Mrs. Tillie Pauline Lacaille

August 16, 1931 - May 30, 2020

Tillie lost her valiant fight with cancer and passed away peacefully with her daughter Diane by her side on May 30, 2020, at age 88. Along with Diane and son-in-law Robert Delanoy, Tillie will be lovingly remembered and forever missed by her grandchildren Kelly (Karla) Delanoy, Christopher Delanoy and Lisa (Scott) Woodruff, and her precious great-grandchildren Mason and Maya Woodruff, and soon to arrive great-grandson Delanoy, who greatly loved their “GG”. She is predeceased by her devoted husband of 59 years, Alex; her father and mother, Michael and Margaret (Schaefer) Lanz; her father and mother-in-law, Henri and Audelie (Fradette) Lacaille; sisters Minnie (Walter) Schoenfeld, Josie (Harry) Koch, Helen (Tony) Mack, Betty (Ernie) Lacaille; brothers George, Henry and Edward Lanz; sister-in-law Irene (Ralph) Bourassa; and brothers-in-law Cappie Heinzman, Leon Verot, Harvey and Omer Lacaille. She also leaves to mourn her dear sisters Mary Heinzman and Bernadette Verot; brother Michael (Gayle) Lanz; sisters-in-law Evelyn Lanz, Lila Lanz, and Dorothy Lacaille; and many cherished nieces and nephews. Tillie Lanz was born August 16, 1931 at Minton, Saskatchewan. She was raised on the farm and received her elementary education at Harold Country School, with later grades in Minton. She was close-knit with her many brothers and sisters, and after school left home to work for older sisters Minnie and Mary. Before long she met her future husband, Alex Lacaille, and they were married on June 18, 1952, raising Diane on the family farm near Radville, SK. They semi-retired and moved into town in 1974, then on to full retirement in Kelowna, BC in 1989. They also broke free of Canadian winters, spending 35 years in their winter home of Mesa, Arizona, where they made many long-lasting friendships, outlasting several generations of other snowbirds and retaining many valued connections to this day. Tillie and Alex moved to High River, Alberta in 2002, to be closer to their family. After Alex passed in 2011, Tillie remained independently in her home for six more years, even seeing it rebuilt after the “big flood”. She made her final move to Medicine Tree Manor in 2017, where she enjoyed meeting new friends and engaging in many social activities. Family and friends were always the center of her life, and she loved nothing more than to be hostess to the entire family and spoil them with some of their favorite cooking including cabbage rolls, seafood feasts, soup and pies of every variety, and of course her famous pickles. Long after she’s gone, being “pickle worthy” will remain a staple of family gatherings – just one of many beloved memories that will remain in the hearts of her family forever. Her family extends their deepest gratitude to Dr. Nancy Vyse, palliative care nurses Nadine and Lisa, palliative home care aide Susan, and staff of the High River Co-op Pharmacy for going above and beyond in making her final days as comfortable as possible in these challenging times. A celebration of Tillie’s life will be held at a later date when all of her family and friends can safely attend. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to High River District Healthcare Foundation – Palliative Care. (https://www.highriverhealthfoundation.ca/donate-now/). Caring for the family is Lyle Reeves Funerals of High River (Craig Snodgrass) 403.652.4242.