nee Funk
Sept. 5, 1940 – Dec. 24, 2011
Viola Fast passed away at home on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2011, with her family at her side. She will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 52 years, Arnold Fast, and their children, Arnie (Kelly), Carla de Vries (Chris), Charles (Candace), and 8 grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents, Henry and Agnes Funk.
Viola was born in the Steinbach Hospital and lived her early years in Grunthal, Manitoba. She was the 2nd eldest child of Henry & Agnes Funk; a loving sister to Harold Funk, Evelyn Neufeld, Hank Funk & Deborah Magnus. At the age of 9, Viola moved with her family to Clearbrook, BC. The Funk family attended the West Abbotsford Church where Viola was baptized in the summer of 1957. As a teenager, Viola was thrilled to obtain employment with the BC Tel Co. where she worked as a telephone operator for 2 years prior to marrying the love of her life, Arnold, on September 11, 1959.
Vi & Arnold lived in Sardis for a short time and then settled on Yale Road in Chilliwack where they farmed until their retirement in 1994. Viola was an extremely efficient and hard worker. She helped on the farm when needed, maintained an immaculate home & yard, and often worked outside of the home. She spent many years working in retail; being employed at Love Story, Graham’s Gifts & Décor West, all provided her with the opportunity to work with some of the things she loved such as cards, figurines & china. Viola had a passion for planning, and for parties, and every event she orchestrated , whether it was a baby shower, a dinner party or “faspa” for her family, she insured that the presentation was perfect and orderly. No detail was forgotten.
Viola loved to travel, her favourite destinations being Hawaii and Palm Springs. She was incredibly gifted with artistic abilities. Knitting, designing and sewing her own clothes was soon followed by needlepoint, ceramics, stuffed bears & rabbit dolls to name a few. Making porcelain dolls was her last artistic venture. She was an active participant in her church, working many years with the Pioneer Girls program at Eden Mennonnite, and then at the Chilliwack Alliance where she helped with special events & ladies programs.
Viola was a loving wife, mother & grandmother. She was very supportive of her grand-children’s activities and many of the grand-children’s friends adopted her as their “Granny”, too. She was a dedicated care-giver to her parents & other family members in need. She was a strong advocate of prayer and remained faithful in this until the end. In spite of her deteriorating health, her final year was filled with many wonderful times that have left special memories for her family.
The family is grateful for the support they received, especially to the home-care health system which enabled her to spend her last days in the comfort of her home.
A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012, at the Chilliwack Alliance Church, 8700 Young Road, Chilliwack, at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Viola’s memory to the charity of one’s choice.