EMILY LENZ (Vrecko), our beloved mom, grandma, great grandma, aunt, and friend passed away at the Chinook Regional Hospital on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at the age of 86 years.

Emily was born May 3, 1938, in Calais, Alberta. She was ten years old in 1949 when her mother moved the young family to the current farmstead near Diamond City. Emily went to school in Barrhill, in Diamond City, and graduated from Picture Butte High School. After graduation, she attended Garbett Secretarial School in Lethbridge.

Along the way, Emily met handsome Harry Lenz at a dance. On Christmas Eve, 1956, Harry proposed to Emily on a roadside turnout half a mile from her home. They were married the following year on April 5, 1957. Emily and Harry lived in Lethbridge for a few years. While living in the city, Emily worked at BC Trust and Forster Agency before starting a family.

Baby Cindy came along in the fall of 1959. A year later, Emily, Harry and Cindy moved to the current family farmstead (where Emily continued to reside until her passing). As Cindy started school, the Lenz family grew over the next ten years with the addition of Lisa, Lorne, Mark and an assortment of dogs and cats.

Emily kept busy raising her young family as a stay-at-home-mom while also tending to a vegetable and flower garden, milking a couple of cows and selling cream to make extra money, babysitting neighbourhood kids, gathering fresh eggs from her chickens, raising piglets to sell at market, driving the tractor to assist in the field, changing irrigation hand pipes, and greeting her kids after school with fresh baked cookies and home-canned fruit.

Emily and Harry opened “Harry Lenz Auction Service” in September 1976 and the entire family began working at the regular “Bid ‘n’ Buy” Tuesday night auctions (the tradition continues with some family members working on sale nights). From day one, Emily rarely missed a day in her role as clerk, secretary, and all `round doing-what-needs-to-be-done-person. Even at age 86 (almost 87), Emily continued to work on a regular basis. Sadly, she was physically absent from the last three Tuesday night auction sales of her life -- Tuesday, April 8th she was waiting in emergency for admittance into the hospital, Tuesday, April 15th she watched the auction sale by cell phone, and Tuesday, April 22nd she passed away shortly before sale time and was able to observe the sale from Above.

Life, outside of family and auctions, was filled with the little things of life that contributed to making Emily the caring and giving, (yet strong and stubborn) individual everyone knew. As for some of “the little things” … Emily was known to be an avid collector of “this, that, and the other”; she kept a “Daily Diary” for almost sixty years; she read The Lethbridge Herald daily and if she found mistakes she would circle them with pen; she loved to visit, share stories and advice, and measure her height back-to-back with her grandkids whenever they stopped by; she would wave to the occupant(s) of every vehicle entering or leaving the yard; she enjoyed listening to the news and talk-radio shows on her old-fashioned AM/FM radio; meeting, visiting, sharing ideas and experiences with her weekly auction family members were important motivators in her decision to continue working; she could wiggle her ears and touch her nose with her tongue; her sweet tooth loved black forest cake, a vanilla slice, chocolate rolls, and poppyseed bread; she never tired of Luigis North Baked Chicken Fettuccine; she regularly completed word searches to exercise her brain; her strong hands and nimble fingers stitched MILLIONS (really) of stitches-with-love on her crochet projects and her knitted socks; she enjoyed snapping bubble wrap to relax; while reading before bedtime, she nibbled on colourful Halloween “Rocket” candies; she planted beautiful flowers in her yard each spring (morning glories, geraniums, and begonias) and nurtured an array of houseplants; she would sip on one can of Pepsi for five days; she patriotically hung a Canadian flag in the yard and used it as a weathervane to predict the weather; she enjoyed snooping and scooping up treasures and clothing in Thrift shops; she gently set bugs out of the house instead of squishing them; she called friends on their birthday; she made family favourites of creamed eggs, paprika chicken, and graham wafer cake; she baked bread and cinnamon buns to share with others; she often treated herself to the Dairy Queen 3-Piece Chicken Strip Meal Deal after a Tuesday night sale; people-watching was a favourite activity whenever she went someplace; and she was known to have a splash of instant coffee with her morning cream and sugar. As for some of “the little things” …

Emily has gone to be with Harry, her husband of almost 62 years (who predeceased her in 2019). She is remembered by her children Cindy Block (Tom), Lisa Lenz-Hofer (Ben), Lorne (Emma), and Mark (Susan); her grandchildren Jennifer (Rob), Nathan (Lisa), Derek, Sarah (Nathan), Amanda (Kyle), Ryan, Jeffrey (Sheila), and Michael; her great grandsons Carter and Jackson; numerous nieces, nephews, and their families; as well as many loyal and dedicated individuals that have been adopted into Emily’s extended auction family throughout the past 49 years.

The family wishes to express their appreciation and gratitude to the nurses and doctors who treated Emily with respect, empathy, and dignity during her two weeks stay in hospital following her surprising cancer diagnosis. Emily spoke highly of the special care and supportive words of comfort that you continually offered her. Thank you.

Emily did not want a funeral. For those who wish, memorial donations may be made to her favourite charities (The War Amps and STARS), or take a moment to do a kind act in memory of Emily, or simply see if YOU can touch your nose with your tongue ...

Cremation has been entrusted to Martin Brothers Funeral Chapels.