Obituary of Helen Crush

Helen Crush passed away peacefully at the Lloydminster Hospital in Lloydminster, Sask. on Thursday, Jan.22, 2009 at the age of 96 years. Helen will be sadly missed by her children: Terry (Elaine) Crush of Lone Rock, Sask., Dale (Sharon) Crush from the Rex area North of Lloydminster, Sask., Sheila Crush (Dale Bairstow) of Calgary, Alta.; seven grandchildren: Gaylene (Denis) Potvin, Susan Crush (Shane Longworth), Thomas Crush (Katrina Hutchence), Aaron (Noreen) Crush, Christine (Kelly) Thiessen, Samuel Boisvert and Richard Boisvert; seven great grandchiildren: Gabrielle and Sacha Potvin, Chelsey Crush, Ty and Katherine Thiessen; James and Jeremy Longworth; two sisters: Ella Lynn of Victoria, B.C., Ruth Robertson of Toronto, Ont.; one brother, Richard (Sally) Hillier of Virden. Man.; one brother-in-law, Arthur (Rena) Wilke of Yellow Grass, Sask.; six sisters-in-law: Ida Smith of Craik, Sask., Jean (Rex) Pennington of Saskatoon, Sask., Margaret (Hans) Larsen of Surrey, B.C., Marion (Ross) Lee of Darwell, Alta., Edna Wolfe of Saskatoon, Sask., Dorothy Crush of North Battleford, Sask. and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents Samuel and Emilie Hillier; husband Thomas E. Crush in 1987, brother Ed Hillier, sisters: Huldine Wilke, Frieda (Leon) Schultz , Emma Reich, Natalie (Stanley) Knapp, sister in law Kathleen (Les) Speight, brother-in-law Arthur Crush, George (Barbara) Crush, Walter Crush, Ernie Smith; Ralph Lynn, Norman Robertson. The funeral service was conducted from the Grace United Church, Lloydminster, Alta. on Monday, Jan.26, 2009 at 10:00 A.M. with Reverend Sue Hertell officiating. The Eulogy was read by Christine Thiessen. The solo "Amazing Grace" was sung by Randy Smith. The hymns sung were "In the Bulb There is a Flower", "The King of Love My Shepherd Is", and "Great is Thy Faithfulness" accompanied by Irene Knowlson. The Grace United Church Choir was in attendance and sang "Fairest Lord Jesus". Honorary Pallbearers were Margaret and Frank Preete, Kay and Lucian Fournier, Meriel and Raymond Knowlson, Shirley and Lorne Pattison, Emilly Parkyn, Phyllis Kobsar and Irene Waring. Active Pallbearers were Helen's grandchildren: Gaylene Potvin, Susan Crush, Thomas Crush, Aaron Crush, Christine Thiessen, Samuel Boisvert and Richard Boisvert. Interment was at the Wilton Cemetery McCaw Funeral Service Ltd. of Lloydminster, Alta. administered the funeral services. Helen Crush's Eulogy We are here today to honour and celebrate the life of Helen Crush, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a neighbour, and a friend. One of the few remaining "salt of the earth" people. Helen was born in Lang, Saskatchewan on November 12, 1912, the third of nine children born to Samuel and Emilie Hillier. In the midst of WWI she was the first born in Canada to this Russian immigrant family; she was a little girl during the 1920s; and she grew up as a teenager and young woman during the depression of the dirty thirties. As a young woman Helen worked as a domestic servant at the McGillilary's farm south east of Regina. It was here that she met her future husband Thomas Crush who was employed there as a farm labourer. Later she worked as a nurse's aid at the Regina General Hospital from 1938 to 1941. In December 1941 she married Tom. He was now enlisted in the RCAF and they would move to Claresholm, Alberta (Suffield base) where he was to train as a bombardier. Helen continued her career as a nursing aid at the Claresholm Psychiatric Hospital. After the war Helen and Tom returned to the Nunebor district where the Crushes had moved to in the late thirties. In 1947 they purchased the Hawson homestead in the Lone Rock district with a VLA loan. This same farm continues to be farmed by Terry and Elaine. Their VLA loan was due to be paid off in 2005; it was paid off in 1967, just a mere 20 years later. Helen despised debt and was extremely frugal. She had saved $1, 400.00 during her nursing career and with this Tom bought a new 1947 International KB3 L-head 2 ½ ton 'grain and livestock' freightliner truck. After farming all day Tom would run freight jobs during the night for extra cash. Helen raised chickens and probably gathered, cleaned and packaged for selling well over 100, 000 eggs during her life on the farm. Chickens were killed, plucked, cleaned and also sold. All this work was done for a bit of extra cash. Terry recalls driving one winter day across the Kenefick / Landsborough field in the International truck holding a 15 dozen egg crate on his knees. There was also another 22 dozen eggs wrapped in Lloyd Times newspaper. Helen was screaming at Tom to slow down or the eggs will be broken and all her work would be for nothing. There was no idle time. Winter evenings would be consumed with sewing or mending and lots of crotchet. Many doilies and crotchet crosses made by Helen were sold at church teas to help raise funds for the Lone Rock United Church. Helen held a lifetime membership with the UCW. Helen was an exceptional cook and hostess. Her sons and daughter will attest to that and will never forget her fabulous cooking. It was truly a social event. Her cooking was not a family secret, it was widespread knowledge. Hired men, electricians, bachelors, veterinarians, repairmen and every student minister that trained through the Lashburn pastoral charge - all were wise to a 5:00 pm drop-in time or quitting time just salivating for a invitation to supper. All this hard work did not keep her from giving service to her community or church as well as enjoying life. Time was given unendingly to chair or work on various committees. Cooking turkeys, potatoes and pies (lemon meringue and pumpkin) for fall suppers; creating a beautiful harvest theme for the altar of the church; or after Sunday church quickly fry up some chicken and potato salad and the family would drive to the Buzzard bridge for a swim and picnic with other neighbours. Vacationing at Loon Lake or such would usually be planned around berry picking time - Helen would be in her glory picking berries by the pail full. Tom and Helen thought nothing of it to drive as far as Edmonton to simply enjoy a different square dancing venue with their friends and neighbours. They drove back home the same night and there was no sleeping in. It was "up and at it"! At many Lone Rock Community Hall activities - Helen's egg salad sandwiches were an all time favorite. Sheila believes she may have duplicated the egg salad recipe but is likely deluding herself. Another favorite for the July 1st Nunebor School celebrations was Helen's potato salad. And the ongoing food saga continues....Dale has fond memories of the harvest time meals. She would be busy picking vegetables and preserving them but would stop and prepare a meal of garden new potatoes and peas, fried chicken, home made buns and dutch apple pie. Then carefully pack up all this food, plates and utensils and drive to the field. The food would still be hot and delicious. Such simple pleasures! Helen maintained an incredibly neat and clean house. Her green thumb was portrayed in her beloved yard and garden. Helen had beautiful flowers everywhere, a huge vegetable garden and an orchard prolific with apples, plums, gooseberries and red currants. She was a tall slender woman, always immaculately dressed; a new hat for church service was a seasonal necessity; her love of shopping for clothes, shoes and jewelry was still evident as she shopped with Dale as recently as late November and Sheila on December 2nd. Going out became more difficult so she used the resources of the Sears catalogue to appease her desire for something different to wear. She was fortunate to have the experience of world travel with Tom and later with family or alone. Visits to the States, Caribbean, England, Italy, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Germany just to name a few. Helen's 96 years were very fulfilling and full of great memories. She lived an honest life, a Christian life, a hard life, but it was her time to go. She will be missed by all whose lives she touched. Helen read a lot and saved many newspaper clippings. In closing this poem written by her describes her affectionately. Mother's Hands I saw you hide your hands Behind that lady fair, I noticed too, hers soft and white- immaculate from care. But mother, I say it's no disgrace to have working hands like you, and had she lived the life you have, she'd have hands just like them, too. But her hands have never milked 22 cows, or stooked a field of grain or fed the hungry threshing crew - They've never felt the bitter cold Or chopped ice for waiting stock. They've never doctored sick ones or dressed a horse's hock. They've never pulled a hip-locked calf or packed water to the barn. They've probably never patched faded jeans or had old worn socks to darn. They've never touched a youngin, or caressed a fevered head, with hands so gently folded, all night beside her bed. They've never scrubbed a kitchen floor, washed a separator, or done dishes every day. They've never guided with those hands, a child who lost the way. They've never grown a garden, worked by a loving hand. They've never peeled the apples, nor vegetables have they canned. They've never worn a blister , or had calluses to show for all they've done for others and the kindnesses I know. So you see my dearest mother yours are hands of love and I bet the Lord will notice when he greets you up above. Helen's family would like to say special thanks to the following: the management and staff of The Dr. Hemstock Facility for the care and understanding that they showed Helen during the time she lived there; the ambulance attendants, doctors, nurses and hospital staff; the Home Care staff; Rev. Sue Hertell; Irene Knowlson; Randy Smith; the United Church Choir; a special thanks to Christine Thiessen for reading the Eulogy and to Christine and Kelly Thiessen for preparing the power point presentation of Helen's life; Gaylene Potvin, Sam and Richard Boisvert and Chris Robinson for scripture readings; Helen's grandchildren for being pallbearers; the honorary pallbearers; the Grace United Church ladies for the lunch; family and friends who stopped by with food, flowers, donations and to visit; those who phoned with condolences; and McCaw's Funeral Home for their support, compassion and service. In lieu of thank-you's Helen's family is making a monetary donation to the Lloydminster Legion Branch # 39. Donations in memory of Helen may be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation, Lone Rock United Church or a Charity of the Donor's Choice.