ELLA EDNA ABBOTT HAND (RUETHER)

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ELLA EDNA ABBOTT HAND (nee RUETHER) Ella Edna, beloved mother, grandmother and great grandmother, passed away quietly at the Country Road Lodge near Lucknow, Ontario on the evening of December 14, 2000 at the age of 90. Ella was born on October 31, 1910 in Seward, Nebraska, the daughter of Sophia and Jacob Ruether. Her siblings included five sisters and four brothers. The family moved to Canada when she was 18 months old. They settled near Penzance, Saskatchewan, where Ella attended Mariposa School. In 1926, the family moved again and set up farming near Bjorkdale, Saskatchewan. While she was working in Crooked River, Saskatchewan, she met her future husband, George Ira Abbott of Owen Sound, Ontario. They were married on May 10, 1932 and together raised three children, Sheila, Darlene and Morley. During their marriage, they moved frequently to wherever Iras work took them, living in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Ontario and Manitoba. Ella and Ira both eventually returned to Bjorkdale, where they retired. After Ira had passed away, Ella married John Ruglas Hand of Bjorkdale on July 29, 1969. They travelled often but continued to live in Bjorkdale, where they helped to found the Happy Valley Seniors Center. After the death of Ruglas in 1986, Ella moved to Lucknow to live with her son Morleys family. Throughout her long life, Ella worked as a wife and mother and also served as a nurses aide at St. Anthonys Hospital in The Pas, Manitoba. She was an active member of Devon Rebekah Lodge where she reached the position of Noble Grand. She enjoyed knitting, sewing, handicrafts and oil painting and she was fond of singing and playing cards with her friends at the local seniors center. Her home and friendship were always open to everyone. Ella was predeceased by her sister Verna (in infancy) brothers Arnold, Melvyn, Garland and John and numerous sisters and brothers-in-law. She is survived by her sisters Della, Vernon, B.C.; Lydia, Fort Saskatchewan, AB; Gloria (Glen) Bjorkdale, SK; and Lillian, Sylvania, SK; her sisters-in-law Velda and Muriel of Bjorkdale, SK and many nieces and nephews of whom she was extremely fond. She is also survived by her children Sheila (Gordon) Gieg, Winnipeg, MB; Darlene (Burnell) Hendrikson, McAllen, TX and Morley Abbott, Lucknow, ON; her grandchildren Shawn (Kelly), Wade, Grant, Mark (Debbie), Rhonda, Graham (Anne), Katrina (Greg) and Margo; and her great-grandchildren Laurel, Alex, Liam and Matthew. "Mothers and roses are much the same, Both are Gods masterpiece, Each with a different name". Ellas family have entrusted her funeral arrangements in care of MacKenzie and McCreath Funeral Home of Lucknow. Interment will take place at a later date in Green Hills Cemetery.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 19, 2000