<p align="center">Melba</p> <p align="center">Ruth</p> <p align="center">Lewis</p> <p align="center">(Brake)</p> <p align="center">Meadows, NL</p> <p align="center">1932-2013</p> <p> </p> <p>It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our mother on Wednesday, August 14th.</p> <p>Mom was the eldest child of Clayton and Annie (Ruth) Brake, born in Meadows March 18, 1932. </p> <p>She was blessed with eleven other brothers and sisters (Charles, Whyona, Calvin, Marie, Bessie, Utley, Dawn Vernon, Baxter, Susane, Lulabell).For anybody who knows the Brake Clan, she was born into a wonderful family, experienced most recently by so many during the Brake Family Reunion last summer.</p> <p>Mom had a difficult, challenging life, filled with an abundance of happy times and laughter with family and friends. Being the eldest child, Mom left school after grade 6, staying home briefly to help her mother raise her younger siblings.  That was just an expectation at the time and Mom would continually remind us that her first real job began when she was 12, working as a cook in a logging camp for a boisterous group of hard, working loggers. No doubt, this is where mom learned the skills of preparing the delicious meals, breads, and pies that so many of you enjoyed throughout the years,</p> <p>including, of course, all of us.  Even during her brief time at the Northshore Manor in Irishtown, the residents were treated to her homemade apple pies when she baked over 20 pies last year, after an enjoyable, adventurous and gut wrenching trip to Aunt Eva's garden to pick the apples; but like so many of the fun times with Mom, that is a story for another time. At the age of 56 mom returned to school when she enrolled to complete her GED, and although she could never understand why the frig there had to be Xs, Ys and Zs in Algebra, she was able to complete grade 10 with much determination,</p> <p>hard work and yes, laughs. After two years in the logging camps, Mom worked as a housekeeper in Corner Brook/Curling until she met her future husband, Howard Lewis (Curling).They then moved to Meadows where they began a family.  Randy, the eldest child dying just after childbirth, was followed by seven other siblings (Joy, Tony, Elvis, Jeanette, Wallace, Vernie, and Darren).  And of course besides being Mom to us, she was like a  Mom to many other children too, including Penny, Timmy, Robbie and Kelly. If you ever talked to Mom about her jobs, probably her most enjoyable was when she operated her own convenience store, one that was essential to many local families who bought their weekly groceries there, or one of mom's loaves of baked breads, pies or cakes.   Whenever she spoke of the store, you could see her face light up. She was very proud of the store.Mom's marriage ended in 1975, as she gained the courage and strength to leave what was an unhappy marriage to move up the road to the "top of the hill", close to her mother and father, where she would remain for the rest of her life.  There she raised all of us, living the last 22 years alone in the house before moving into Mountainview.  Although never remarrying, mom did had a long time companion in the late Hill Loder, a mild, mannered gentleman who treated her like gold (including Darren and myself). Hill would do anything for Mom, and did, never once complaining and continuously looking after whatever he thought Mom needed.  He was a treasure in her life, she may never have fully realized, until his death on April 29, 2003.</p> <p> Mom also worked on many government projects throughout the years, none more enjoyable than the knitting and quilting project she worked at in her own house in the early 80s.  It was a time of work, but a time of many laughs and jokes too as the ladies thoroughly enjoyed each and every day working together.  Following that, Mom spent many years house-cleaning for various business families in Corner Brook, something that was physically taxing, but that came natural to her as she never</p> <p>shyed away from work.  It was during this time that Mom became friends with so many wonderful people in Corner Brook..it seemed to us that there was nobody she didn't know and likewise everybody knew her.  Mom's last job was as a student assistant in Northshore  Elememtary, a job she loved as she worked with pervasive needs children as if they were her own. We will not remember Mom for the jobs she had though.  Instead, our memories of mom will be how she inspired us to live our</p> <p>lives with laughter and how she loved to carry on and have a good time.  It seemed that if she was not carrying out a prank, somebody else was carrying one out on her.  She loved to dance and whenever she found an opportunity to put on her tap dancing shoes she would.   Never to shy away from being the centre of attention, mom put many a smiles on our faces at the various family birthday parties and get togethers.  She loved it so much that she would celebrate her birthday on March 17 and 18, saying to us every year that she was a St. Paddy's baby.  Throughout the years, she served on the ACW and was</p> <p>a member of the Anglican Choir.  She thoroughly enjoyed her game of 45s or 120s until the past five years or so when she said the noise was too much for her to enjoy the games anymore...more likely though it was her failing hearing that caused her to stay away from the fun of the games.  She couldn't wait for August to come to go blueberry picking each and every year and whenever we went with her, she would pick three to four times what we could pick....again, many wonderful memories and</p> <p>laughs and stories will remain with us as we reminisce about berry picking with Mom.   But of all the memories we will have of Mom's sense of character, fun and personality, it was her love of dressing up we will remember the most.  I guess the little girl really never left her, as she loved janneying in Christmas, and there was never a party that she didn't get lost for a few minutes and then mysteriously appear again in one of her getups/costumes.  One of Mom's favorite times was one Labour Day weekend in Hampden turnoff a few years back when Uncle Art and her sister, Aunt Dawn, dressed her as MuckTuck Annie, the Belle of the Parade. And she told that story over and over, up to two weeks ago when we were in the house together for a few hours; it would be remiss to not mention Uncle Art, as she loved the pranks he played on her and the fun times Mom had with him, and there were many.  She was close to all of her family, but when it came to laughter, she laughed no more than when she was with her sisters, Aunt Dawn, Lou and Susanne.  Whenever they were together there was bound to be laughter and plenty of it. In the past six months in particular, Uncle Vernon was there whenever he could be, and although difficult, we are so thankful to have such a loving brother and uncle.</p> <p>Mom was predeceased by her parents, Clayton and Annie; sons Randy and Elvis (whose death in 2010, still impacts us all, but for Mom something she did not get over.  Elvis was Mom's "everything", and although she loved us all, Elvis lived in the same field as Mom and was her right hand...she is smiling again now that she is with him); daughter Joy; son-in-law Ralous (Jeanette); and brothers-in-law  Louis Lewis and Alva Dwyer; Mom is survived by her daughter Jeanette of Meadows; sons Tony (Carol-Ann) of Meadows, Wallace of Cambridge, Ont., Vernie (Sandra) of Stephenville, and Darren (Linda) of Orangeville, Ont.; daughter-in-law Helene Penney; Aunt Vida Hann of Gillams; sisters-in-law Doreen Lewis of BobCaygeon, Ont. and Marina Dwyer of curling; brother-in-law and wife Ivor and Pierette Lewis of Alliston, Ont.,  grandchildren (Heather, Candice, Corey, Justin, Adrian, Brandon, Shane, Nigel, Shannell, Dylan, Lindsay and James);  great grandchild Bella, whom she so loved to see; and other relatives and friends.</p> <p>Friends may visit Fillatre's Funeral Home, 4 Mark's Avenue on Wednesday from the hours of 7-9:00 p.m. and from the Anglican Church in Meadows on Thursday beginning at 2:00 p.m. from where the funeral service will be held on Friday, August 16<sup>th</sup> at 2:00 p.m. with Reverend Malcolm Palmer officiating.  The Interment will follow at the church cemetery.</p> <p>Mom loved flowers; flowers will be accepted graciously or donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or a charity of one’s choice.</p> <p>Mom you came to us from Heaven, and no matter how difficult life was you always found a way to make everything fine; you touched many lives in such a positive way.  It is only fitting that you return to Heaven again.  Give Elvis (and Joy) a kiss for us all and a big bear hug from all of your grandchildren (and Bella). We love you. The family guest book may be signed or a memorial donation may be made through our website www.fillatre.ca</p>