Celebrating the Life of Thelma Markowski

Thelma was born on November 19th, 1938 to Arnold and Hilda Setre at the Wadena Union Hospital. Her mother preferred to call her Thelma and her father preferred to call her Agnes, so they ‘compromised’ and called her “Toots”,  when she was a young child.  When she entered school, the teachers told her she couldn’t go by “Toots”, so she chose to go by her middle name, Thelma.

Thelma attended Robertson Country School, 8 miles north of Margo, and completed her high school at Margo High School. She lived with her mother’s sister and family (Hage, Ted, Garry, and Teri Paulson) throughout high school and while teaching in Margo. She was more like a big sister to Teri and Garry than a cousin.

After attending Teacher’s College in Saskatoon, Thelma taught at Newdale School in Rose Valley and then in Margo School for a few more years. She continued to substitute teach in Margo for many years after that. Many children benefitted from her teaching.

It was while teaching in Margo that she met John Markowski.  She was visiting her dad while he was in the hospital and John was also a patient at the hospital, after having a sawmill accident. Six months passed before John asked Thelma on a date. The rest is history.

Thelma married John Markowski in 1961 in Margo. With mutual soft spots for animals, they welcomed and loved many pets over the years. Thelma and John also worked together as a team on the farm. She remembered their working years by saying, “We worked together to get the job done”. They also played together enjoying their life and each other.

After Thelma and John sold their cattle, they travelled in the winter. They visited Texas, Florida, Guatemala, California, Australia, Norway, Hawaii, Alaska, and Mexico, to name a few memorable places. Meeting new people and seeing new places kept them entertained.

Thelma loved fishing, curling, and snowmobiling. Thelma was known for driving her snowmobile in the winter without any gloves on, and never freezing her hands. She loved to visit and host, playing bid whist and Norwegian whist. Thelma and John spent much of their time at their cottage at Fishing Lake. They were happy to be close to great fishing and great neighbors. If there was a dance, Thelma and John would be kicking up their heels.

Thelma and John moved to Wadena in 1985 where they enjoyed their retirement, doing many puzzles in their spare time, and continuing to travel in their motorhome. Their home was always open to their friends and their hospitality was plentiful.

The best advice Thelma wanted to leave to her family and friends was, ”Make sure you go to work doing something that you really like.” She was always an optimist who made the best of every situation.

Thelma was preceded in death by her husband John and her parents, as well as many friends and relatives. After John’s passing, Thelma continued to live in their home in Wadena. She later moved to Weneeda Park Lodge where she spent many years with a wonderful community. She only recently joined the community at Pleasant View Care Home, where she received compassionate and loving care.

Thelma age 85, passed away on January 16, 2024, with her dear friend, Lois, by her side.

Thelma is survived by her sister-in-law, Wanda Ziola of Wadena, and brothers-in-law Alex Markowski of Australia and Otto (Marilyn) Markowski of Margo, as well as many nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews, extended family, and many, many friends.

Graveside Service

2:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Wadena Cemetery

Wadena, SK

Lunch & Social

following the service at the

Wadena Community Legion Hall

Donations in memory of Thelma

may be forwarded to:

Weneeda Park Lodge

P.O. Box 310

Wadena, SK S0A 4J0