Obituary of G. Gilda RATH

November 12, 1926 – Edmonton, Alberta
October 27, 2020 – Calgary, Alberta

Gilda Rath, of Calgary, Alberta, passed away peacefully in her sleep, on Tuesday, October 27, 2020, at the age of 93 years.  

Gilda was born in Edmonton, Alberta, November 12, 1926, the daughter of Laura and RW Graves.   She was sister to Albert Graves of Edmonton, Alberta, and Robert Graves of Stuart, Florida.  Her brother Albert had a long career in Edmonton in the construction field. Her brother, Bob Graves, retired as Vice President, Exploration, for Mobil Oil International and as a Prince of Indonesia following his discovery of the Arun Gas Field in Indonesia in the late 1960s.

Gilda followed her mother, Laura, into the nursing profession, graduating from the Edmonton General Hospital, University of Alberta School of Nursing, as the Class Valedictorian in 1948.  She subsequently obtained a BSc in Nursing from McGill University, as well as post graduate certificates in Nursing Education and Psychiatric Nursing from the American University of Washington, DC and the Alberta Hospital at Ponoka.

Gilda’s nursing career included tenure as a Psychiatric Nurse at the Alberta Hospital in Ponoka, a Public Health Nurse in charge of nursing for the Edmonton Indian Agency, where she met her husband Dr. Otto John Rath, who was at that time the Director of the Charles Camsell Hospital in Edmonton.  Gilda capped off her nursing career as Dean of the Grey Nuns Edmonton General Hospital Nursing School in Edmonton, Alberta.  

As a Registered Nurse, in keeping with Gilda’s sense of duty, adventure and general fearlessness, Gilda volunteered as a nurse on the polio epidemic in the Yukon in the 1950s.Years later, while travelling to the Yukon with his mother, her son Jeffrey had the privilege of meeting a number of First Nations Elders, who all spoke with tears in their eyes, of Gilda’s tireless work in saving the lives of members of their families.

Gilda maintained her professional nursing qualifications through the raising of her children. She kept current on up-to-date medical journals and medical practice, often commenting that she had “forgotten more medicine than most practicing doctors appeared to know”.  She would often also comment on the declining standards of the profession, noting that the nursing profession had largely “gone to hell in a hand basket with the end of the cap and gown”. 
 
Gilda married Dr. Otto John Rath on December 26, 1959, with Laurel, Jonathan, Jeffrey, and Roslyn Rath being born in rapid succession at relatively precise two-year intervals.  

Gilda had a passion for historical research and writing. She was involved in extensive research and documentation of the history of Western Canada through the family tree of her Lamoureux ancestors, who were involved in the settlement of all of the French Canadian settlements that still exist in the Province of Alberta.

Gilda was extremely proud of the fact that her ancestors had arrived in Alberta in the 1860s, long before the arrival of the RCMP and the establishment of Alberta as a province in 1905.

Gilda passed on her love of the Province of Alberta and its history to her children and grandchildren, all of whom are extremely proud of their heritage as fifth and sixth generation Albertans.

Following successfully shepherding her four children through a number of university undergraduate, post-graduate and professional degrees, Gilda retired to a life of adventure travel that included numerous trips  to locations that included China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Europe .  For at least two decades, starting in the 1980s, Gilda would routinely haul her travel trailer, along with her boat and motor to the Yukon, where she would spend every summer fishing for lake trout at Fox Lake, north of Whitehorse.

Gilda is survived by her children Laurel (Alain) Vezina, Jonathan (Ellen) Rath, Jeffrey (Dayna) Rath, Roslyn Rath (Fraser Dobson), as well as her grandchildren, Ariel and Maris Vezina, Emma Rath, and Georgia Elizabeth Rath.  Gilda will also be lovingly remembered by all of her nieces and nephews, Marcel Graves, Gary Graves, Paul Graves, Lynn England, Lisa Forson, Ron Graves, and Sandra Walker. Gilda will also be missed by Mary Jane Hougen and Lisa Maxwell, daughters of Gilda’s nursing classmate and surrogate sister, Pearl Warshawski.  
Gilda was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Otto John Rath, and her brothers, Albert Graves and Robert Graves.

On Gilda’s passing, Pearl commented that Gilda’s passing marked the end of an era and lovingly said that Gilda was always a force to be reckoned with, having a mind of her own and that when she applied her mind to something, she was inevitably right.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Cathedral (219-18th Avenue SW, Calgary, AB) on Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Graveside Service to be held at a later date in Edmonton. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed on Gilda’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com.

In living memory of Gilda Rath a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis and Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.