Laura Althea RUSHFORD

I was born in Rainy River, Ontario during the early years of the Great Depression. If you had told me as a child that I would live to age 95, I would have laughed and said, “No dice”.

Our home was rudimentary with a wood stove and ice box, but it was a happy one. My sister Anne (Holiday) and I knew how lucky we were, our father had a steady job with the railway and never missed a paycheck.

I was 8 years old when WWII erupted and I watched with dismay as my dad, Isaac Lucas, enlisted and disappeared out east. Luck was on our side again – he was sent home because of an injury he suffered in WWI. He was a CN Rail dispatcher, and keeping the trains of troops and supplies rolling was important to the war effort. His wartime job was demanding – 12 hour shifts every day of the week, and it kept our family on the move. I went to a host of different schools in Thunder Bay, Regina, and Saskatoon. I have always been proud of my parents for the sacrifices they made in those difficult days.

My mother, Edith, was a schoolteacher and she instilled the importance of education in her family. After high school I followed my older sister to the University of Saskatchewan where I was accepted into the Faculty of Law. I still remember the look of surprise on the Dean’s face when he met me. “L.A. Lucas?” he hesitated, “you’re a woman.” Well, despite me taking a man’s spot, I was welcomed by my fellow students and hung in there to graduate.

 During law school I married my classmate R.J. Rushford, and together we moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan where we both entered general practice. There was no specializing, we did everything from wills to mortgages and corporate law. Later in my career I served as a Provincial Court Judge, and as Court Member of the Moose Jaw Police, for whom I have the greatest respect.

 Of all my roles, I always considered raising my two loving children, David and Celia, as my most important. I am survived by them and their families. David and his wife Loretta Tetarenko and wonderful granddaughter Hayley (and husband Nathan). Celia and husband Jeff Buick and their sons Tyler (and wife Elizabeth), Shawn, Justin, and Matthew (and wife Hailey), along with my wonderful great grandchildren Mikayla, Dominic, Madeleine, and Evie. I am so very proud and fond of you all.

I am predeceased by my sister Anne and have had the great pleasure of knowing her daughter Maria (Berezowski), and great niece Samantha Atchison and her husband DJ and daughter Jo-Hanna.

In the last few weeks, my late-stage cancer roared to life, and I found myself in great pain and distress. I am endlessly grateful to have had a peaceful end, holding my children’s hands while I said goodbye.

Many thanks to the kind staff at Lake Bonavista Retirement Village for the many happy years I spent there, and the staff at the Rocky View Hospital who saw me through my last days with such compassion.

 In lieu of flowers, donations to the Women in Need Society (WINS) would be gratefully accepted. 

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Laura Althea RUSHFORD, please visit our Tree Store.