In loving memory of a life well lived...
Cecilia Emily Fendall Taylor
March 6, 1911 - December 24, 2002

I think Mother was wrong about this. She used to say that she could write a book (about her life) but nobody would want to read it. Born to recent British immigrants, Arthur and Emily Fendall, at a rented farmhouse near Okotoks, Alberta, Canada, in the bitterly cold winter of 1911, she was a greatly loved only child. The door on the happy days of her youth closed on in December 14, 1924 when her father died of cancer, leaving her and her mother alone in the world. His cruel two-year illness had exhausted the family's money and resources. Possessing amazing inner strength, she made her own way, ensuring her mother's wellbeing all the years of her life. Mother went on to fight for an education, marry and raise a family. She worked harder physically on the farm than any woman should ever have to. With a sense of humor, along with patience, determination and grace, she faced tragedy, hardship, deprivation and treatment that would now be classified as abuse. She never complained. While the challenges that Mother faced might have caused weaker women to cower, she was tough. She persevered, taking solace in her faith and her children, who were her pride and joy. At the end of her life, Mother's hands were badly crippled with arthritis, her back was bent in a widow's hump and she could barely see, yet she took that final hurdle with equanimity too. What a book her story would make!
—Elaine Thomas