Obituary of Roberta Joyce Brinkman

With profound sadness we announce that our beloved mother, Roberta Joyce Brinkman passed away peacefully in Hanna Long Term Care at the age of 97. 

Joyce was born in 1924, and raised on a farm near Delia.  She helped plow and seed the fields, then harvest the grain with teams of horses.  Joyce graduated from Normal Teaching School in 1943 and began teaching in Creekside, a one room school close to Three Hills. In 1944 she married Alfie Brinkman, a union that would last 40 years, until his passing in 1985.

 They moved into “The Little House” on the family farm near Craigmyle. Joyce continued being involved in the farming operations, learning to seed and harvest with machinery. She lived on that homestead for 76 years. She enjoyed her home, living independently on her own until she was 96. 

Joyce was a long-time member of the Princeton Community Group, a source of entertainment and socializing for her neighborhood. Joyce learned to operate a computer, and spent many hours playing on her iPad. She was a motivator for her family to learn to text message.  She was an avid gardener, and shared her produce. Joyce enjoyed flowers, having colorful raised beds all around her house. Volunteering at the library once a week kept her busy for close to 30 years.  Joyce was very good at cards, games and puzzles, and enjoyed assembling 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles. She was still working on a jigsaw puzzle a week before her passing.  

The most important thing to Joyce, though, was her family, being a mother of 7, grandmother of 17 and great grandmother of 12.  She loved our family events and was thrilled to have family attend her birthday celebrations on the May long weekend in East Coulee.  Joyce will be remembered for her love and compassion for everyone.

Joyce was predeceased by her husband, Alfie, as well as her parents, Glenn and Lotta Thompson, her siblings, Beulah, Lois, Rex and Charlie, and her sons-in-law Danny, Mike, and John.  Left to cherish her memory are her brother Harvey, and her children, Glen (Sandi) Brinkman, Shirley Chostner, Bev (Don) Falkenberg, Don Brinkman, Ed (Lynn) Brinkman, Edna (Harvey) Stankievech, Janice Walsh, and their families.

A celebration of Joyce’s life will be held on Sunday May 22, 2022, from 2 - 4 p.m., at the East Coulee Museum.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to The Delia School Enhancement Society, Box 73, Delia, AB, T0J 1P0, STARS, The Heart and Stroke Foundation, or a charity of your choice.