With cherished memories, we share the news of Hilda Laurene Sweet’s (nee Jack) peaceful passing. She was a month short of her 97th birthday and was in the late stage of dementia. After 47 years, Hilda is reunited with her husband Jim.
Times have changed since Hilda was born in the farm house and competed her grade 8 education in a one-room school near Emo. At eighteen years of age, she took a six month hairdressing course in Winnipeg and lived at the YWCA. It wasn’t long before Hilda chose to change paths and work at a tourist camp at Nestor Falls.
During this time, brother Harvey introduced Hilda to Jim (whom he befriended overseas during the war). Jim had been working at a tourist camp in Sioux Narrows. They were married December 27, 1953 and ran their tourist camp for a short time before buying a store in Ear Falls. Together they grew ‘Sweet’s Drygoods and Propane’ and later built ‘Ear Falls Trading Ltd.’ while raising a family, canning fruit and meat as well as building a cabin. All three businesses were sold before Jim’s death in 1977.
From here, Hilda acquired her driver’s license, travelled to Hawaii (thirteen times) as well as Emo for family and the annual Fair and Jim’s relatives in the west. She returned to managing the grocery store while continuing to devote her time to the Legion Ladies Auxiliary, as she was a Charter Member and served for more than 60 years.
Hilda loved entertaining either at her house or cabin (as seen in numerous photo albums). She had a good sense of humour and a twinkle in her eye which came in handy for creating scavenger hunts for family and friends. Throughout her life, Hilda used the skills she developed as a child (sewing, knitting, baking, crocheting, reading, playing cards and cross-stitch). When she found ‘Mary Maxim’ catalogues, she learned to paint Christmas Village pieces and Easter centrepieces, as well as stitch multiple plastic canvas pieces. In Hilda’s retirement, she worked even harder with the ladies in the Auxiliary and baked massive amounts for their semi-annual bake sales. On two separate occasions, Hilda covered forty feet of tables with her various baked goods. Her family and friends loved to pop in and eat the ‘cripples’ which lacked uniformity or perfection. Hilda tracked everything from the cost of each recipe for bake sales, trips away, crafts she had given, etc.
Hilda was predeceased by her husband Jim, parents Amelia and Lewis Jack, siblings Naida, Elder, Eileen and Harvey as well as Jim’s parents Phoebe and Richard Sweet, siblings Gwen, Cecil, George, Belle and Betty. She will forever be missed by her family Murray and Carol (Fred, James and Candice), Alan and Lynn (Alex), Mark and Claudette (Jodi, Justin and Josh), Erna and Derek (Hailey) along with ten great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews and her closest friend Ethel Nelson.
“Live to be Missed.” – Aunt Gwen
A Memorial Come and Go tea will be held on Saturday, May 25th, 2024 1:00 to 3:00 at the Ear Falls Royal Canadian Legion. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Ear Falls Legion Ladies Auxiliary, P.O. Box 597, Ear Falls, ON P0V 1T0 or the Alzheimer Society of Kenora/Rainy River, 618 Street North, Kenora, ON P8N 2S9.
