It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Lois Simmie – a creative, witty, loving mother and author. She passed peacefully October 6 at Sunnyside Adventist Care Centre in Saskatoon. She was 94.

Born in Edam, SK, to Edwin and Bessie Binns, Lois was one of two children and was very close to her beloved sister Betty.

Lois always wanted to be a writer – and in her early 40s she became one. She wrote 14 books, including The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson, which remains on the curriculum in many Saskatchewan high schools. That book was honoured with the prestigious Crime Writers of Canada 1995 Arthur Ellis Award for best crime-related nonfiction book – just one of several works to be recognized. She collaborated on four children’s books with her daughter, artist and illustrator Anne Simmie.

Her first novel, They Shouldn’t Make You Promise That, was featured on CBC’s Morningside with Peter Gzowski. Her children’s book, Mr. Got To Go, was based on the true story of a stray cat that adopted Vancouver’s Sylvia Hotel. Written in one afternoon at the hotel after staff told Lois the story, it received multiple awards. The Sylvia Hotel maintains a wall dedicated to that book, covered with illustrations and a biography of Lois and illustrator Cynthia Nugent.

She loved animals, especially cats and cows, and was a voracious reader. In earlier years, she was a CJNB copywriter and studied at the Saskatoon Business College. She had no sense of direction, and getting lost gave rise to many stories and the title of her final work: The memoir Finding My Way. She completed two screenplays, and still had a list of many book ideas she never got around to writing.

She was predeceased by her sister Betty, ex-husband Lyle Simmie and stepchildren Odell and Leona Simmie (Lyle). She is survived by daughter Anne and son Scott (Julia) and grandchildren Daniel (Anne), Isaac (Scott), Christopher and Odette (Odell).

In her later years, Lois suffered from dementia. It was subtle at first – a lost word here and there – but progressed steadily, ultimately robbing her of the very thing that defined her: Her brilliant ability to tell a story. Just as Lois cared for her own mother Bessie in her final years in her Saskatoon home, Anne cared for Lois for many years until her transfer to Sunnyside in June.

There will be no immediate funeral service, but a Celebration of Life will take place next spring.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your favourite charity. Special thanks to the staff at Sunnyside for their excellent care and the compassionate team at Cherished Memories in Martensville.

Cherished Memories is truly honoured to be entrusted with Lois Simmie's care and arrangements.