Obituary of Eleanor Stubbs

B I O G R A P H Y STUBBS: Eleanor “Sylvia” Stubbs passed away in the Riverside Health Complex, Turtleford, Saskatchewan on Saturday, November 26, 2005 at the age of 89 years. The funeral service for Sylvia was conducted from the Spruce Lake Community Hall on Thursday, December 1, 2005 at 2:00 P.M. with Pastor Pat Ribey officiating. A eulogy was given by Arlene Rubletz. Special music was by the Hamm Family Orchestra. Hymns sung were “In The Garden,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” and “Amazing Grace.” Honorary pallbearers were all her friends. Active pallbearers were: Barry Rubletz, Brian Rubletz, Ritchie Rubletz, Scott Rubletz, Dalton Rubletz and Frank Stubbs. Interment followed in the Spruce Bluff Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster and Turtleford administered the funeral arrangements. Eulogy - Arlene Rubletz Welcome everyone. My name is Arlene Rubletz, I am Eleanor’s granddaughter. Eleanor Sylvia Woods was born on May 7th, 1916 at Island Brook, Quebec, to William and Eleanor Woods; she was the youngest of three children. In 1917 the Woods family came to homestead in the Cleeves district and then later moved to the Spruce Bluff district. Eleanor acquired her education at the Handsworth and Cleeves schools. While living at home Eleanor met a handsome young man named Ernie Stubbs and after courting a short time they were married on November 14, 1934 on a beautiful fall day. Their union was blessed with four children, Edward, Vera, Reg and Jean. In 1939 Ernie joined the armed forces where he served for almost five years. Eleanor kept the home fires burning by caring for the children and running the farm with the help of their neighbors. There were many struggles and hardships along the way. There was little money; severe winters and at times some foods were rationed. Ernie was able to return home for two weeks in the spring and fall to help out and make life a little easier for his family. Getting an education for their children was very important to Eleanor. During the first few years of school she would hitch up the horses to either the buggy or the cutter and drive Edward and Vera five and half miles to school, only to return home and do it all over again in the afternoon. She would travel twenty two miles round trip each day. Vera can still smell the scorching straw in the bottom of the cutter from the hot bricks and big flat rocks that kept their feet from freezing. In spite of the hardships Eleanor enjoyed the quiet farm life, content to care for her family and home. She grew a large garden and was no stranger to canning and freezing, she would hitch up the buggy, gather the pails, make a lunch and with Edward and Vera in tow off they went to pick saskatoons for the day. She would then spend the next three days canning them. Her flower garden was very special to her, especially the yellow roses which were her favorite. Eleanor was also a good seamstress; she often made the girls new dresses for the Christmas concert and outfits from leftover clothes. Eleanor liked animals the horses being one of her favorite. Jean remembers her raising a hundred or more chicks each year from setting broody hens. This kept them supplied with meat and a lot of eggs. Eleanor’s grandchildren have many fond memories of her which they will cherish for many years. Brian remembers the stuffing she would make, a little salt and pepper and gravy poured over it, it was so good. Scott thinks of Grandma every time he hears the old mantel clock chime, which was given to Grandma by Grandpa for a Christmas gift over fifty years ago, the great Christmas dinners which he always got to sit by the old wood stove to keep warm and the scent of burning wood in the yard as they drove up. Barry and Ritchie remember the chicken suppers cooking in the old wooden stove and how great it tasted and smelt. Vera remembers her mother as a very hard worker, a patient person, one you could count on for advice and who never complained. Even though the Dr.’s knew how much discomfort she was in, Eleanor would always say she felt fine. Vera will value the guidance her mom gave her throughout the years. Jean remembers her mother as a homemaker to the core, a generous person, always putting other people first, and a special charm that warmed the hearts of many. As the years passed Eleanor’s health began to fail and in 1999 she went into the Turtle River Nursing Home. She enjoyed taking part in the activities and the outings in the handivan. This summer she said how she enjoyed the drive to Hamm’s farm with all the spruce trees along the way and the great taste of Darlene’s fresh strawberries. Her family made sure Eleanor got a change of pace and scenery. This summer they took her back to her home for supper and a visit so she could see the farm again. You could often see the handivan parked at Ted and Vera’s house and you would know that Eleanor was enjoying a great supper with her family. Eleanor’s last outing was to the school for the Remembrance Day service which she enjoyed very much. Eleanor always looked forward to the visits from her family and friends and always maintained a keen interest in what each one was doing. She always appreciated the new friends she made and the excellent care she received. Eleanor is predeceased by her husband Ernest, two sons Edward and Reg, her parents William and Eleanor Woods, her brother and sister-in-law Earl and Ardena Acthison, and her sister Mae Woods. She will be lovingly remembered by her two daughters: Jean Stubbs, Vera and her husband Ted Rubletz and their four children: Barry, Brian and his wife Tammy and their four children: Dalton, April, Miranda and Timothy, Ritchie, Scott and his wife Arlene and their two children: Abbie and Sydney, daughter-in-law Cheryl Stubbs and their three children: Patricia, Samantha and Frank. Ernie and Eleanor were married for 62 years and enjoyed going to dances at the Spruce Bluff Hall. They are together now and may they enjoy dancing together once more. You will forever live in our heart and memories. With great sadness and sorrow we say good bye to our mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. We love you. Card of Thanks The family of Eleanor Stubbs wish to express a sincere thank you to all those who helped in anyway during this difficult time. Thank you to Dr. Mulder, Dr. Henegan, the nurses and staff at the Turtleford Riverside Health Complex for their compassionate care they gave to mother while she was a resident their. To all those who gave flowers, cards, food, memorial donations, phoned attended the funeral and words of comfort and hugs we will be forever grateful as it made our loss a little easier. A special thank you to the Hamm orchestra for their gift of music, your singing was beautiful. To Pat Ribey who officiated at the service, Arlene for reading the eulogy and the grandchildren for being the pallbearers. To the Spruce Lake ladies for providing and serving a delicious lunch, we thank you. To McCaw Funeral Service we greatly appreciated your assistance, compassion and professionalism you gave us, thank you. Ted and Vera Rubletz and family Jean Stubbs Cheryl Stubbs and familyDonations in memory of Eleanor may be made to the Riverside Health Care Patient Activity Fund.