January 11, 1945 – November 11, 2020
at the age of 75 years:
Alice pulled the lever on the buffalo game one last time. Our beautiful mother, grandmother, aunt, sister and beloved wife, will not be leaving anymore donations at the casino. On November 11/2020, she hit the jackpot and was reunited with the love of her life, Bob. Alice (the matriarch of her family) was the fourth of eight children born in Lestock, Saskatchewan, on January 11/1945. She was predeceased by her husband Bob, sisters Barbara, Madeline, Marie and brother John. She is survived by her children: Richard, Christine (Irwin), Sheila (Darcy), Bobbi-Lee (Jamie), her youngest Jill, and many grandchildren who she loved dearly, Dean, Amie, Olivia, Mikey, Robbie and William. She leaves behind the “sista hood”, Doreen (Bob) Byers, Linda (Myles) Chapin, and brother Robert (Judy) Trefiak.
Alice would not want a typical sad obituary. She was all about happy time, lots of laughs and family memories.
Alice came from a large family, raised by their mother, Olga. This adversity in her life did not deter her. She was a cheerleader at a young age and beauty pageant contestant with the brains of an aspiring lawyer when she met her life mate, Bob (it didn’t hurt that he had the fastest car in town). They proceeded to build an empire. After falling in love, they moved to British Columbia in 1967 and married in 1968. They adopted 3 children in 1971, then Alice got pregnant with Bobbi-Lee in 1973 (Surprise) and along came Jill in 1975 (Surprise again). Alice absolutely loved children and wished she had more. Shortly after, they moved to a small farm in Maple Ridge, where they raised Clydesdales, chickens, pigs, cows, dogs and cats. Alice was very involved with the local 4-H club and her children all raised steers for competitions. As a proud Ukrainian woman and a family favorite, Alice would load up hers and the neighbor’s kids in the motor home, to drive then to Ukrainian school on Friday evenings. Her Catholic religion and Ukrainian ethnicity were very important to her. She had a huge heart and was an amazing mentor. As the family grew, they decided to expand to a larger acreage in Mission, where they built the home of their dreams. As her chicks slowly started leaving the nest, she decided to take the real estate course. Alice was very successful at this and was top producer in her office for many months. Believe it or not her original plan was to become a lawyer, but unfortunately she ran into health issues along the way that redirected her path. Eventually they moved to the sunny Shuswap where she continued her real estate career. She also became known for her newspaper worthy Christmas tree/forest. With over 20 years of being a reputable realtor, she finally decided to retire. Her new passion was donating to any casino she came across and the odd time taking home winnings from her favorite “Buffalo” game. She overcame her fear of flying by discovering Las Vegas. Alice joined her local Probus and Lions clubs, where she had many laughs with fellow members. She was a legendary role model for all and left behind amazing memories and enough treasures to open up a thrift store. Alice was an inspiration to all who knew her and will be greatly missed.
It was important to Alice and her family to send a huge “Thank You” to a very special friend of her husband, Gary Koo, for all the help he has done for them over the years.
Do zustrichi (see you soon)
Alice & Bob were our neighbour on Johnson rd. & made our neighbourhood more interesting . I had their cow at our place as they did not have room so Alice milked it & gave me most of the milk. She always wore a coat like Columbo as she had good looking clothes under it as she was off to work in Vancouver . We sure had some great times with them & others. We also owned property to-gether at Hatzic Prairie . They good to our kids & we wrote to say they would be a good home for the 3 children & were happy that they could have 2 more . we stayed in touch when they moved to Maple Ridge & I still have a horse sleigh I brought from Bob . We all loved them with such wonderful memories God Bless Ted & Marguerite Lund & the Creighton Family
I only met Alice a few times she was a wonderful lady, I was a friend of her husband Bob, Gary and I spent lots of hours in his garage. My thought’s are with the family.
Dave McClelland
I am so blessed to have known Alice and the entire family.
Alice was truly inspirational and always looked for the best in everyone and every situation
I will always remember her contagious humor
God Bless
Cousin Marty
Sincere sympathy on your mom’s passing.She was a lovely lady. We did not know her for a long but really enjoyed her friendship. We were able to enjoy her company & were able to meet some of her family. We had a lot of laughs. What an incredible lady. Enjoyed her company. Got a new appreciation for crossword puzzles (lol) to the family and friends .
Mom you left us too soon you were an amazing mom and a very special friend and most of all a great baba you are with dad now and with the rest of the Angel’s you are sadly missed by your daughter’s christine,sheila,Bobbie and jill we love you ❤
I was so sad to hear of your moms passing,she was a great lady, going to miss stopping in for a visit every year on our bike trip from Alberta,I’m sure your dad has a big old smile with her in his arms again, condolences to everyone in the family.
It was with great sorrow that I heard of the passing of your Mother, she and your father have always been like my second parents ever since I met them in the early seventies. I will always remember all the good times that I was able to share with them. I offer you all my condolences. I am hoping that they are now reunited and watching over all of us.
So sad to hear about your Mom Our deepest sympathiesDon & Iris
I am so so sorry to hear about your Mom. She was such a wonderful person. So smart and fantastic sense of humour. I will always remember my short stint as her partner in real estate. I learned so much! She was a great mentor and teacher. I used to call her the back up Queen. Whenever we had to park, no matter how tight the space, she just had to back in. Made me laugh everytime as I am truly the worst parker of all time.
I am thinking of you girls during this tough time. The pain will ease over time although it might not seem like it right now. One thing I know for sure is that your Mom was so proud of you girls. She would just beam whenever she told stories about you. You were so lucky to have such a wonderful Mom! She will be so missed!
With deepest sympathies, Laurie and Robin Bessette