Obituary of Edna Oliver

BIOGRAPHY OLIVER - Edna Bell Oliver passed away at the Jubilee Home in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan at the age of 93 years. Edna will be sadly missed by her son Lorne and Angela Oliver of Lloydminster; daughter Doreen and Ted Pritchett of Calgary; four grandchildren; two great grandchildren as well as several other relatives. The funeral service was conducted from the St. John’s Anglican Church, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 2:00 P.M. with Reverend Michael Stonhouse officiating. The hymns sung were Abide With Me and Safe In The Arms of Jesus accompanied on the organ by Pat Skinner. Active pallbearers were Roger Appleton, Russel Stringer, Dave Stringer, Ronnie Oliver, Neil Oliver and Lyle Oliver. Interment took place at the Albion Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. Eulogy - by granddaughter Amy Pritchett Edna Bell Oliver (Chapman) was born July 2, 1916 to Walter Chapman and Amy Chapman (Patmore), followed shortly after by her younger sister Ruth. The two girls grew up on the family homestead near the North Saskatchewan river and were very close as there were no other children living close. They rode horses four miles to Tangleflags school, then worked on high school courses by correspondence from the kitchen table. As a young woman, Edna worked as a hired girl on a farm near Paradise Valley and also in Edmonton. Always spiritual, Edna considered joining a religious order and spent time working as the youth worker with the Bishop’s Messengers’ Mission at Endeavour, Saskatchewan. However, she found her calling with a young man by the name of George Oliver. They were married in 1942, honeymooning in Banff and climbing Tunnel Mountain before settling into a small house in the Chapman yard where their daughter Doreen Ruth was born in June of 1945. The original quarter of land was sold to cousin Robert and replaced by a quarter purchased from her father Walter Chapman and to where the small house was moved in 1948. Son Lorne George was born in May of 1948 and survived a difficult first winter in the small house until George and Edna built a new house in 1949. Water was a problem at this first home site so the adjacent quarter to the west was purchased and the house relocated there near a flowing spring in the summer of 1961. In her resolute fashion, Edna remained in the house during the move, cooking dinner for the crew while on the move. The Oliver family had settled into their permanent home. Like all Saskatchewan farm wives, Edna’s day was full with the duties of farm, house and family. She had a large garden and preserved its produce - spending summer days boiling canners full of quart jars on the wood stove making the kitchen even hotter than the outdoors. Always near her parents, she spent many hours every week with them and caring for them through their old age. But no matter how busy she might be, she was dedicated to the St. Michael’s Church in Albion and Greenstreet and an active member of the Anglican Women’s Auxiliary, baking for strawberry teas and other events designed to raise money to help people in need and to furnish the church. On several occasions she represented the local church at meetings in Saskatoon. She insisted that her children do the Sunday School by Post lessons every week, giving them a good grounding in bible stories and hymns such as “All Things Bright and Beautiful”. She meticulously followed a cycle of reading scripture and prayer, together with writing daily in her diary. George and Edna were well matched in their devotion to the church and in their love of travel. At weekend fishing trips at northern lakes, Edna served picnic lunches, always bringing a pie and always with a big sun hat to protect her skin. When their children were young they travelled across the country by car, with shorter trips to the mountains sprinkled in between. By 1966 Lorne and Doreen had left home and life for George and Edna took a new turn as they set out to explore the world. First was the trip to Expo 67 in Montreal, followed by a bus tour to Alaska in 1977. The first of three European trips took them as far as Rome in 1979, followed by trips through the British Isles, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean. They saw the Canadian Maritimes in the fall of 1982. Their Pacific Rim tour included Hawaii, Fiji, Australia and New Zealand. Their second Canadian Expo was in 1986 followed by two cruises out of Florida to Mexico and the Caribbean. In later years the travels were shorter with tours to the Northern states and trips spent exploring Western Canada with Doreen and Lorne and their families. She especially loved visits to her sister Ruth in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, and cousin Margaret Chapman in Boise, Idaho. George and Edna passed this adventurous spirit on to their children, always encouraging them to look beyond the horizon and to seek out new frontiers. Doreen pursued university degrees in Home Economics and a Master’s Degree in Education. She and her husband continued the tradition of travel with their three girls, Amy, Leah and Elizabeth. Lorne’s work in the oil industry took him around the world, living in the Middle East, Singapore and Australia. He married Angela Cortés of Bogotá, Colombia, and their son Alexander was born while they lived in Mallorca, Spain. As Alexander grew to school age, Lorne and Angela moved back to Lloydminster, staying close to George and Edna for the rest of their lives. In November 1996 George passed away, and Edna moved from the farm to town, setting up her own rooms in Hallsholme, Pioneer Lodge and Jubilee Home. As travelling became harder for her, it was time for family to travel here, including the new great-grandchildren, Elliot and Theresa, in visits from Atlanta, Georgia. Edna’s life typifies her generation, a generation that built their own house, grew and canned their own food, and still found the time to nurture their children, care for their elders and support their church. Edna particularly lived the virtuous life, one of diligence in her work, modesty and temperance in her conduct, kindness and generosity to all around her, and hope and faith in the Spirit that sustains us through adversity. On February 5, 2010 her faith was rewarded as she returned to the embrace of the God of all consolation, leaving behind a family richer in spirit for her time with us. Card of Thanks Thank you to Dr. Sayeed, to the staff of Jubilee Home, Reverend Michael Stonhouse for officiating the service at St. John’s Anglican Church, organist Pat Skinner, the active Pallbearers, the North Bend Ladies Club for the delicious lunch; and all her friends who attended the celebration of Edna’s life. Thank you for all the beautiful flowers, donations, cards, food, visits, phone calls and e-mails. Thank you to Amy Pritchett for writing and delivering a wonderful eulogy. Doreen and Ted Pritchett Lorne and Angela Oliver and families Donations: Alzheimer's Society or Canadian Cancer Society