Obits | DrumhellerMail - Page #174
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Condolences to the family of Erna Parrotto

ErnaParrotto

PARROTTO
Erna

October 25, 1921 - May 9, 2021

It is with broken hearts we announce the passing of our dear Mom, Grandmother, Great Grandmother and friend to all, Erna Parrotto. Mom passed peacefully in the Drumheller Continuing Care on Mother’s Day, May 9th, 2021 at the age of 99 years, after a brief illness.
Mom was born Oct. 25, 1921 in Voitsberg, Austria and came to Canada when she was 5 years old. The family settled in Wayne, AB where Mom spent many years, she moved around the valley till finally settling in Star Mine.
Mom started working for Nelson’s Store in Rosedale then moved over to Bobby McPhee’s store and stayed through the years as each new owner took over till she retired in 1998 after 38 years, she was the heart and soul of the store.
After Mom moved to Drumheller in 2002, she was out and about making new friends and handing out her Dinosaur cards to any tourists she met and also many locals, some called her the Ambassador of Drumheller.
She always enjoyed going back to Rosedale to help Pat with the mail, have coffee at the store and BS with the guys, she fit right in….
When she could no longer drive she found a ride one way or another.
Mom enjoyed people, helping anyone she could, young or old, she had a heart of gold and I know a lot of people would have been on the receiving end of Mom’s generosity.
She had a passion for horses from a very young age in Wayne and later Elvis became her idol, she loved rock and roll as many knew and saw her shake her booty many times. Bingo was a weekly outing.
A big highlight of her later years was the opportunity to go to Las Vegas thanks to the generosity of Jan and Barry and all her friends. She was very reluctant to go but after a lot of persuasion, went and really enjoyed herself. She was also brave enough to take a ride in Tom Dooley’s plane and enjoy a few motorcycle rides, she loved those big bikes.
As time went on, Mom moved from Manor 2 to The Sunshine Lodge with a short stay at Hillview then finally to Continuing Care for 5 1/2 years, where she still laughed, had spunk and enjoyed the people.
Mom was predeceased by her brother Carl, her husband Dominic and her great granddaughter Danielle.
She is survived by her children, Roy, Robert, Tommy (Elaine), Shirley, Linda and Lorna (Lester). Grandchildren, Tammi, Darcy, David, Chris, Colleen, Marvin, Lori, Erin, Tracy, Tammy, Aaron, Julie and Jason. Great Grandchildren Saskia, Colten, Liam, Brayden, Logan, Brooklyn, Ciara, Jacob, Boden, Kylee, Sofia and Signe, also survived by Jack Gillespie and family of Los Angeles and Bill Herman of Drumheller.
Due to Covid, there will only be a small family service for now. Service of Remembrance will be livestreamed on Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 1:00 P.M. via Courtney-Winter’s Funeral Home web page under Erna’s Obituary, click on stream option on the bottom right under the obituary just prior to service time. Flowers are graciously declined, if friends so desire memorial donations may be made to S.T.A.R.S., 1441 Aviation Park N.E., Box 570, Calgary, AB, T2E 8M7
Mom was a free spirit, a rebel and will be deeply missed by all…

Arrangements in care of Courtney-Winters Funeral Home, Drumheller. 403-823-2666.


Condolences to the family of Frances Faye Hromada (nee Bushby)

FranHromada

HROMADA (nee Bushby)
Frances Faye

May 12, 2021

Frances Faye Hromada (nee Bushby) passed away from the complications of dementia in Drumheller Long Term Care Unit on May 12, 2021 at the age of 82 years.
As a result of COVID-19 restrictions and government recommendations, there will be no formal public memorial.
She is lovingly remembered and loved by her two sons
Kelly and Darren (Sylvia). Grandchildren: Shaun (Wendy),
Jason, Danielle (Jed), Candice (Jacob), and Kari. Great grandchildren: Paxton, Phoenix, Autumn and Harlie. She is also survived by her sister Diane Borgstrom of Calgary.
She was predeceased by her mother, Margaret Bushby, and stepfather James Bushby, her sister Lynn Gardener as well as her 3rd son Derek Shawn.
Frances was raised in the Carbon, Alberta area. She loved the early farm life and really loved her animals which continued throughout her life. Her cats were constant
companions and gave her so much joy. Her kitty Daisy is being cared for by her son, Kelly and continues to give her sons a laugh or two now. There are so many memories and stories of her taking care of her cats all through her life. Oh the stories...Mom made our hearts laugh. She was one of a kind!
“Franny” as she was known at the various jobs she worked, was unmatched in work ethic. Working at places like Saan Store, Macleods, and the Elks Club covered many years. While working her last place of employment at Freson IGA for over 20 years, if you shopped there, Franny likely sliced the buns and bread you took home. She was missed the day she had to leave her job due to her illness.
She loved sports but was especially drawn to baseball and the Toronto Blue Jays. She always was watching and knew the teams and players so well; she would have fun times defending her beloved Blue Jays with anyone who had the same love.
Another part of Frances’ early life was her desire to study the bible. She was drawn to the promise at Revelation 21:3,4. An earth of peace, free from sickness and death. She also believed in the resurrection promise at Acts 24:15. She was determined to learn more about the bible and taught her sons it was worth the effort too. She was a wonderful mother who really loved her boys. We cannot thank her enough.
Thank you to all who have expressed sympathy to the family at this most difficult time. Thank you to all the staff and Doctors who helped her through her illness the last
3 ½ years. To Dr. Moshood, and all the staff at the Drumheller Long Term Care unit, your efforts to help her maintain dignity, we cannot thank you enough!! Fran will be missed by the many who cared for her needs. The many miles of walking and looking for hugs from the staff endeared her to the staff.
Flowers are gratefully declined. Donations in Frances’ name may be made to your local animal shelter.
Courtney-Winters Funeral Home in care of arrangements. 403-823-2666.

Condolences to the family of Agnes Victoria Lovsin

AgnesLovsin

LOVSIN

Agnes Victoria

 

March 16, 1936 - May 11, 2021

 

It is with profound sadness we announce the passing of Agnes Victoria Lovsin (Eisler) of Stony Plain, Alberta and formerly of Peace River, Alberta on May 11, 2021.
Agnes was born March 16, 1936 in the small town of Cadomin, Alberta and her affection for this community plus the entire Coal Branch was clear to all who knew her. Cadomin was the place she loved all her life. The mountains, the air, the wind and the people.
As the coal mines closed down in the early 1950s, the Eisler family relocated to Edmonton where Agnes completed high school and quickly thereafter started her nurse’s training at the Misericordia Hospital graduating in 1957. Subsequent to her graduation, she was employed as an RN at the Oliver Institution, as well as at the Royal Alexandra hospital. Her family remembers how sharp she looked in her nurse’s uniform with her white hat when she worked with June Skip at the cancer clinic in Peace River for many, many years. As many of her generation were, Mom was very thrifty and delayed gratification was her norm. One story was how she purchased her nurse's shoes after graduation; $2.00 down and $2.00 per month until the $10.95 required nurse's footwear were fully paid for.
The Coal Branch influence came calling again when our grandparents attended a wedding in Edson, and Agnes attended with them. At that wedding, a young fellow caught her eye and within a year, our folks were married on June 13, 1959. They started building a life together in Hinton followed up with a move to Peace River in 1962, which would be home to them for the following fifty-eight years. In Peace River, Agnes immersed herself in the community and as a busy Mom of four rambunctious kids plus the pals that we brought home for lunch, supper, cinnamon toast and hot chocolate.
We remember our Mom being involved in figure skating as a judge for over ten years and as club President, being the hockey arena food booth co-ordinator for over fifteen years plus being engaged with us in Brownies, Ukrainian dance, track meets, baseball, minor hockey and of course, school. We recall many times a cheer of, “Let’s go Peace River” at our sporting events and it provided us comfort that our biggest fan was there, rooting us and our team on. Mom was our fiercest defender and a shoulder to cry on, when we needed it or when we didn’t need it. We just knew she was always there with us, always.
She was forever busy and working on another project. From the Octoberfest functions with Dr. Dave Willox where she had our Dad stirring the sauerkraut getting supper ready for 900 people, to being a proud member of the CWL for over fifty years, our Mom put her all into helping Peace River, the surrounding communities and her friends. Many of her friends received a piece of her world-famous Christmas fruit cake made with her special, secret recipe. It was, as our Mom said often, “wonderful”. Regular visits to TJ’s restaurant with the Mitchell’s, the Weaver’s and the Siry’s provided our folks with many, many lively discussions and very fond memories.
Gardening and cooking were central to our Mom’s life. Whether it was goulash, strudel, chocolate chip cookies or cross rib roast, she loved that we enjoyed eating and nothing gave her more pleasure than dishing out seconds. The spring, summer and fall were ruled by the flower beds and garden. Watering became a skill only surpassed by weeding and of course, ice tea at the break, listening to CBC on the radio. The best of times in the backyard were spent laughing, playing and enjoying the fire pit. At Christmas for the past many years, Mom became focused on making personalized gingerbread men for her own kids, her grandchildren and other special children in her life. Granny knew exactly how many she had to create and last Christmas, more than sixty of us were lucky enough to receive one.
She was our Dad’s biggest fan and as the old saying goes, “Behind every successful man, is a strong woman. “Often, he has mentioned that he could not have built our company, Freson Bros., without her. She was with him every step of the way and although they are two people, they are one person with similar aspirations, dreams and beliefs. She shared with our Dad the range of emotions of a sixty-five year company that was born, developed and one that continues to change to this day.
Most of all though, she was a proud wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who will be missed every day by her husband of sixty-two years, Frank Lovsin; her four children Mike (Gloria), Paula (Henry), Doug (Deanna), Ken (Maureen); her grandchildren John, Nick (Ally), Kate (Ryan), Markus (Madison), Abby, Paul, Victoria, Eva, Sophie, Maria, Emma, Madeleine, Julia, Sena, Jacob, Michael, Simon and Max as well as great-grandchildren Amelia and Nyla. Our most sincere appreciation goes out to the team at the Cross Cancer facility, Dr. Eric Bedard, our family physician of over fifty years Dr. George Douchet plus of course, Dr. Peter Hum along with Dr. Janet Chiu for their extraordinary consideration, compassion and commitment to our Mom over these past twenty-four months.
Agnes was the proud daughter of new immigrants to Canada and she navigated life with compassion, faith and grace. A poem by R.L Sharpe epitomized her journey as she stepped through her entire, well-lived life.

“Each is given a bag of tools.
A shapeless mass, a book of rules.
And each must make - ere life is flown,
A stumbling block or a stepping stone.”

Due to COVID-19, a celebration of Agnes Lovsin’s life will be held at a later date.