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Obituary
Ethel Raffin (nee Horgus), our dear mother, passed away peacefully on December 6, 2022, at the age of 86. Left to treasure her memory are her husband, Lawrence; her children, Suzanne (Len) Roche, Christine (Mike) Foran and Dan (Rhea) Raffin; her grandchildren, Chris, Mikaela and Matthew, Claire, and Zander and Katie; her siblings, Andy and Gladys; and her sister-in-law, Lu (Jim).
Ethel was born in Coutts, AB, to Louis and Elizabeth (Pal) Horgus. Their second oldest child, she grew up in a blended family of nine kids on a farm near Milk River. Ethel went to school in Masinasin, but then left home to work as a nanny in Lethbridge, where she also finished high school.
She eventually moved to the Calgary area. Ethel worked as a maid at the Banff Springs Hotel, then became a switchboard operator at AGT. She took on a second job as a carhop at A&W to support her dance lessons. During this time, she travelled with friends to Europe and also took a solo trip to Bermuda. Fate brought Ethel and her beloved Lawrence together at a dance that neither had wanted to attend. They were married soon after. This year was their 56th anniversary.
Ethel was a beautiful soul. Sweet, kind, thoughtful, loving — those were the words that people often used to describe our mom. These days, so many people are jockeying for fame and attention, but the ones who really make a difference in the world are those who say please and thank you, who remember your birthday, who notice the little things and write thoughtful letters to loved ones out of the blue. That was our mom. She would give gifts of tiny angels or handmade bookmarks containing pressed flowers and a special verse — gifts that have been treasured by their recipients for arriving just at the right time.
In her quiet, gentle way, she kept track of everyone and could be counted on for her prayers. She was a devout Catholic and gave the gift of her time as a member of the Catholic Women’s League, a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and St. Vincent de Paul, and a tutor for adult ESL students at St. Peter’s Church.
Her greatest gift, however, was the love she gave to her children. Nothing made her happier than being a part of our lives, from infancy to adulthood. Nurse, seamstress, friend and helper — she was all of those, as well as a tremendously good cook. Family favourites include her lasagna, apple pie, gingerbread cookies and crabapple jelly.
We treasure the memories we have of Mom with her grandkids. She so valued her time with them. She encouraged their creativity, and many a picture coloured with Nana/Nanny returned home with them. When Mom developed Alzheimer’s, it was she who became the artist, leaving us with beautiful artwork that she created through the Alzheimer Society’s Opening Minds Through Art program.
Relatives and friends are invited to Prayers at Evan J. Strong Funeral Services South (5502 2 Street SW) on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, at 7:00pm. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Michael’s Parish (800 85 Street SW) on Thursday, December 15, 2022, at 11:00am with the Rev. Edmund Vargas presiding. There will be a live stream of Prayers and the Funeral Mass for friends and family who are unable to attend. The link will be available here.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either Providence Care Centre (Father Lacombe Care Foundation) or the Alzheimer’s Society.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Ethel Raffin March 8 1936 December 6 2022 86 Years Old..
Death notice for the town of: Calgary, Province: Alberta