Beverely Mergel
Posted Mar 21, 2017 | 7:46 PM
BEVERELY MERGEL
AUGUST 9, 1938 – MARCH 18, 2017
“Well” she would say, “When it’s my turn to go, keep it simple, just say good-bye.”
That time has now come and it is time for us to say good-bye, to our sister, our aunt, and our friend.
Born in Moose Jaw, Bev attended local school and college there, completing her Psychiatric Nursing training in 1959. She then moved to Prince Albert in 1960 where she continued to live at the time of her passing. Bev worked her entire nursing career at North Park Centre, where she was simply known as Miss Mergel. A head nurse full of compassion and dedication to the mentally handicapped, creating for them a life of dignity. Miss Mergel was an old-school nurse, trained with a strong sense of discipline and sacrifice. When you worked a shift under her leadership, you worked like her, you arrived early, you put in an honest day’s work, and you left knowing you made a difference. Beds were made perfectly, units were clean, residents were well cared for, you got along with your colleagues, and if you did that, she had your back; she did what she needed to do so you could do what you needed to do. That was the agreement she had with everyone there; do your personal best. Miss Mergel was well respected equally by residents and staff and she remained connected to many of them long after her retirement in 1987. The NPC staff were all known by their last names, and it was with pride and care she often reminisced of her time and experiences with colleagues and friends particularly, Miss Kot, Mrs Kolke, Quinn, Fessler, Isbister, the Johnson’s, Kollanowski, Deagnon, Duscherer, Campbell, Pocha, Pillipow, Browsen, Carter, Vermette, Bastian, and of course, Ms. Silzer.
Beyond Miss Mergel though, she was simply Bev. In her early days to PA her hobbies included fishing, bowling, and golf and there are many bowling trophies to be found in her home. Later on she was also keenly interested in birds and could quickly identify the breed of every chirp you might possibly here in the neighbourhood. She had a pet budgie, Missy, who was a bit of a tyrant to anyone other than Bev; we would often need to duck as Missy flew about the dining room. There were many arguments over Missy’s ability to speak, Bev convinced we just didn’t pay enough attention to catch the nuance of Missy’s accent. Bev was a woman tough as nails yet soft as feathers. A hard-working entrepreneur spending many years managing her real estate ventures where she would find great pleasure in learning and doing renovations, large and small. She was not afraid of hard work and often could be found at one of her properties, tearing something down or building something up. This was the side of her that was tough as nails, but if you wanted to see the soft as feathers side all you had to do was to get her talking about her family, her brothers, sisters-in law, and nephews and nieces. She loved her family more than she could express; they were her pride and they are her legacy and she found great comfort knowing she is part of each of them. If you had ever tried to phone Bev and the line was busy, you knew to try another day as she was on the phone with Gord and that call would last for hours. It was the reason she owned two portable phones, so she could switch to the second one when the first battery died and they were still in the middle of their conversation. Nothing gave her more pride than one of Gord’s semis or motorbikes nearby; detailed pictures and stories of both always made their way into a conversation.
Bev has an impressive collection of coins and stamps, she never spent change just in case the coin she was missing was there to be found. This suited her personality well as she was definitely the type of person who preferred to have four quarters than a hundred pennies, in that she kept a small circle of friends she treated like family. Gladys, Denise, Tarryl, Gary, Arlene, Anne, Carol, Harry & Isabelle, & Darren were in her family circle. With them she gardened, drank coffee, played bingo, watched baseball, cooked lefsa, played crib, enjoyed Christmas Dinners, raced through crossword puzzles, scratched lotto tickets, and cooked the best tomato soup ever made. One year we ate so much soup she ran out of canned tomatoes, the next year she planted the entire garden in tomatoes. Things never went wrong twice at Bev’s house!
Bev didn’t want a funeral, so here we are with a few memories to share with you, hoping you remember her with as much love and laughter as we do. For those wishing to make a donation in Bev’s memory she would be flattered if you directed those to Special Olympics Saskatchewan.
Bev was predeceased by a few close friends but none as impactful as the loss of her best friend Gladys in 2014. They knew each other for decades; soul-mates really, each bringing the best of the best out in each other and if you ever sat through a coffee with the two of them you came away a better person, you came away understanding the possibilities that a friendship holds, you wanted someone like that in your own life. Bev was also predeceased by her mother in 1976, her father in 1978 and her brother Virgil in 1999.
Bev is survived by her brother Gord (Gisele) of Medicine Hat, her nephew Arlen in Kelowna, and her nieces Celine and Madison of Medicine Hat, her sister-in-law Joan and nephews Darren, Dean, and Dwayne all of Edmonton, cousin Arleen (Alfred) of Watrous, and her three closest friends Carol Thorsen of Prince Albert, Gary Kram of Debden, and Darren Cowan (Arnaldo) of New York City.
Bev, you will be missed. Rest in peace our dear friend.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.grays.ca. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Gray’s Funeral Chapel, (306-922-4729).
- Date : 2017-03-18