Rose Mary Maines Obituary
MAINES, Rose Mary (nee Mihalynuk) 1929-2020
It is with profound sadness we announce the passing of a wonderful and exceptional lady.
On Thursday, November 26, 2020, Rose Mary Maines of Mundare, AB, passed away at the age of 91 years.
Rose was born in Michel, BC, a coal mining community in the Crowsnest Pass to Peter and Helen Mihalynuk.
She had an older brother Peter, a one year older sister Lillian and a younger brother George, all since deceased. She attended grades one and two in Thorhild, AB and her third and fourth grades at Alex Taylor School in Edmonton. Then the family moved to Rabbit Hill where she went to school in a one room school house for grades five through nine. She and her siblings were coal miner kids who learned how to make the best with what they had.
Rose was a very hard worker and had many varied jobs in various locations. She picked fruit in BC, worked as a Ward Aide at the U of A hospital, trained as a Nursing Aide in Prince George, BC, and became a Licensed Nursing Aide at Mount Royal College in Calgary. In the early fifties she was working at the Wetaskiwin
Hospital when she decided to board a ship to sail to England to visit and help out her best friend Eileen. It was there they both found a job at the Mars Bar Factory. We never tired of hearing the stories those two got up to! Meanwhile, Rose’s sister Lily contracted polio back in Leduc so she came back to Canada to help
her and her two small children while Lily’s husband Ed worked on their farm.
Rose and Lily worked tirelessly at practicing how to walk without the braces on Lily’s legs which eventually paid off and she was able to walk again, brace free. Lily and her husband and children eventually moved to California and Rose moved back to Edmonton where she worked as a clerk at Miller’s stationary on Jasper Ave. In later years she began working at the U of A Hospital as a Nursing Aide and eventually retired from there as a Ward Clerk.
In 1954, her brother Peter opened up the Low Level Lunch convenience store where Rose worked and lived. It was there Rose met the love of her life, her husband of 65 years, Herb. He lived in the Cloverdale community and often went into the store to read the magazines. And after one date to the Tin Smith’s Ball, they became inseparable. Rose and Herb lived in a few neighbourhoods in Edmonton over 25 years where they raised their three children. When Herb took his early retirement from the City of Edmonton they bought a quarter section of land near Mundare, AB and it was there where their new adventures began for the next 40 years. Rose became an expert fencer, tractor mechanic, calf puller, and all the other trades one needs when living on a working farm.
Rose and Herb loved to do everything together. Travel, dance (especially the Jive to their favourite song, Glen Miller’s, In The Mood, curl, golf and play Crib.
Rose is survived by her husband of 65 years, Herb; her three children; Laura (Shayne), Glen (Peri) and Linda (Neil); grandchildren Stefany (AJ) Morgan (Andrew) and Mackenzie (Roxy) and her newest loves; great-grandsons Eamon and Anson. She also had numerous nieces, nephews and friends who will all miss her so much.
Thank you to all the caring and compassionate staff at St. Joesphs’s General Hospital in Vegreville. The family so appreciated the exceptional comfort and care she received from all the amazing staff on the second floor.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the AKASU Palliative Care Society of Vegreville to support their amazing Palliative Care suite where the family was able to be together during Rose’s short stay.
There will be no service at this time due to COVID 19 restrictions. A celebration of Rose’s life will be held at the Glenwood Funeral Home at a later date.
