Obituary of Helen (Lana) Forbes

Helen, our dear Mother, passed away on Sunday, July 21, 2019 surrounded by her family. She was born on May 14, 1935 to George and Eva Stirr in Regina. She was the youngest of eleven children. Helen is survived by her son David (George Smith); daughters, Nikki (Rod) Thompson, Brenda (Dale) Lesko and Susan (Brad) Hertz; her loving and caring grandchildren, Trevor McKenzie, Jennifer Lesko (Brad), Jessica (Trevor) Smulan, Kristen Lesko (Shayne) Gabriel and Adam Hertz; great-grandchildren Noah McKenzie, Jackson Daniels, Kacie and Hayden Smulan; sister Anne Derzaph; sister-in-law Peggy (Steve Stirr); and numerous nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her very dear friend of sixty-seven years, Margaret Koch. Helen married John (Jack) Forbes in 1953 who predeceased her in 1992. Helen graduated from Balfour Collegiate and entered the workforce immediately. She always was a working Mom. She ended her career after 25 years with the Hudson Bay Company where they frequently referred to her as the "real manager" of the store. The phrase "go ask Helen" rang through the store. Our mother loved attending The Bay Alumni dinners to reconnect with her long-time friends. Our Mother was warm, kind, compassionate and always full of laughter. She had a wonderful sense of humour, a gift for numbers, a love for giving and receiving greeting cards, enjoyed card games, loved nature and passed many of these attributes and her joy of life to her family. She was generous with her love, smiles and encouragement. Funeral Service will be held at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1909 Ottawa Street, Regina, SK on Monday, July 29, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Kristin Soveran. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Helen’s memory to any of her favourite charities, The Food Bank, Soul’s Harbour or the Red Cross.