Lorette Elenore Ewasiuk

EWASIUK, Lorette Elenore
June 22, 1937 – August 19, 2023

We are saddened to announce the passing of Lorette Elenore Ewasiuk, our beloved Wife, Mother and Grandmother. She was predeceased by her first son Darren, and is survived by her husband, Daniel, her eldest son Alan, his wife Laurel, and daughter Nicole, and by her youngest son Brent, and his wife Atsuko.

Lorette grew up in the Village of St. Lina and became a lovely young lady with a very pleasant personality and confidence that she was ready to go out and find her place in the world.

When she was eighteen years old, she met her future husband, Daniel Ewasiuk, at a Boxing Day Dance in Therien. They were married two years later and took up residence in Grand Centre, where Dan was the principal of the school. As a result of her husband’s career, Lorette soon became immersed in the activities of education.

Shortly after arriving in Grand Centre she obtained a position as Typist at the nearby RCAF Station in Cold Lake. Her duty was to serve as Secretary to the Education Officer at the Station, and thus her career in education began. Lorette loved her job and was welcomed by all the staff in the office.

When Lorette left that position to become a full-time mother to her first child, she was given a recommendation by her supervisor in which he said, in part, “Mrs. Ewasiuk’s work is always of the highest quality. She learns quickly and has a remarkable retentive memory. She is a refined young lady who is endowed with exceptionally high moral principles, sense of duty, initiative and desire to cooperate. She is scrupulously honest, intensely loyal, conscientious, well mannered and discreet.” These words truly reflected how her family and all those around her felt about Lorette and it was evident that her entry into the world of education went well.

In 1965 her husband was promoted to Superintendent of Schools in east central Alberta and the family moved to Castor, Alberta. Living in a house where educational matters were often discussed, Lorette confessed that she regretted that she had not become a schoolteacher as she loved working with young children. This motivated her to open a Play School for pre-school age children. With her enthusiasm and very good organizational skills, along with good advice from some of her experienced teacher friends, the Play School was a great success, foreshadowing her lifelong path in the field of education.

When another promotion brought the family to Edmonton, Lorette found employment as a teacher aide with the Edmonton Public School District. She had a very good relationship with the teachers she aided, and she loved her work. She was later invited to become an Aide to the Teacher Librarian and when budget cuts forced the removal of the Teacher Librarian position, Lorette officially became the School Librarian working across two schools. With several faithful parent volunteers, the libraries were run very well.

In her many years of working for the Public School System, Lorette made genuine contributions to education, and she enjoyed good personal satisfaction. When Lorette retired, she was described in the Retirement Booklet in a most laudatory manner.

Lorette’s contributions in her home were also much appreciated. An example of this was the message her youngest son Brent sent to her on Mother’s Day after he had moved and began working in Japan. Brent’s message to his mother was: “Thanks so much for always being there to laugh with me, to be proud of me, and to share in whatever ups and downs life may bring. I appreciate your guidance and sacrifices and today I want to celebrate you for being the good Mother that you are. I love you, Mom.” These sentiments are shared equally by her son Alan.

Lorette was a loving and helpful wife and was a true helpmate and a full participant in all family decisions and activities. There were times when her opinion was the deciding factor. When the idea of building a family cabin at Moose Lake came up, she was most enthusiastic and she supported the project with money and physical labor. To this day, we all enjoy the cabin she helped to build. She was equally enthusiastic and helpful in the purchase of our family condo in Scottsdale, Arizona. As she predicted when it was purchased, we enjoyed wintering in Arizona for over twenty-five years.

Lorette was always supportive of our travel plans, and much of the travel was made possible with her savings. We were fortunate to be able to see much of the world including visits across multiple cities in Canada and the USA, as well as visits to Europe, Mexico, South America, Australia, and Japan. Lorette especially enjoyed our two trips to Japan to visit Brent and Atsuko.

Lorette’s life-long best friend was her sister Noella. Their friendship was very meaningful to them both, and the two families spent much time together, especially during the period that their children grew up.
Lorette’s surviving family are very thankful and grateful for her presence in our lives, and we are very proud of her accomplishments.

Unfortunately, in her last few years Lorette became a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease. This required her placement in an assisted living facility for the last 16 months of her life. We are thankful to the staff of the Memory Section of the Riverbend Retirement Residence for their support and assistance in providing care to Lorette.

A private funeral Mass will be held for the immediate family.

A Celebration of Life for relatives and friends will be held on Wednesday, August 30th from 7:00 – 9:00 PM in the Jasper Room at the Derrick Golf and Winter Club, located at 3500 – 119th Street.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Lorette may be made to The Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories, located at No. 306, 10430 – 61 Ave. NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6H 2J3.