Obituary of Hazel Edythe Rasmussen

HAZEL EDYTHE RASMUSSEN

Hazel Rasmussen was born on January 6, 1920 in Calgary.  Her parents George and Lenna (nee Anderson) Buckley were farming near Hanna, Alberta at the time, but her mother came into Calgary to her own parents’ home to give birth.  By 1926, Mom’s farm girl days were over as they could no longer sustain their farm with Depression conditions deepening.  Her father found stable work as an accountant with Massey Harris and they resettled in Calgary.

Mom had an exciting and happy life as a young woman growing up in Calgary.  She loved ice and speed skating, horseback riding, and swimming in the Elbow River, often diving off a railway bridge with her friends, letting the current carry her along.  Her younger brother Roy even outdid Mom in adventurous spirit.

After high school Mom took secretarial business training eventually working at Eaton’s as secretary to the credit manager.  She sewed or knitted all her own stylish outfits and loved listening to the big band programmes on her family’s radio.

By 1939, my Dad, Robert “Bob” Myers Rasmussen, also born in 1920, had moved to Calgary from his family’s home in Regina to do war time work for the No. 4 Training Command of the Canadian Air Force.  Mom and Dad met, fell in love, and were married in Calgary in 1943.  When Dad’s work as a draftsman for Imperial Oil took them to Edmonton for a year, they were the hit of their rooming house because they could really jitter bug and jive, leading joyous dance sessions for the other young boarders.  While Mom and Dad returned to Calgary for 3 years when Dad worked for Standard Oil, they often went up to Banff in their roadster taking along friends in the rumble seat.

By 1947, they returned to Regina when Dad joined his 3 brothers (Gordon, Karl, and Don) in the family business, Rasmussen’s Ltd., and Mom was welcomed into the boisterous Rasmussen clan.  For several years Dad and Mom, Gordon and Kelly, and Karl and Irene, shared a 3-storey house on Cameron Street, one family on each floor with one bathroom for all.  Their daughter Karen (aka – me) was born there in 1948.

When I was 4 years old, we moved to a roomy basement apartment on Broadway Avenue and Mom got into gardening in our generous share of the backyard.  By 1958, Mom and Dad were able to buy their first - and last - house in a friendly Lakeview neighbourhood backing onto the exciting Wascana Creek.

Mom returned to part-time work for several years but enjoyed keeping a well-ordered and beautifully decorated home, with plenty of scope for her gardening efforts, and a place they happily shared with a series of cats - some given to Mom, some adopted, some borrowed, but all totally pampered.

Mom loved this home and her care showed over the 50 years she contentedly lived there.  She welcomed company for all sorts of get togethers, always with plenty of good food laid on.  I remember the laughter floating up the stairs on the evenings the “Bunko” girls came over, the wild square-dancing nights, and the incredible storytelling when all the Rasmussens gathered.  Really good times were had.

Mom joined the Eastern Star (Regina Chapter No. 7) in 1957 where she found life long lasting friendships, support, and many worthwhile endeavours.  She also belonged to the Daughters of the Nile (Shrine) and happily sung in the choir for many years.  Mom’s personal music playlist (CD’s then) featured Ella, Dinah Washington, Frank S., Tony Bennett, and on and on, with whom she sang along with great joy.

As Rasmussen’s Ltd. became a successful enterprise (trucking, gas, steel buildings) my Dad was very busy during the summers making sure all the farm and community buildings were constructed before each winter.  So that’s when Mom would drive up to Calgary to visit and help her parents with me always glad to come along for the adventure.  Our truly memorable mother/daughter road trip was in 1964 when Mom braved the unknown US highways and Denver’s freeway to take me and my best high school friend to actually see the Beatles at Red Rocks Amphitheatre - an amazing gift, and only one example of Mom’s courage and generosity when it came to those she loved.

When Dad and his brothers decided to retire in 1984, Mom and Dad hit the road in their motorhome for travel adventures in California, Texas, New Orleans, and Florida; from BC to PEI in Canada; and closer to home, the Cypress Hills and many prairie towns and museums.  Mom even took the wheel at times and fortunately Dad could repair almost anything.

While I was in university in Toronto (beginning in 1966), followed by work in Ottawa, I would come home to Regina for visits, or Mom and Dad would come out to see me in “the East”.  Once my partner Roy (Hanna) and I flew to Tuscon Arizona to join Mom and Dad for Christmas among the cacti and sunshine.  They had of course “motorhomed” down leisurely.  What an exotic Noel we had together.

When Dad died in 2001 Mom wanted to stay on in her comfy home and did so until 2008 with support from us and her neighbours and friends.  Several times Roy and I flew to Vancouver from Ottawa while Mom flew from Regina to meet us there.  We had wonderful balmy Christmases at the Granville Island Hotel, looking out on the lighted boats at the False Creek marina, feasting on goodies from the Public Market nearby, and visiting all the Island crafts people.  Such fun.  We 3 continued to have good visits during each year, here in Regina or at our place in Ottawa.

When Mom eventually needed more back-up and the chance for a more supportive social life, Roy and I helped her move to a retirement suite at Marian Chateau in 2008.  Mom made many new friends there and loved her still independent life --- reading her Leader Post completely each morning over breakfast in her rooms, then joining others for lunch and communal activities, music and singing being her favourites.  She still enjoyed going out to Star events and lunches, and joined her sister-in-law Kelly, often with other relatives and friends, for coffee most Fridays at Tim’s - or in Mom’s case, an Ice Capp.  And Mom carried on some pretty impressive indoor gardening at Marian, lugging her potted plants around her suite so they could follow the daily sun.

Mom and Dad had the wonderful care of Dr. Stephen Bester through many decades, and while Mom lived at Marian he was just kitty corner at the Golden Mile.  We would just walk over for her appointments, she using her walker of course.  But by 2014 we realized Mom’s dementia was too debilitating for her to live safely in independent living.  Fortunately, College Park II had just opened with Bill Horbach as director, and we secured a beautiful suite for Mom on the personal care floor that looked out on the playing fields behind Balfour Tech, where Dad had trained as a draftsman in high school.  Here we were able to surround Mom with all her familiar and loved furnishings and treasures, where she happily settled in from 2015 until just now, 2021.

For a few years while Mom was still at Marian, and right up until this year, she was loyally and lovingly visited and cared for each week by our friend Maureen McKenzie.  In 2015 Maureen asked 2 of her friends, Merrilyn Dubreuil and Linda Smith, to join in and meet Mom and help look after her, and so “the Hazel Team” was formed.  They have been additional daughters for my Mom here in Regina, and faithful sisters to me in Ottawa all these years as we cared for her together.

Within College Park II Dr. Bester’s oversight was transferred to Dr. Lok, then to Dr. Vanheerden, and recently to Dr. Mawson, all from the Gardens Clinic nearby, all very caring and reliable GP’s.  The directors of care at College Park II, Ashraf Ali and now Ronak Patel, have helped me greatly in ensuring Mom’s good care over these last years --- along with the kindness and love shown to my Mom by the nursing, care, recreational, and support staff there.

Mom finished off 2020 still tapping her feet to the music, doing her wheelchair exercises playfully, and always enjoying her room with a view.  Many of the care staff have shared pictures and videos of my Mom with me during these past days, so we could remember and miss her together.  So, a good life, which I think Mom lived with kindness, loyalty, generosity, fairness, and joy.  Bravo Mom.