Ella Mae Stener

In Loving Memory of

Ella Mae Stener

Celebration of Life

Saturday, July 24, 2021

1:00 p.m.

Punnichy Community Hall

Punnichy, SK

Ella Mae passed away on April 22, 2021, at the age of 76, in the Regina Wascana Grace Hospice. Born on October 30, 1944, in Wadena, Saskatchewan, she was the youngest of four children of Art and Rachel Carlson.

Ella Mae grew up in Wadena and after completing high school she went on to attend business school in Regina before meeting the love of her life, Melvin, and getting married on December 19, 1964. Shortly after, they moved to Snow Lake, Manitoba, where they would start their family. They were soon blessed with three children - sons Sheldon and Kevin, and daughter Candace. Ella Mae loved her time in Snow Lake and made many friendships that she continued to cherish through the years. Despite the demands of raising three children she worked in the Town Office and was an active community volunteer.

In pursuit of a dream and a better future, the family moved to Punnichy, Saskatchewan in 1975 where Mel and Ella Mae purchased a general store which they operated until selling the business in 1991. They continued to live in Punnichy and stayed busy operating their rental properties while Ella Mae also worked managing local rentals for Saskatchewan Housing. When not busy with those responsibilities she always made time to socialize with her many friends, attend concerts, hit a casino, enjoy visits from the grandchildren at every holiday, or drive any distance to see a grandchild participate in any activity. These years in Punnichy gave Ella Mae and Mel the opportunity to spend every day in each other’s company, and they delighted in sharing their work endeavors. In 2019 they sold everything in Punnichy and retired to Regina. Mel and Ella Mae loved traveling and spent many a happy vacation on cruises abroad and road trips far and wide, finally summering at Fishing Lake for the past several years.

Ella Mae loved athletic pursuits. She coached figure skating, ran track and field, and curled competitively at the provincial level. Her love of figure skating and curling lasted long past the time she could participate in them, and she eagerly watched these events on television. She loved music, dancing, playing cards and reading. Ella Mae was an active participant in every community she lived in, joining Co-op and Credit Union Boards and serving on many committees. Any time someone had an event in town, she helped with planning and contributed to the decorating and cooking. She was a community leader in fundraising for the construction of a new Punnichy Community Hall, which now stands as a testament to that committee’s success. Ella Mae was a generous, outgoing person whose definition of friend included everyone. You could not show up at her home without her inviting you in, not only for a chat, but to stay for supper. She loved nothing better than gathering friends and family together and would make up any excuse to have a party.

Ella Mae was predeceased by her parents, Art and Rachel Carlson, and eldest brother, Elman. She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Melvin; son Sheldon (Janine) and granddaughters Katie and Sarah; son Kevin (Tracy) and grandchildren Davin, Taryn and Brett; daughter Candace (Brent) and grandchildren Jrake and Meagan; brother Charles (Mary) Carlson; sister Maxine Evenson; sister-in-law Ruth MacDonald; and many nieces and nephews and other family members.