Obituary of Netta Taves

BIOGRAPHY TAVES: Netta Anderson Taves passed away in the Riverside Health Complex, Turtleford, Saskatchewan on Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at the age of 79 years. Netta is survived by three sons: Albert Taves, Lee Taves (Sheila) and Randy Taves (Beth); seven grandchildren: Ryan, Trevor (Blaire), Kari, Kristi, Kaitlin, Laura and Avery; one great granddaughter: Sadie; two sisters: Mary and Jeanette (Ed); three brothers: Ian (Dorothy), David (Irene) and Bob (Phyllis) as well as numerous other relatives and friends. Netta was predeceased by her loving husband Bob and her infant son Earl Robert. The memorial service for Netta was conducted from the Turtleford Community Centre, Turtleford, Saskatchewan on Saturday, January 12, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. C.S.T. with Reverend Canon Don Skinner officiating. A eulogy was given by Randy Taves and bible readings given by Kari Taves and Kaitlin Taves. The hymns sung were "Amazing Grace," and "Lord of the Dance," with musical accompaniment by Bill and Bev Meikle. Netta was laid to rest beside her husband Bob in the Turtleford Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Turtleford and Lloydminster administered the funeral arrangements. EULOGY - NETTA ANDERSON TAVES Childhood Netta Anderson Tough was born in Edmonton Alberta October 1, 1928. She was the fourth of eight children to David and Annie Tough. Other brothers and sisters were George, Ian, Mary, Ann, David, Bob, and Jeanette. They lived in several areas of Edmonton prior to owning a home on 77th street across from Northlands. Her father was a coal miner who emigrated from Scotland in 1927. One night Netta's dad got caught in an underground explosion in the mine and received serious injuries. His injury forced the children to quit school and work to bring money into the home. Mom was always proud that she was a coal miners' daughter like the movie and song from Loretta Lynn. Mom's first job was at age 14 delivering telegrams for 3 cents each. With her bike and uniform she delivered messages all over Edmonton during the 2nd world war. Her next job was working in a wooden box factory on an assembly line sorting compartments as well as stacking boxes in a boxcar for 25 cents/hour. Her hours were 7 am to 6 pm - 6 days a week. Sports Mom was an active person at home and when she attended school. As many as 100 kids lived on the two streets playing games in the nearby fields and bushes. Netta always played ball in school. In 1945, on the encouragement of the coach who lived down the street, she tried out for Morton's Department Store and earned a spot on the roster. She was the youngest on the team. Mom worked all day and practised ball every night. They started the girls league as the boys had all gone to war. This team was part of the major women's league in the City that played at Kingsway Park downtown. She was a left-handed pitcher and also played centre field. For years Morton's was the top team in Edmonton and the province. In eight years this team won 6 league titles, 5 provincial series, 2 Western Canadian Championships, and 1 Canadian championship. At a major tournament in Mannville, mom pitched the final game and Morton's won this major money tournament. The team got in trouble stealing pies from the Chinese Hotel & Restaurant but managed to have a good party and still win the championship game. Some of the women on the team playing in the 1940s played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. This league was the focus of the movie "A League of Their Own". After mom was married and they moved to Turtleford, she played ball for a few years until they started a family. On October 15, 1988, Netta was inducted into the Alberta Softball Hall of Fame as a member of the 1945-1952 Edmonton Morton's. As Dad and Mom entered the team reunion, many older players remembered the young, spirited "Tuffy". Mom loved basketball and she knew all the Edmonton Grads Basketball players by name. The Edmonton Grads monopolized the basketball court worldwide from 1915 to 1940, winning 93 percent of their games, gaining 108 titles locally, nationally, and internationally. They were undefeated in 4 Olympic tournaments. The team was best remembered for its record 147 game winning streak. She hung around the player's entrance to the Edmonton Gardens and the players and arena ushers snuck her into the games regularly. She often sat on their bench during games and practises. Speed skating was another strength of Mom's. She was on the Eastwood Community League team and skated in the City finals at the indoor championships. A skater who fell took mom out of the competition disqualifying her. The winner of the meet went on to many "Olympic-type competitions". Mom was very athletic and quick, but not quick enough this one day. The newspaper Edmonton Journal had a heading "Student Sniper Wounds Woman". Police traced the high school student that shot Miss Nettie Tough with a BB pellet near 77th street. He was shooting his gun from the bedroom window and ended up aiming high and shot mom. Miss Tough said she felt a stinging sensation that day and later found out that someone lodged a BB shell into her bottom. Jockey Bob The old Fairview Hotel burned down just next to the Tough household. This was a major home of jockeys from the racetrack. Rather than sleep in the barns they asked in the area for people to take in boarders. Toughs took in a lanky Saskatchewan boy named Bob Taves and a relationship began. Dad lost the weight game as a jockey and got married to Netta at age 20, mom was 18. They moved back to the farm in Turtleford, living just north of dad's parents. Their first home was a granary with a tin heater. When Al (dad's father) became sick and grandpa and grandma moved into Turtleford, Mom and Dad moved to the homestead and lived on the family farm for many years mixed farming. Mom, a young city bride was naïve about farming and could not understand why the neighbour Holst' would bring down their cow for a visit every year. Mom worked hard on the farm, picking rocks, hauling grain all day with the half ton and then bringing out to the field a full hot meal in the evening. She never road a horse and was always nervous when we would train the horses in the front 70 acre field. We would fall off, Dad would give us heck - "that is no way to dismount" - and we would be put on the horse again. Mom could not bear to watch us when we rode. At home mom loved to listen to records, clean and manage the house, plant flowers and work in the garden. A few times she got caught in the garden "tanning" and had to run and hide in the bush when company arrived. Compassion and Caring Over the years, Netta became a mother for many others than just us three boys. Characters such as Ken Boddy, Rodney Rhinehart, Gerry Spenst, Albert & John Noon, all worked on the farm and mom cared for them and took them under her wing. It wasn't uncommon for family friends, teachers, and hockey teams etc. to stay at Netta's when there was no other place to stay. They were always welcomed. Our home location was also an ideal spot for a sports diner. Hunters would often congregate at the house on the farm and mom would feed them and give them coffee. (When they weren't drinking the odd beer) Tiger hockey teams for years would stop at the house in the wee hours of the morning and mom would get dragged out of bed and they would cook steaks till dawn and party the night away. Tiger Hockey was supreme in those days. One story recalled was Mom travelling by car with the Hanson's back from a Meadow Lake game and they had to have a pit stop. Mom opened the door and disappeared into the night. Elsie looked down into the ditch and all she saw of mom's 5 ft frame was her head sticking out of a snow bank. They had to dig her out of the snow. Back in the 50s, it was not uncommon for the Arena to be the hotbed of community activity. Mom was always selling tickets - she wouldn't take no for an answer and would not leave you until you purchased a ticket. She worked in the concessions too. A typical game was lighting the stove with wet wood, putting on the copper kettles for coffee and boiling hot dogs. With over 1, 000 people watching the game, the ladies would take two carts onto the ice during intermissions and sell coffee directly into the stands. Coffee was served in actual coffee mugs that needed to be hand-washed at the end of the game. Another story about mom was her first dance at Moosehead Hall. There was no washrooms and mom had to pee so in the bush she went like everyone else. Just at that time the police showed up, someone yelled "cops" and the men threw their bottles into the bush. Mom had to duck low to avoid being picked off. Nursing Mom wanted some money on her own and in 1976 applied for a job at the new nursing home attached to the hospital. She was the oldest girl who took the training. She was proud of the fact that with a grade six education and a lot of hard work, she landed the job at age 48. It was a very rewarding career for Netta. For 18 years she worked with many residents caring for their needs. She was proud that in all those years, she might have been late a few times due to poor road and weather conditions. Retirement Mom passed the time away watching community sports and movies in town and on TV. Her two favourite hockey teams were the Oilers and of course, the Turtleford Tigers and the Turtleford minor hockey teams……….over there along the windows are the chairs where Agnus Starnes and mom would come at least an hour early and sit all day and watch from the lobby window. No one would dare take their chairs…if someone from out of town inadvertently sat there; they were warned quickly by the locals to choose another spot. One day Sheila and Lee asked mom to watch over Kristi while they went on a road trip with Trevor's hockey team. Mom and Agnus were at the rink and were asked to hop on the bus, as there were two extra seats. They did and it took Sheila (who was on a separate bus) a while to think that eight-year old Kristi would soon be home from school alone, and Sheila called her sister Cheryl to come in from the farm and take care of Kristi because Netta had forgot and was on the other bus. Bingo was another passion of mom's. She played CJNB radio 333 bingo for years. She traveled to Livelong and played regularly in Turtleford. There was a bunch of ladies that got together regularly and made bingo and coffee a social event. One time, mom's attention was diverted and Kye Gordon slipped a plastic moustache in mom's hot chocolate. The plastic softened and wouldn't you know, mom swallowed the moustache and it got stuck in her throat. She had to go to North Battleford hospital to get it removed. Time passed and mom's health was not as good and the bingo and hockey at the rink slowed down. Reading Harlequin Romances and watching TV became the norm. The past couple of years she received great joy babysitting Mia, Bobby and Cindy's daughter. When I would call from Medicine Hat, Mia was all that Mom would talk about. Mia kept her company and active, chasing each other around the house. Mom's health began to fail further. After falling at home, she went to the hospital and after numerous tests was told that she had cancer and that it was very progressive. We were fortunate that mom had the time in her home and in the hospital for friends and family to laugh and talk about the good old days and say their goodbyes. Mom had a great sense of humour right to the end and continued to share her sense of compassion to everyone. Our family is very thankful to the staff at the Riverside Health Complex for all the care and support all these years. CARD OF THANKS The family of the late Netta Taves would like to thank the communities of Turtleford, Mervin, Livelong, and the surrounding area, for their care and support during this difficult period. We would especially like to thank all the staff of Riverside Health Complex for their care and support of mom; Reverend Canon Don Skinner, Bev and Bill Meikle, the Good Shepherd choir, Dale McCaw and McCaw Funeral Service for a beautiful funeral service; AUCW and Ladies TADRA for the lunch; and everyone who visited our mom at the hospital when she was sick, visited our family after her death, came to the funeral and gave sympathy cards, food, flowers, and charitable donations on mom's behalf. We have been truly blessed by the overwhelming support that we have received and we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. Donations may be made to the Riverside Health Care Complex