La célébration de
Bette Pauline Goman
17 novembre 1924 –
1 octobre 2020
Bette Pauline Goman
November 17, 1924 – October 1, 2020
When the remaining half of a couple passes on, it’s often the end of a truly remarkable chapter in the lives of the many people who loved them. For Bette Goman, that’s very much the case.
Bette was born in Ottawa and grew up with her family as they moved between Ottawa, Winnipeg and Omemee. Bette and her sister June spent many summers on Lac McGregor in Quebec, and Bette was fond of telling stories of the adventures the two sisters and their Mom had while living in a cabin with no electricity or water. Bill Arbuckle, Bette’s Dad, was an entrepreneur and Bette would often relate stories of the mink farm, dress shop, casket factory and hair salons her Dad owned. Her high school years were spent in Kitchener, at the end of which she met Werner Goman, a young man with a promising future.
Bette and Wern married on August 7th, 1944 and they went on to have 4 children, eventually raising their family in Stoney Creek while summers were spent with their kids at the cottage. Bette’s Dad and Wern had built several cottages in Tobermory, and for many years Bette and June spent their summers renting them while keeping their kids busy with trips to Dorcas Bay and bonfires on the beach, complete with sing-a-longs. Bette inherited her Dad’s mischievous nature and sense of humour, and she was always playing pranks such as hiding a dead bat on the stove in June’s cottage, tucking a snake into the bed of weekend guests at the cottage, or taping store-bought tomatoes onto failing tomato plants.
Bette was a wonderful balance to Wern and together they had an active social life. In addition to her bridge club, Bette enjoyed golfing and curling and the parties at Glendale in Hamilton and The Granite Club in Waterloo. While at the cottage, Bette loved a regular happy hour and was known to scold anyone who had the nerve to pour her a light cocktail, telling them that “you can’t fly on one wing!”. Even at the cottage, Bette was always “put together”, dressing for dinner each night, complete with her jewelry. She also insisted that the kids observe good manners at the table, including no hats and no magazines. She was a big influence on her family, a tiny woman who filled the room.
Bette and Wern had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Bette loved spending time with them and they with her. They all have fond memories of dinner with grandmother, enjoying her casseroles, whitefish and peach pie, all accompanied by many stories of her life. Many lasting memories were created around her table, and those memories will forever remain in everyone’s hearts.
At the time of her passing Bette was relaxing in her chair, having had a nice day and a good dinner. Her passing brought to a conclusion a life of 95 years that included 58 years of marriage, 4 children, 10 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and dozens of good friends. It’s hard to imagine a life that was any fuller than Bette’s. Perhaps more importantly, it’s hard to imagine that she could have left us with any more wonderful memories than she did. We’ll be forever grateful for each of those memories.
The family wants to acknowledge the wonderful staff of Burloak Long Term Care Home, who looked after Bette every day, and thank them for their caring dedication over the past years.
Bette & Wern’s children and their spouses, Nancy and Alex Chelak of Burlington, Terry and Connie Goman of Wasaga Beach, Bill and Nadine Goman of Midland, and Mike and Janet Goman of Connecticut plan to hold a service of remembrance at a date to be determined. We want to thank everyone who has reached out to express their condolences and share their memories of times with Bette. Bette will be laid to rest beside Wern at the Dunk’s Bay Cemetery in Tobermory.
Signer le livre d’or
17 novembre 1924
1 octobre 2020
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Bette Pauline Goman 17 novembre 1924
1 octobre 2020..
Décès pour la Ville:Burlington, Province: Ontario