Edith Lacey, affectionately known as “Edie” passed away with her favourite person in the world, Iris by her side on April 2, 2024. Born in Germany on July 26, 1924 to the late Gertrude & Wilhelm Schunke, Edie was the last member of her family having been predeceased by her sister Elly Wehrmann and her brother Horst Schunke in Germany. She was also predeceased by her husbands Werner Helass in 1981and Sean Lacey in 2016.
Edie’s captivating personality, doubled with a smile that lit up a room let you know you were loved. She was the best friend of her daughter of Iris Keating (Jim Knowles) and “Omi” to her grandchildren Jason & Tara McKinnon and Ryan & Laura McKinnon, her great-grandchildren Lucas, Lincoln, Leela and Sunny and their friends as well. She will be remembered by many nieces and nephews.
After emigrating to Canada from Germany in 1960, Edie went to night school to learn English. She got jobs with Sears, Cockshutt Farm Equipment and finally retired from Zimmer Biomet, a company that manufactured the replacement parts for knees and hips that she would eventually receive herself.
Edie was quite the trendsetter, especially when it came to procedures, and a trailblazer who always put her family first. She was the “hostess with the mostest”, entertaining anyone who sat at her well dressed table that included all the bells and whistles or who joined her for a walk through her gardens that she spent many hours manicuring. She was one of those people who had a certain twinkle in her eye and smile on her face that let her get away with many things, including tossing all filters aside and speaking her mind. The staff at the retirement and nursing homes described her as “cute”, “a firecracker”, “spicey”, “happy”, “affectionate” and “feisty”.
Many thanks go out to the caring staff at the Village On The Ridge in Ridgetown and Riverview Gardens in Chatham for their patience, guidance and great care of Mom. Also, we want to give a shout out to Angelo at the Venus de Milo restaurant and Fred Burchiel at the Blenheim Legion, who Mom affectionately referred to as her “boyfriends” for giving her all of the special attention that she so enjoyed.
Mom was seldom without a pet dog. If you would like to remember her with a memorial donation, please consider the Pet & Wildlife Rescue https://pawr.org/funds/ That would have made her happy. Her wish at this time was for us to remember her privately (with a glass of wine)!
