Firby, Chris
It is with great sadness that the family of Barry Firby announce the sudden and untimely passing of L. Christine “Chris” George Firby of Kenaston, Saskatchewan on August 29, 2012. Chris is lovingly missed by her husband Barry; children Chad (Regan), Renée, and Mackenzie; grandchildren Haley, Jackson, and Summer; her mother Phyllis George; mother-in-law Lorraine Firby; brother Don (Gloria) George; sister Norma Nordquist; nieces and nephews Deanne (Al) Bleackley, Jason (Shauna) George, Blaine (Susan) Nordquist, Jonathan (Candace) Nordquist, and Adrienne (Stuart) Harrop; great nieces and nephews Denver, Laken (Terrance), Dielle, Taron, Gregory, Kealin, Thaniel, Dawson, Carson, Connor, Wil, Isaac and Kayson. Chris meets in heaven her father Peter George; father-in-law Fred Firby and brother-in-law Jerry Nordquist.
We would like to thank the First Responders, Paramedics, Cardiologists, nurses and staff at RUH for their life-saving efforts. Thank you to the hundreds of people who have visited, sent communication, brought items to our homes, made donations to the church and multiple charities, and extended their thoughts and prayers. It is a true testament to the degree of which Chris impacted thousands of lives.
Chris was born on February 25, 1952 to Phyllis and Pete George. On July 10, 1971 she married Barry Firby. Together they built their home and family residing east of Kenaston.
Chris had a charismatic nature, touching each of us in an extraordinary way. She had a natural ability to do things for others, making each and every person she met feel like they were the most special and important person. Chris shared many of Barry’s interests and together they built an empire of friendships across the country. These friends were drawn from sports to the realm of politics. People were instantly attracted to Chris and her infectious personality. It didn’t matter if it was a salesperson, or the Prime Minister of Canada, she made an instant impression on everyone.
Each of us who were touched by Chris undoubtedly have fond memories of her love of hospitality and entertaining, from her passion for cooking, to the beautiful home and yard she created. It brought her most joy to host a dinner party or take food to anything she was attending.
Travelling was upon many of Chris’ favorite pastimes. She was fortunate to have spent many vacations with her family and friends travelling throughout North America, Central America and Europe. She loved spending time with people and these memories she shared were amongst her most treasured.
The joy that the church and community involvement brought Chris was immense. She was always the first to lend a hand and offer assistance anywhere that was needed. This coming October she will be recognized with the honour of receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her volunteer commitment.
Chris had an exceptional faith in God. She did not fear death and always said that dying was a part of life. There is a piece of us that is irrevocably broken, but we find comfort in knowing she rests in peace in eternity.
She was a true model on how to live life in faith, charity, selflessness and generosity. Everything she did for her family and others she did in an effort to either make the everyday occurrences special and more memorable, or make things easier for everybody else. Too often she took on extra to make other’s burdens lighter.
Of all of Chris’ accomplishments, her family was her proudest and most precious. She dedicated her life to being a wife, mother and grandmother. She always looked forward to family days, in particular, those with her grandchildren. We thank her from the bottom of our hearts for being the matriarch of our family and for her love and support in everything we did.
Our family will forever have lost a piece of us and the spirit in which Chris lived was genuinely inspirational to all who knew her. We thank God for sharing her with us and thank her for the beautiful memories. We love you with all of our hearts and miss you greatly. May you rest in peace.
Memorial donations in honour of Chris may be made to the Kenaston Evangelical Missionary Church, PO Box 271, Kenaston, Sask., S0G 2N0.
Hanson’s Funeral Home of Davidson was in care of arrangements.