Obituary of Victoria "Vicki" Watchel

Victoria “Vicki” Watchel was born on December 25, 1928 in Macklin, Saskatchewan to Rosina and Joseph Buechler. She went to school from Grade 1 through 10 in a country school a mile from home, named LeSueur School. She attended Grade 11 at Denzil High School and Grade 12 at Leipzig Convent in Leipzig, Saskatchewan.

Vicki liked sewing so she took a seamstress course in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She did sewing for people around Denzil and worked from home. Some of her projects were the four bridesmaids dresses for Teresa and Vic's wedding, clothes for her sister when she went to Teacher's College and she always did a perfect job. She also made the Santa suit for a Christmas concert when she didn't even have a pattern. When she grew tired of sewing, she moved on to working in a grocery store in Holdfast and then to Regina to work as a telephone operator. After that she moved to Edmonton to be a 9-1-1 operator. Vicki then went to the U of A for a year and then she went back to the telephones.

When Frank Watchel moved to Denzil from the farm he built a new house. Dad was looking for a man for Vicki, so he visited Frank and told him about his daughter in Edmonton. He gave Frank Vicki's phone number and that got the ball rolling. They were married in December of 1970 at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Edmonton, then they made the move to Denzil.

Vicki loved farming, gardening, canning fruit from their apple tree and being with family. Despite her loss of Frank in 2013, Vicki maintained her incredible sense of humour and was very kind. She was also a caregiver when needed and helped her brother George, Mom and Dad when they needed her the most.

Vicki leaves behind to mourn, her sisters, Theresa Stang, Martha Lauder and Sr. Irene Buechler; numerous nieces and nephews as well as other relatives and friends.

She was predeceased by her husband, Frank; brothers and sisters, Sr. Agneta Buechler, George Buechler, Clem (Elizabeth) Buechler, Sr. Marcella Buechler, Antoinette (John) Dierlam; brothers in law, Jim Lauder and Victor Stang; niece, Jennifer.

Vicki passed away peacefully on December 21, 2023, at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Macklin, Saskatchewan at the age of 94 years.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, December 29, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Denzil, Saskatchewan with Father Santhosh Thekkekulam officiating. Interment will follow at the Sacred Heart Cemetery.

*Please remember to be mindful of the time change when travelling between Alberta and Saskatchewan.*

For those unable to attend in person, the service will be recorded and made available Friday afternoon on Vicki’s page on the Gregory's Funeral Home Inc. website: