Phyllis Holmes has a mother’s heart

By Joan Janzen

It’s been said that the loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother, and Phyllis Holmes definitely has a mother’s heart. She resides at Caleb Village in Kindersley, where photos of her seven children, 17 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren decorate her walls.

Phyllis was born on May 24, 1934, in Kindersley and grew up on a farm near Pinkham with her two sisters and a brother. She attended a three-room school in Pinkham, completing her Grade 10, at which time the school closed.

Phyllis Holmes enjoys living at Caleb Village. The wall of family photos, a Mother’s Day bouquet, a collection of bird ornaments, along with her smile and great sense of humour, all help give a glimpse into Phyllis’ long and happy life. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN

She remembered her mother being a very busy lady on their farm, where they raised cattle, chickens and pigs. And, of course, they had a huge garden. “My mom was busy gardening, taking meals to the field, baking bread and helping us girls stook,” she recalled.

But that’s not all she did; she washed all the family’s laundry by hand. “In winter, she would hang it outside where it would freeze and then bring it in at night. There were clothes all over the house,” Phyllis explained.

She also sewed all the clothes for her family and never used a pattern. Phyllis and her siblings were content with what they had. “Kids couldn’t complain back then because parents never listened to you,” Phyllis laughed.

After completing her Grade 10, Phyllis went to a farm near Smiley, where she worked for a couple with four pre-schoolers. After about a year, she worked as a nurse’s aide at the hospital in Kindersley. “I loved it!” Phyllis said. “I missed the people when I quit.”

Phyllis met her husband, Blake Holmes, while working at the hospital, and they were married in 1953. The couple lived on a farm near Marengo.

“We started having kids right away, and we just kept on going,” she laughed. “By the time I was 30, I had seven children.” Those children are Marlene, Jackie, Donna, Joanie, Sharon, Yvonne and Grant.

But Phyllis said raising a family was much easier for her than for her mother. The family had electricity, modern conveniences and automated farm machinery. Like her mother, Phyllis did a lot of baking, worked in the garden, and helped out during harvest by running the combine.

Her children participated in ball, figure skating and hockey, which meant she and her husband spent time on the road transporting them all to sporting events. She was also president of the Catholic Women’s League.

“Blake’s dad lived with us for quite a few years,” Phyllis said. Which meant Phyllis had ten people to cook for three times a day. “But it was great to have him around. He loved the kids and babysat a lot.”

The family lived in a 3-bedroom house; one room for Phyllis and Blake, one for Blake’s dad, and one large bedroom for the kids. “We had seven kids in one bedroom with two bunk beds, a double bed and a crib,” she said. “They all got along, but it was hard to get them to go to sleep.”

When their kids grew up, the couple moved to a farm ten miles outside Kindersley and lived in the same yard as their son and his family. When it became necessary for Blake to move into the Manor, Phyllis moved to Caleb Village. Sadly, her husband passed away in 2015.

Now Phyllis loves receiving visits from her grandchildren and her son and daughters. “They look after me well; I don’t know what I’d do without them,” she said. “I’m turning 89 on May 24, but I don’t even think of my age.”

It’s obvious Phyllis enjoys life and plays cards or games with her friends six days a week. “I love the people who work here; they could be my daughters,” she said. Her words were sincere and spoken from the heart -the heart of a mother.