April 10, 2019
Ida Jean Koswan was born in Big Fork, Ontario and grew up on the farm she loved dearly with her seven siblings.
She enlisted in the Canadian Forces when she was 18 years old and served as a private for 2 years until the second world war was over. After the army, Ida worked at Steep Rock Mine in Atikokan where she met her husband, Nick Koswan. They went on to have six children, Karen, Coleen, Kerry, Cleve, Ken and Conley. While raising her children, she also worked at Imperial Cone (known as McCormicks) in London and as a cook and dietician at the Atikokan Hospital.
Her son Kerry was her pride and joy. He had Down Syndrome and she raised, loved and nurtured Kerry through his 57 years, and he loved his "Ma" more than anything in the world.
When Ida retired, she and Kerry moved to the Rocky Mountains in Kimberley, B.C. to join her son Cleve in the late 80's with many of her family joining her in the mountains over the years, including Karen and Ken.
Ida was loved fiercely by her 7 siblings, 6 children, 12 grand-children and 23 great-grandchildren along with countless extended family and friends.
She was full of adventure and prized her children, grandchildren and siblings whom she never grew tired of visiting across the country. From road-trips to the west coast, back to her roots in Ontario, and tracing her Tattrie family roots back to Nova Scotia, she loved seeing her country. Mostly, she loved seeing her family and friends and gave the kind of hugs that stayed with you long after she was gone onto her next adventure.
She was an incredible cook and those wonderful meals often brought her family close together. The time they spent together sharing delicious pies, holidays and a much-loved bowl of ice cream continues to bind her family together with love for her.
Ida approached life "taking the mountain sheep by the horns" and bravely faced her long days working hard and raising her children. She lived her life with belly laughs, tears of joy and love and a sense of adventure. She lived a life filled with the love of her family and all that knew her. Ida blazed a trail, bravely taking on challenges with determination and inspired so many along the way.
Ida Jean Koswan passed away on April 10, 2019 in Cranbrook, B.C. with her loving family nearby and many others across the country full of love for her - And she now lives in their hearts forever.