Adeline Steinley

Adeline Steinley, age 75, passed away suddenly on Sunday, March 3, 2019 in Swift Current, SK. Adeline was predeceased by her parents, Robert & Anna Wiese; her brother, Gerald Wiese; her parents-in-law, Harry & Emma Steinley; and by her brothers-in-law, Paul Bryant and John Blash.

Left to cherish her memory is her loving husband, Howard Steinley; her sons and their families, Kevin Steinley, Darren (Michelle) Steinley (Andrew and Noah), and Jason (Deb) Steinley (Nadine, Nicole, and Jared); her sister, Edie Blash (Nanaimo, BC); her sisters-in-law, Angela Wiese (Regina, SK) and Devrah (Aime) Bryant (Thorsby, AB); her brother-in-law, Ron (Inez) Steinley (Swift Current, SK); and by numerous nieces and nephews.

Adeline Steinley was born June 18, 1943 in Herbert, SK to Robert & Anna Wiese — she was a younger sister to Gerald and a future big sister to Edith. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Morse. Adeline attended school in Herbert and then Morse, where she graduated high school, then attended Teachers College in Regina for a year. Her first teaching job was at Onion Lake Anglican Day School by Lloydminster, AB.

It was here she met a hometown boy, Howard Steinley, who was working in Lloydminster at the time. After this, she spent another year at university to upgrade her training, a beginning of her quest for lifelong learning. Howard & Adeline were married May 16, 1964 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Morse. At first, they lived in Lloydminster but then the call of the farm brought them back to Rush Lake. Adeline taught school in Rush Lake during this time.

In 1967, they welcomed their first son, Kevin – their centennial project. In 1970, they started building a home on the family farm yard. They moved in November 1970 and Darren joined the family in December. In 1973, Jason arrived and the family of five was complete. Howard and his brother, Ron, purchased the farm and continued milking cows. Adeline kept very busy with the three boys, taking them to hockey, baseball, 4-H, and school activities. She also managed to find time for and enjoy cooking, gardening, sewing, and crafting.

Over the years she was very involved with Sunday school, church events — including playing the organ — and Rush Lake community events. When the boys got a little older, she often worked as a substitute teacher in Waldeck and Herbert, and was fortunate enough to be the kindergarten teacher for her niece, Maureen, in Waldeck.

In the early 1990’s, Adeline started working at the Cypress Hills Regional College as a Family Literacy Coordinator. This started her on a path where she would work for the next thirty years. Her passion was teaching people to read and to ensure that literacy skills were achievable for all. In 1995, Adeline was honored to travel to Tanzania, sponsored by CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) and Cypress Hills Regional College, to help establish a literacy program there. Howard often talks about how he was “Prince Phillip” on this trip, as he followed a few feet behind her as she was considered quite a dignitary. During this time she was also taking university courses and earned her Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Regina in 1999.

After Adeline retired from her role as Family Literacy Coordinator, she began to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) at the college. She so loved this job — she was always prepping and planning and thinking about ways to engage her students. Adeline was very well known in Swift Current, especially to all of the newcomers, who saw her as their window into Swift Current, Canada, and their new life here. And she loved hearing about their lives, their cultures, and countries. Adeline earned a Saskatchewan Literacy Award of Merit for her work with English as a Second Language students. She retired from this teaching role as well, but continued to be involved as an assistant in the program, giving it all of her energy and passion.

As if she wasn’t busy enough, Adeline also spent many years as the administrator for the village of Rush Lake. In 2008, Kevin and Darren purchased the farm, so Howard & Adeline moved to Swift Current — first to a house and then to their current residence. She kept busy as ever, but was even more available to take on extra roles. Over the years, Howard & Adeline served in many roles at St. Olaf Lutheran Church — most recently, Adeline helped in the library and the administration office.

They also volunteered and spent a lot of time with the Lions Club. When Howard served as District Governor in 2010, Adeline traveled with him and often kept him in line and on task. She served as Swift Current president for a year and spent a lot of time working with schools in the area to help establish the Lions Club “No Child Without” program, which provided medic alert bracelet for kids. She sat on several committees and did a lot of work behind the scenes, always a willing helper and cheerleader for the Lions Club.

In 1999, Howard & Adeline welcomed their first grandchild, Andrew, followed by Nadine, Nicole, Noah, and Jared.  This little group kept her busy! She loved reading with her grandchildren and doing crafts with them. She would dutifully attend hockey games, football games, and 4-H shows. She gleefully attended piano concerts, music festivals, band concerts, and drama productions. She was always so helpful with driving the kids around when needed or making a meal for someone when the schedules were busy. Adeline continued to can fruit all summer long and often had fresh buns waiting for the kids when they came to visit. Most recently, she was very proud as she sent her first two grandchildren off to university, each with a big bucket of cookies to give them strength while studying. 

The family would like to thank everyone for their gifts of food and time, the cards, calls, texts and visits, and to Rev. Dr. Greg Kiel for his spiritual care and guidance. 

The Funeral Service for Adeline Steinley was held on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 2:00 pm from St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Swift Current, SK with Rev. Dr. Greg Kiel officiating. “Canticle of the Turning,” “Peace Like a River,” and “We Are Called” were sung by the congregation, with Devrah Bryant serving as pianist. Special music was brought by Nicole Steinley, who sang “Reflections,” and Ryan Ryu, who sang “I Have a Dream.” Tributes were given by Kevin, Darren, and Jason Steinley. The readers were and Andrew and Noah Steinley. The ushers in the church were Doreen Currie, Joan Meyer, and Harold Sauder. Ben Laviolette, Courtney Tweten, Greg Wiese, Tanya Phillips, Quinton Steinley, Maureen Stolt, and Warren Steinley served as Pallbearers. The Honorary Pallbearers are all those who were touched by Adeline’s life. The Interment will take place at a later date. In memory of Adeline Steinley, donations made to the St. Olaf Lutheran Church Memorial Fund or the Adeline Steinley Memorial Scholarship c/o Great Plains College would be appreciated by the family. 

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