Photo via @KevinRollason/Twitter
February 22, 2022, 2:12 pm
An unusual obituary caught the eyes of the readers of the Winnipeg Free Press, located in Manitoba, Canada, as it was formatted in the style of a resume for a position in heaven rather than what’s you’d normally see in a newspaper following someone’s death. Beatrice Fediuk, teacher, volunteer, and mother, died at the impressive age of 94 and had her own self-written obituary ready for publishing, divided into seven sections that included everything from job experience to references.
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Fediuk passed away on February 12 and is survived by her daughter Michelle and her family, as well as a sister-in-law and a number of nieces and nephews.
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“Dear Lord, Please accept my application for Eternal Life,” the obituary opens. “My resumé is as follows.”
Under “references,” Fediuk listed her many siblings, all of whom passed away before she did, as well as her late husband and one nephew, letting God know that he could speak to them for evidence of her good character. She also mentions that the rest of her family has been left on earth because “there are no openings for them in Heaven just yet.”
Next came her training, laying out how she got her education and began working with children, particularly those with special needs, in 1948, before marrying her husband John in 1951. Under “experience,” she talked more about her work with kids.
“Lord, you know that I never had any ‘teacher’s pets,’ for gifted children already have a greater chance of success,” she wrote. “Rather, I put my heart into teaching those with learning challenges, or difficult family situations. It was here that I feel I did my best work.”
Her “volunteer” section is about twice as long, detailing how she continued to work with kids and to other volunteer work at the local St. Ignatius Parish and the Manitoba Music Festival, earning the nickname “Aunty Bea” wherever she went. After her granddaughter was diagnosed with an intellectual disability, she set aside time to learn about the child’s condition and spent plenty of quality time with her.
“I loved to cheer her on at soccer games and curling and traveled out of province to watch her synchronized swimming competitions,” said Fediuk. “Our ‘penny walks’ and rides on the Prairie Dog Central are treasured memories. And Lord, she taught me more about what is important in life than I ever taught her.”
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She also often traveled to Texas to spend the winters with her husband there, and volunteered at the Central Middle School in Weslaco.
At the end, under “Additional Information,” Fediuk asked God to bless the staff at the senior care center where she spent her final days, protected from the COVID-19 pandemic, and listed her favorite charities, urging people to donate in her name.
Word about the unusual but touching obituary reached Twitter, where many enjoyed the distraction from all the frightening and awful things happening in the world right now.
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*First Published: February 22, 2022, 2:12 pm
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