Dance Recitals, it took a tough constitution, great organizational skills, and the ability to negotiate compromise in order to accommodate everyone’s needs. To Susan’s credit, she was a patient and compassionate volunteer, teaching 4-H kids to bake cakes, serving as a reading buddy at the Veteran school, and teaching Sunday School. Her personal battle with ovarian cancer fuelled her passion for cancer awareness and cancer research funding. She published ovarian cancer awareness articles in area newspapers, and supported the local Terry Fox Run. Last September at Foothills Hospital, to the cheers of friends, family, and hospital staff, she completed her goal of a lap around the ward with her walker – raising $14,000 for the Terry Fox fund. Susan was also dedicated to keeping the memory of her daughter Patricia alive by actively managing the Patricia Bye Award of Excellence in the Veteran and Consort schools. Despite the loss of Patricia five years ago and a four-year battle with cancer, it’s important for everyone to know that Susan spent all of her life LIVING, not dying. Facing new experiences and new challenges head-on was a way of life for her. Amazingly, her determination never faltered. She never said “enough is enough.” She told us last fall that people can receive a miracle cure that allows them to live for another 20 years. She believed that she had received a miracle too, even if it was only for four months -- four months to reconnect with people and to do things that needed to be done. Susan cared deeply about her family. Foremost was love as a mother, as a wife, as a sister and as a daughter. She set high expectations for Kyle who has grown into a knowledgeable, fun loving and polite young man. She credited her dad for her creativity and intuitiveness. And she was grateful to her mother for her strength and determination. They called each other every morning. They enjoyed traveling to Edmonton to see the Queen, and had made plans to follow that up with a trip to England to have tea with “Liz” at Buckingham Palace and to visit Coronation Street. She maintained a caring and respectful relationship with her brother and his family. Susan was a very devoted and fun-loving wife. Throughout their marriage Susan was Howard’s “right hand girl.” She was Howard’s best friend and he knew he could count on her for absolutely anything. Even before they were married Susan used to take great pride in helping Howard type his university reports. Throughout their university and college days, if they were studying together, she was the one who would make sure they took a break and had some fun. Howard and Susan depended on each other for advice and support when making major decisions with respect to their careers and the farm. They drew on each other’s intuition and intellect, and as a team built a beautiful farm, a successful farming operation and partnered in a new crop input business. Though Susan was a very capable and independent woman, she depended on Howard for her strength and conviction to her treatment program, which they referred to as “the plan.” Even though she appreciated and loved having her friends with her throughout her illness and hospitalizations, it was truly Howard that she wanted by her side. He was her rock! When he would leave the hospital room for a break it wasn’t long and she would be asking where Howard was. Susan was excited and delighted at Howard’s surprise anniversary gift when he organized a renewal of their wedding vows on their 27th wedding anniversary in the hospital. He completed the surprise by presenting his bride with flowers that were a replica of her original bouquet. Their vows summed up their true devotion to each other: “To love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, ‘til death do us part”. Memories of her tenacity, determination, friendliness, humor and commitment exemplified Susan’s pledge to live each day to the fullest. She taught us the importance of taking the time, and then to cherish the time to "smell the roses". The memorial service to commemorate Susan’s life took place at the Coronation Community Centre, Coronation, Alberta on Saturday, February 2, 2008 at 1 p.m. with Reverend Stephen Shantz of the Veteran United Church officiating. Joan Bousquet gave the eulogy that was written by Howard Bye and Deanna Tainsh. Linda Schetzsle played for the congregational hymns, “I Danced In The Morning” and “In The Bulb There Is A Flower”. A memorial slide presentation was played honouring Susan’s life. Musicians, Pat and Charlotte Gilmer, Kyle Bye, Cameron Bye and Mitchell Tainsh performed “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”. Active pallbearers were Bruce Kary, Brent Kary, Dale Kary and Jaron Bye. A private family interment took place at the Veteran Cemetery on Sunday, February 3, 2008. Following the memorial service family and friends remained at the Community Centre for a time of visiting and reminiscing. A beautiful lunch was prepared and served by the Veteran United Church Ladies and the community. In Susan’s honour, memorial contributions may be made to the Ovarian Cancer Association, 101-145 Front St. East, Toronto, ON, M5A 1E3 or to The Patricia Bye Award of Excellence Scholarship Fund, Box 457, Veteran, AB, T0C 2S0. Heather Caseley of Coronation Funeral Home entrusted with the funeral arrangement1-888-578-2928.“Knowledge, Experience And Professionalism With A Personal Touch” In Appreciation Howard and Kyle Bye, Ben and Shirley Kary and Weldon and Diana Kary are forever grateful for the following deeds of kindness shown towards Susan and our families in our recent times of need: The Foothills Hospital Unit 42 and 47 nurses and staff that not only provided care but became our friends. Dr. Nation, Dr. Katage, Dr. Hagen, Dr. Young and Dr. Murray at the Foothills Hospital and the Tom Baker Clinic for their attention and special interest in Susan’s needs. Minna Gill, Kate Butler and all staff at the Tom Baker Clinic who helped Susan with diligent scheduling of tests and with treatments. Barbara Goode and David Morrison of the Foothills Spiritual Services group for their prayers, visits and support. Friends Ken Longeway and Melissa Hartwell for providing a home away from home in Calgary for Susan, Howard and Kyle for many days, weeks and months at a time. Dr. Lynne McKenzie, Dr. Tolmie, nurses, hospital and ambulance staff at the Coronation Hospital for their professionalism, expertise and compassion shown towards Susan and our families during Susan’s treatments and stays. Dr. Gerhard Malherbe and Dr. Carin Strydom and staff at the Consort Hospital for comforting Susan during her stay there. The Consort and area homecare nurses and staff who assisted Susan to live at home for three months this fall and winter. Susan’s “sisterhood”, the special friends that helped her through many hospital stays, helped her at home, assisted her with Christmas shopping, came for tea and for being only a phone call away. Heather, Craig and staff of Coronation Funeral Home for handling proficient funeral arrangements with compassion, commitment and professionalism. Officiating Clergy, Reverend Stephen Shantz and his wife Elizabeth for their friendship with Susan, visits to the hospitals, prayers and commitment of faith that helped to keep her determined and strong. Active pallbearers Bruce Kary, Brent, Dale Kary and Jaron Bye. Wilma Klumpenhower, Joan Bousquet, Linda Schetzsle, Pat and Charlotte Gilmer, Cameron Bye and Mitchell Tainsh for their roles in making Susan’s memorial service a heartfelt and meaningful experience for everyone in attendance. The Veteran United Church Ladies and community for serving lunch and refreshment after the funeral. The Village of Veteran and Daryl Tkach for their role assisting with interment. Family and friends who helped Susan and her family in times of need, sent cards and flowers and attended the funeral service to celebrate her life, and who gave generously to charity and to the Patricia Bye Award of Excellence Scholarship Fund in Susan’s memory. We are so humbled. With heartfelt sincerity, Howard and Kyle Bye Ben and Shirley Kary Weldon and Diana Kary and family Muriel Bye and families |