Obituary of Alice Ferne Walton

We lost our beautiful Mom on September 19. It is comforting to know that she is now reunited with our dad, James (Scotty) Walton, whom she has dearly missed since his passing in 2006.

 Mom leaves behind a legacy spanning 95 years.  She is survived and loved by daughter Mallory (Warren) Hamre of Saskatoon, daughter Sheila (Wayne) Dalshaug of Warman, and son Dean Walton of Penticton. She had 6 cherished grandchildren who loved her dearly: Jennifer (Ryan) McRae, Robin (Kira) Dalshaug, Lindsay (Brett) Byers, Chad (Rachel) Hamre, Rene (Jason) Detwiller, and Danielle (Jordan) Kennedy. The family tree has expanded with the birth of 11 great grandchildren. How they loved their “Grandma Alice”!  She was always delighted to see them.

 Mom was born on a farm near Meota, Sask to Arthur and Anne Hayes.  She was the youngest and the last living member of their family. Her brother and sisters were: Gordon (Mary), Ada (Ted), Lillian (Jack) and Doreen (Fred). Alice had 14 nephews and nieces, with whom she had a special fondness for.

As a young woman, Alice attended the Saskatoon Business College.  Following this, she was very excited when she got her first job at Revenue Canada as a stenographer. It was in Saskatoon that she met our dad, a university student and navy veteran. In 1950 they married. They remained in Saskatoon, and with the birth of children, Alice was a “stay at home” mom for many years.  How lucky we were.
In 1972, our dad was transferred to Brandon and then on to Winnipeg. Mom and Dad made new friends through the Redboine Boat and Rotary Clubs.   They had the opportunity to do more boating, and motorcycling, with Mom perched on the back. Alice returned to work at Revenue Canada  while in Winnipeg.  When it came time for retirement, they moved to a lovely location along the west arm of the Kootenay Lake near Nelson BC.  They had an active life there, boating, cross country skiing, hiking, curling and golfing. We have so many wonderful memories of time spent visiting them, winter and summer.

Alice was a dedicated member of the Presbyterian Church.  Over the years as they moved to different locations, our parents always found a new church home.  They were pleased to return to Saskatoon in 2000, to be near family and to once again attend St. Andrews.

Our Dad became ill in 1999.  Mom was a devoted caregiver to him.  Her creativity was put to good use, as she invented  gizmos and gadgets to make his life easier. She was at his side till the end.

Mom had a green thumb.  You may have seen her working on the sweet peas she planted along 12th St for the several years that she lived at the Bridgewater. She met many new friends this way, as people would stop to admire the flowers. She was happy to share the flowers and encouraged people to cut bouquets to take home.

Mom loved to golf and continued until she was 90.   The staff at Holiday Park knew her by name. Mom didn’t take a cart, preferring to walk the course.   She was sorry to have to give it up after she suffered a stroke. She remained interested though, and was pleased that all of us “kids” were golfers as well.

Mom was a volunteer:  From serving in  the role of  Brown Owl for Brownies during the 60’s to the President of the Canadian Cancer Society  in Nelson. She was an active member of the Presbyterian Church Women’s League for countless years. In her 80’s she enjoyed reading to children at Victoria School.

We would like to thank the staff at both Trinity Manor in Saskatoon and Diamond House in Warman for the kindness shown to Alice during her final years.  We always knew our mom was in good hands.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Amnesty International (www.amnesty.ca) or St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in memory of Alice.

A Celebration of Alice’s life will be held at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at 436 Spadina Cres E. on Sat Sept 28 at 2 pm.