Mrs. Flora Jeanette Whitfield, 84, of Hillview Manor, Estevan, and formerly of Alameda and Carlyle, passed away on Saturday, December 20, 2014. Jeanette was the second daughter born to Fred and Flora (Hitchcock) Krieger and took her schooling in Alameda and St. Michael鈥檚 Academy in Brandon, MB. She was feisty and enjoyed picking fights with her brothers! Sister Rose was one of her teachers. Jeanette鈥檚 favorite saying was, 鈥淥h well, no one will see it鈥� but Sister Rose鈥檚 reply was, 鈥淵es, but God will.鈥� Those words would stick with Jeanette the rest of her life. She specialized in sewing and went on to work in the custom made drapery department for the Robert Simpson Company in Toronto, ON.
After working for eight years, Jeanette returned home for a short visit before heading for Vancouver. It was at this time she realized the family needed extra help. Her brother Harold, who had both limbs amputated had to be driven to Winnipeg for prosthesis and she was elected to be his driver. In the summer of 1957, she drove her parents, Harold and an aunt to Vancouver to visit her brother Shirley and family. On the way home they visited relatives in Kamloops and Osoyoos. During the time she was home, she was lucky to meet Newton Whitfield.
He enjoyed dancing as much as she did. By Christmas, Newton and Jeanette were engaged to be married. The wedding took place on July 12, 1958. In the spring of 1958, Newton purchased Irvine and Esther Truscott鈥檚 farm three miles north of Alameda on #9 highway. The couple operated a mixed farm and in 1966 joined the Canadian Charolais Association, registering their farm as 鈥淛.N. Charolais鈥�.
The sign brought many visitors to the door that would become lasting friends. In 1978 Newton and Jeanette flew to France to visit 鈥淐harolais friends鈥� and to learn more about the breed. They continued to raise and show Charolais cattle until October of 1986 when a dispersal sale took place. Jeanette enjoyed curling, going to bonspiels, cooking for family gatherings and golfing. Many trips were taken and several cruises were enjoyed. In the spring of 1988 their lives changed forever. While driving to Yorkton, the couple hit black ice and rolled their vehicle. Newton had the seventh vertebrae in his neck dislocated.
The next seventeen weeks were spent at Wascana Centre in Regina. With many hours of hard work and dedicated therapists, Jeanette was able to bring Newton home one day after their 30thanniversary. Due to cold temperatures and snow Newton and Jeanette left for Mesa, Arizona on December 4, 1988. Norma Hewitt, a friend from Carlyle, helped them find a home in Brentwood West. After renting for two years, they later purchased their own home that they enjoyed for eighteen years. Newton and Jeanette sold their farm in 1998 to Jack and Diane Truscott and moved into Prairie View Lodge in Alameda.
On May 29, 2000 they took up residence at #10 Lions Pride Estates in Carlyle. They made the right decision and remained very happy with this home. In November 2013 due to ill health, Jeanette and Newton moved to Hillview Manor in Estevan. Jeanette is survived by her brother, Cecil Krieger; her much younger sister, Audrey Kellington; also numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Newton on November 28, 2014; parents, Fred & Flora (Hitchcock) Krieger; sister, Donalda; five brothers, Harold, Guerden, Shirley, George, and Howard; brother-in-law, Keith; three sisters-in-law, Marjorie, Barbara, and Greta; nephew, Layne; niece Merlyne.
A Funeral Service will be held at the Alameda United Church, Alameda, SK. on Monday, December 29, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. with Mrs. Sandy Dalziel officiating. Burial will take place at the Alameda Cemetery at a later date. Donations in memory of Jeanette may be given to the Alameda United Church, Box 231, Alameda, SK. S0C 0A0. Arrangements in care of Redpath Funeral Home - Oxbow (483-2401), Neil Redpath & Kurt Ardron. To send condolences to the family, please visit: www.redpathfuneralhome.com 聽 聽
