Obituary of Winnifred "Iris" Sauter

Sauter, Iris (Winnifred Iris Faulkner): born July 23, 1932 at Moosomin, SK; died July 16, 2013 at Brandon, MB. Predeceased by her father William Faulkner, mother Amy Faulkner (Clay), infant son John Leslie Sauter, brother Donald Faulkner, sister Edna Nabholz and twin sister Leila Nabholz. Survived by her husband of 62 years, Les Sauter, daughters Colleen Frape and Amy Buehler, granddaughters Kristel Surcon (Frape) and Emily Buehler, grandson Andrew Frape, great-granddaughters Erica, Madison, and Mayah Surcon and Rosalyn Humphreys, as well as many nieces and nephews. Iris Sauter was a dedicated and much-loved wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She met her life partner, Les Sauter, in the late 1940s and they were married in November, 1950. Les and Iris started their family while on the Sauter family farm at Fairlight, Saskatchewan. Colleen and Amy were both born there, but Les, a WWII vet, joined the air force in 1955, and so began a decade of military life. The family lived in Manitoba and Ontario before coming back to Saskatchewan when Les returned to farming in 1964. Les and Iris bought a home in Moosomin, where it was necessary for Iris to get a job to help support her family. She became a switchboard operator for SaskTel, starting a long working career that included later employment with SaskPower, a legal firm, and two banks. During the 60s and early 70s she was able to find that balance between mom and working woman that many struggle still to find. By example, she showed her girls that is was possible to be a loving wife and mom and, at the same time, to be an independent working woman. While at SaskTel she became a union representative and negotiator, standing up for the rights of other working women. For a time, Iris and Les moved back to Fairlight, where Iris worked full time on the farm. Never weighing more than 120 pounds, she did her fair share of hard, physical work. It was a busy life, from harvesting to trucking to killing and canning chickens – all that farm work – while keeping Les fed, the house clean, and the books in order. All that time, she kept in touch with friends and family near and far, and maintained a busy social life. The many moves while Les was in the air force had left a travel bug in both Iris and Les. They enjoyed many trips to California, Florida, Arizona, Hawaii, Ontario, BC, even a trip to Europe. Often they met with old friends, and always they made new ones. They retired from the farm, living then in Moosomin and Wynyard, Saskatchewan, and Brandon Manitoba. Iris stayed busy gardening, home decorating, sewing, knitting, singing in her church choir and always keeping in touch with family and friends. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren brought tremendous joy to her life. Time spent with them was always a delight. The last years of her life were marked with illness, but she fought bravely to overcome many of the effects of a series of strokes and several operations. Her last battle was with Alzheimer's disease. She and Les were residents together at Fairview Personal Care Home in Brandon until her death. She was deeply loved and will be greatly missed. The family wishes to thank the staff at Fairview Personal Care Home for their help and consideration. Anyone wishing to honour Iris's memory may make a donation to the Alzheimer Society of Canada or Manitoba, or to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.