Obituary of Neva Keith

Neva Keith passed away peacefully on Sept. 20th, 2021 at the amazing Veterans Village in Sherbrooke Community Center at the age of 97.  Neva was predeceased by her husband, David; daughter, Donnie; mother and father, John and Helen Oaks; brothers, Harold, Theron, William, and Alvin; and sisters, Lorraine and Ruth.  Mom will be sadly missed by sons, Bill (Gloria) and David (Maureen); and granddaughter, Stacey.  Born in North Dakota, her family moved to Wakaw, Saskatchewan in the 1930s and later to Saskatoon where Neva graduated from Nutana Collegiate.  Then it was off to join the Navy (Wrens) and to meet her future husband, David, at CFB Cornwallis in Nova Scotia.  Together they raised a family in Saskatoon and participated in many events, either of interest to Neva or that were part of David’s work.  When they planned their first (of many) overseas trip mom learned she was not a Canadian citizen, even after serving in the Wrens, marrying a serviceman, voting in elections and serving jury duty.  This lead to her attending Citizenship Court where the judge, an old friend, was very surprised to see Neva in the group taking the oath that day.  Mom loved woodworking, gardening, volunteering with various organizations, taking small jobs (like selling textbooks at the U of S Bookstore with her sister, Ruth, where they were delighted to see children of their friends and friends of their children) and socializing with friends over dinner or a card game. Watching the Blue Jays on TV and live in the ballpark in Toronto when claiming to visit her boys was another passion.  She started playing tennis in her 60’s becoming a Canadian champion in her 80’s retiring from the game only after her stroke at 88.  She was a tireless advocate for her beloved daughter, Donnie, throughout her life.  Mom got some of her greatest pleasure from spending time with Stacey, both in Saskatoon and on vacations that she arranged.  Over her lifetime Neva made many many friends and had an impact on all their lives.  She was always a friend there when she was needed.  We will miss her greatly.
Mom’s cremation was arranged by the SASKATOON FUNERAL HOME (306-244-5577).  At her request no funeral will be held, but hopefully we can sneak in a memorial for her sometime after the current crisis passes.  In lieu of flowers a donation to Elmwood Residences would be greatly appreciated.