Esme Mitchell (nee Settee)

Aug 2, 1936 to Oct 6, 2022 

Peacefully on October 6, 2022, Esme passed away at the age of 86. Her family had been by her side for the last several days to try to help her through her final journey.

She is survived by her husband of 63 years Gordon; children Jeff (Kim), Stuart (Maria), Diane (Daniel) and Christine (Bruce); grandchildren Chelsea (Dustin), Andrea (AJ), Jordan (Chanell), Olivia (Brendan) and Madeline; step-grandchildren Vince, Aaron (Delacy) and Rick (Tannis); great-grandchildren Quinn, James and Beckett; step-great-grandchildren Vicky (Kody), Jordan (Hannah), Corbin, Brandon and Ashley; brothers Burke, Lyle and Aubrey (Moira); sisters-in-law Helen, Zoie, Mary and many nieces and nephews. Esme was predeceased by her eldest son Bruce; parents Norman and Esther Settee; brothers Norman, Brian and Keith; nephew Ryan; sisters-in-law Sharon, Barbara and brothers-in-law Ernie, George, Tom and George Stevens.

Esme was born on August 2, 1936 in Winnipeg. She grew up in Elmwood and spent most of her adult life in East Kildonan. For school, she attended George V, Lord Selkirk and Tec-Voc. She enjoyed going to teen dances where she met Gordon in 1953. They married in 1959. As a young adult, she worked as a keypunch operator for Winnipeg Hydro. As the oldest of 7 children with 6 brothers, Esme was not surprised when her first 3 children turned out to be boys. The surprise was when the daughters came along. She was a caring and dedicated mother who treasured each of her children for their own unique talents and interests. She was always available to hear about each child’s day and help them through problems or just listen.

Besides raising her children, the 1960s, 70s and 80s were very busy with camping trips, fishing, sewing, crafts and house parties. There were many hours spent attending Bruce’s dance performances, Jeff’s hockey & soccer games, Stuart’s hockey games and Diane’s archery competitions. As a teenager, she worked in a sewing factory and used that skill to make clothes for her family as well as doll clothes for the Annual Christmas Doll program. She was always ready to hem pants or skirts for anyone who asked. She liked knitting, crocheting, rug hooking and painting. We all had homemade quilts or crocheted afghans on our beds. Always looking to save money for her family, Esme took a class to learn how to cut hair which was another skill she used for many years. She had an eclectic interest in music and loved to dance at parties, socials and weddings where she’d be jiving with Gordon. She really enjoyed singing first thing in the morning especially when her teenage kids were particularly grumpy. Just about anything you said to her could trigger a song.

The early camping trips were all over Manitoba with some jaunts over into Ontario and Saskatchewan. Some favorite locations were Dauphin River, Nutimik Lake, Caddy Lake, and going to Lundar Beach or St. Malo with Helen and George. Esme and Gordon belonged to several Game & Fish groups where she often won many prizes at the derbies. Fishing didn’t stop in the summer either as ice fishing was a frequent winter activity. Yearly pig roasts at Spruce Woods were another highlight. As they became more seasoned campers, longer trips were taken to the east coast, west coast, Alaska and winter trips to Texas. Esme was interested in wildlife, but birding gave her even more enjoyment. She tracked the different species seen during their travels or just in their backyard. As the camping trips slowed down, they were able to take several vacations in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to visit Tom and Zoie where they had more birding adventures and the occasional margarita. She reconnected with a group from George V school later in life and enjoyed attending their lunch events. It made her very happy to find her classmates and talk about old times.

Esme warmly welcomed her children’s spouses and partners. “Granny” is the highest term of endearment in our family as that is what Esme’s mother was called. Esme enthusiastically took on that role when the grandchildren arrived and even came to like the title as she heard the love behind it. She cherished each new addition to the family. For nearly 10 years, she had regular walks with grand-puppies Max & Rocky. When she could not go, she delighted in their visits on weekends where the dogs would run to the kitchen to find her.

Thank you to the staff at Concordia Place Personal Care Home and the PRIME staff and Home Care workers who had taken such good care of Esme prior to her move to Concordia Place. Special thanks to Angela Janzen Roth from PRIME who was so kind and helpful and Speech-Language Pathologist Carrie Sulkers who provided useful information.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice. At Esme’s request, cremation has taken place and a private service will be held at a later date.