Obituary of Dorothy Marjorie Magnusson

MAGNUSSON, Dorothy Marjorie

Peacefully, listening to the music she loved, with family by her side, Dorothy Marjorie Magnusson passed away Thursday, April 6, 2023 in the Palliative Care Unit, Pasqua Hospital, Regina. Born April 30, 1926 in Bucklebury,  England, she was the eighth and last child of William Thomas (Tom) Alfred Kislingbury-Harris (1880-1960) and Edith Rachel Chapman (1884-1968).  She never met her three oldest siblings. Brothers William Albert (1903-1942, Punta Arenas, Chile) and Sidney James (1904-1928, Leroy, New York) had already emigrated and sister, Gladys Edith, died in 1918 at age 13 of polio.

In April 1928 Tom, Edith and children Ivy, Reginald, Arthur, Eileen and Dorothy boarded the ship Ausonia II in Liverpool, arriving in Halifax on April 6.   Their arrival coincides with the dropping of Kislingbury from their last name.  From Halifax they travelled by train across Canada to Leslie, SK. and then by horse and buggy to their new home, a farm at Kristnes, SK.  Dorothy attended Kristnes School and worked on the farm.  The hard times of the depression years were followed by WWII.  Her brothers Reg and Arthur enlisted in the army; Sgt. Arthur Douglas Harris, was killed in action, December 23, 1943, Ortona, Italy. Her beau, Pilot Officer John Freeman Magnusson returned in January 1945 after three years in England. Married April 14,1945 they farmed south of Leslie for eight years before Freeman joined the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. Several moves around the province followed, the last in 1968 when they came to Regina.

Dorothy was an active and social person and a league curler until age 85 when she decided to hang up her broom.  She loved to bake, cook, sew and was a dedicated volunteer for those with mental health challenges.  In her later years, she knit countless “toques” for babies in the hospital, and mitts, hats, and scarves for children in need.  She made each of her children and grandchildren a hand stitched quilt, and numerous baby quilts and blankets. Strong and independent, she was physically active, walking 3 miles a day until age 90, when she had to “slow down a bit”.  She was also an avid reader, card and scrabble player and devotee of jigsaw puzzles.

Dorothy was the last surviving member of her family. Predeceased by her husband Freeman in 1998; her siblings and families, William (Lily and sons, William and Montague); Sidney; Ivy (Elmer Hansen and sons Kenneth and Douglas); Reg (Pauline); Arthur, and Eileen (Howard Love and son Neil). She was also predeceased by all of Freeman’s family - his parents Olafur (Oli) and Ethel; brother Elwyn (Gertie and their son Oli); sisters Louise (Melvin Holmstrom and sons Donald and Robert; Ethel (Gisli Norman and daughters Sharon and Nancy), Dorothy (Bill Reed and son Douglas), and Lillian (Fred Stephenson and daughter Shirley). Dorothy remained in contact with many of her nieces and nephews right until her death.

Dorothy is survived by her four children; Karen Lozowchuk (Ben Sichkaryk) and her two daughters; Cindy Ozga (Dale and children Amanda and Ryan) Lynn Reiter and her two children Cole, and Raymond (Kendal and their children, Freyja, Maghnus and Odin); Donna (Randy Langgard) and their two children Andrew and Ariel (Will Stodalka); Kris (Wendy) and their two children Nicole (Lucas) and Eric (Daniel) and Shelley (Dennis Ouellette) and her son Kristjan (Jacinda and their children Thora, Freyja and Ari).

At her request, there will be no funeral. Following cremation, Dorothy will be laid to rest beside Freeman in the Kristnes Cemetery within sight of her first home in Canada.  In lieu of flowers, donations to Qu’Appelle House, 1425 College Avenue, Regina, SK. S4P 1B4.  Curling Canada at www.curling.ca, The Canadian Red Cross, 2050 Cornwall Street, Regina, SK. S4P 2K5 or a charity of your choosing would be appreciated. The family thanks her Family Physician, Dr. A. Mohammed and staff of the Stapleford Clinic, the wonderful staff at Qu’Appelle House where she resided for the past two months, and all the kind and compassionate health care workers who cared for Dorothy in her last week of life, including EMS, the Pasqua Hospital ER, and the caring and exceptional teams on Units 3D and 3A, along with Drs. Alport and Johnson.

To leave an online message of condolence please visit www.speersfuneralchapel.com