Obituary of Allie Wihak

Allie Wihak died on Wednesday, August 14, 2019 in Regina, at the age of 95. She was calm and fully accepting, welcoming the close to her rich and full life, with her cognition and sharp wit intact, and feeling fully the love of her family. 

She was predeceased by her parents, Grace and Frank McDonnell; her beloved sisters, Dorothy Martyn and Ann Stipkala; cousin Gwen Kearney; sisters and brothers in-law Bill Martyn, Bill and Ruth Wihak, Al Wihak, Joe and Kathy Wihak, Ernie and Lottie Wihak, and her great love and husband of 64 years, Fred Wihak.

Allie is survived by her seven children, Laurie Collins, Stephen Wihak, Christine Wihak, Marian Wihak, Virginia Dalgas, Mark Wihak, and Jordan Wihak; daughters and sons-in-law Allan Collins, Ken Gass, Lorraine Wihak, Bruce Dalgas, Wanda Schmöckel, and Katherine Faro; grandchildren Jesse and David Collins, Sally (Ryan) Boyd, Lauren Wihak, Katherine Wihak (Chase Collins), Adam Wihak, and Dylan and Marae Dalgas; great-granddaughters, Charlotte and Rory Boyd; sister-in-law Eileen Hodges, brother-in-law Ed Stipkala; and numerous nieces and nephews and their families.

Alice Margaret McDonnell was born in Regina, on December 15 1923, the second of three daughters born to Grace (Ockenden) and Frank McDonnell. She grew up in a house her family built on the 1300 block of Queen Street, and attended elementary school at Sacred Heart, and high school at Scott Collegiate. Summers were spent at Regina Beach, and friendships made in childhood lasted a lifetime, particularly her close circle known as "Club": May McPhee, Eileen Brewer, Kay King, Agnes Campbell.

Allie lost her fiancé Mitch Westlake in WW II. She later met returning RCAF veteran Fred Wihak, and they married in Calgary in 1948. Allie and Fred lived in Edmonton while Fred completed his dental studies, then the couple and their first daughter Laurie moved to Regina. In Regina, Laurie would gain three sisters and three brothers: Christine, Steve, Marian, Gini, Mark, and Jordy.

Allie and Fred were an example of opposites attract. While they had different interests and approaches to many things, they loved each other deeply, and were in complete agreement on raising their children, nurturing and supporting their varied interests, and taking them on trips across North America. They provided a strong sense of moral responsibility, and led by example of doing what they could to help others. Their home was full of laughter, generosity, and spirited discussions around the dinner table.

In addition to raising seven children, Allie was active in the community, as a volunteer for the Cancer Society, the League for Human Life, and Birthright. She and Fred were founding members of Christ the King parish, and Allie was active in the CWL and working with refugee families sponsored by the parish.

While Allie lived in Regina for more than 80 of her 95 years, she also travelled widely, across Canada and five continents. Allie organised a station wagon full of kids on epic road trips to PEI and California. In her early 50s, with Fred, a daughter and two sons, she drove thousands of kilometers across Australia in a VW Westfalia van that slept four in the back with the youngest across the front seat. In her 60s, Allie made solo trips to England to connect with her father’s family.

Allie was a creative, stylish woman with a great eye; she really knew how to put together a room, and a wardrobe, on a budget. She was generous, and thoughtful, with a keen wit and a great sense of humour. To the end of her life, she was up to date on politics, and the latest movies, books, and events and she had an opinion on many of them. Allie was married to a dentist, and had seven children with university degrees, but she was the smartest one in the family. Her homes were alive with books, and music, and CBC Radio.

Allie and her family would like to thank the staff at the Bentley, to which Allie and Fred moved eleven years ago, and the nurses and doctors of Ward 4B and Palliative Care at the Pasqua Hospital, where Allie peacefully spent her last couple of days, the same hospital - then known as Grey Nuns – where she was born and brought six of her seven children into the world, a few blocks from the house on the 1300 block of Queen Street where she grew up, with her parents and two redheaded sisters.

At Allie's request, there will not be a funeral service, but a Celebration of Her Life will be held on her birthday, December 15.