Obituary of Gloria Sawai

On July 19, 2011 Gloria Ruth Sawai (Ostrem) passed away peacefully in her home in Edmonton at the age of 81. Gloria was born on December 20, 1929 in Minneapolis, MN to Pastor Gustav and Ragnhild Ostrem (Skaret). She spent her childhood in the towns where her father, a Lutheran Minister, preached: Admiral and Preeceville, Saskatchewan,and Ryley, Alberta. She completed high school at Camrose Lutheran College, now Augustana Faculty, University of Alberta, (where, in 2003, she received the distinguished Alumni Award). In 1953, she received a B.A. in English from Augsburg College, Minneapolis and in 1977, an MFA degree in creative writing (short fiction and plays) at the University of Montana. Throughout the years, she has taught high school English, as well as creative writing at the University of Alberta, The Banff School of the Arts, and Grant MacEwan College. Her passion for creative writing began early in life, and she wrote on and off since the fifth grade. Her stories have been published in anthologies in Canada, the United States, England, Spain, Mexico, Denmark and Japan. In 2002 her book A Song for Nettie Johnson was published by Coteau Books and won five major awards including the Governor General¹s Award for Fiction in English. Gloria was a quirky, vibrant, loving soul, full of life and humour, who touched the lives of many ­ her family, friends, neighbours,students, colleagues. Gloria loved her relatives, friends, and cat Priscilla. Among her favorite things were family reunions and visiting with her nieces, nephews and many precious cousins. She could be found hanging out in the library, local coffee houses, book stores and consignment shops. She was predeceased by her brothers Donald Ostrem and Robert Ostrem. She will be greatly missed by her children Naomi Sawai and husband Walter Schutte, Kenji and Jody Sawai, her sisters-in-law, Marion Ostrem and Sigrid Ostrem, her nieces and nephews: Karen and Drew Dobbie, Marilyn and Roar Tungland, Tom and Margaret Ostrem, Sten and Jill Ostrem, Sue Ostrem, Kristi and Stan Lacy as well as her former husband and friend, Noboru Sawai, great nieces and nephews, cousins and many friends. A funeral service was held on Tuesday, July 26 at 1:00p.m. at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church (10014-81st Avenue, Edmonton), with inurnment on Wednesday, July 27 at 1:00 p.m. at Camrose Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation at www.heartandstroke.ab.ca.