Obituary of Anne Katherine Rushinsky

October 16, 1922 - Horizon District, Saskatchewan

November 2, 2023 - Airdrie, Alberta

Anne Katherine Rushinsky (nee Wagner) of Airdrie, AB, passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 2, 2023, at the age of 101 years.

Mom was born on October 16, 1922, on the family farm near Horizon, SK, the youngest of four children of Anna and John Wagner.

Early life in the 1920s and 30s was both simple and difficult, with no electricity, running water or indoor plumbing. The southern portion of the province was often hot and dry in the summers, and cold and harsh in the winters. Since lives were made off the land, sometimes merely surviving from year to year was a challenge. Mom rode her horse King several miles to school, which she attended until grade nine.

She met and married Frank Rushinsky in 1943 and they lived on her parents’ farm until 1950. They then purchased a farm of their own at Viceroy, SK, where they raised two children, Garry and Janice. In 1964 the family moved to a farm at Beiseker, AB, where Frank farmed until 1973. After retiring from farming, they lived in Calgary, AB, Red Deer, AB, Crossfield, AB, and Airdrie, AB, where Frank built three houses, two in Red Deer, AB, and one in Crossfield, AB.

Mom and Dad parted ways in 1980; Dad moved to Red Deer, AB, where he lived until his passing in 2011; Mom moved to Calgary, AB, in 1980, then to Airdrie, AB, in 1986 where she lived until her passing.

Mom was of that generation where farmers’ wives were all homemakers who worked very hard in caring for the home and the rest of the family. She always had the biggest garden, growing and preserving her own fruit and vegetables that lasted year around. Chickens, pigs, and cattle were raised on the farm to keep the freezer full; all breads and baked goods were made ‘from scratch’. Being very adept at sewing, knitting, and crocheting, Mom made many of her own clothes and also for us, when we were children. Living on a farm for much of her life, Mom was surrounded by animals, both inside and outside the house.

On her own later in life she had Taffy the poodle, and Woodley the cat. Mom also loved playing the guitar when she was young and taking photos starting with a little Brownie camera in the 1940s, resulting in many photos of our family’s lives from that decade onward. Mom’s life was a long one, lived solely on the prairies. She basically summed up the last several years of her life when asked on her 101 birthday what she had been doing that day. She responded, “Oh, just sittin’ and lookin’”.

The family would like to express its deepest appreciation to the entire staff at Bethany Care Centre in Airdrie, AB, for their wonderful care and support in making the last nine years of Anne’s life as comfortable as possible, especially through the three very difficult years of Covid-19.

Anne will be lovingly remembered by her daughter Janice (John Price) Rushinsky of Olds, AB, son Garry (Darlene Nichols) Rushinsky of Calgary, AB, granddaughters Shauna (Rick Bertok) Rushinsky, and Kari Rushinsky; great-granddaughters Samantha (Kier) Scott, Karlee Stockwood, and Sydney Stockwood; great-great-grandchildren Oaklynn, and Tucker Scott; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.

She was predeceased by both parents (Anna 1970, and John 1944), brothers Louis (1926), Albert (2001), and sister Mary (2007).

In living memory of Anne Katherine Rushinsky, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Airdrie, 300 Towerlane Drive, Airdrie, AB T4B 3L8, Telephone: 403-948-1100.