Obituary of Venita Dehlia Alberts

ALBERTS, Venita

December 27, 1931 – June 27, 2021

Venita Alberts always wanted to be a nurse. And while those cards didn't fall exactly how she'd hoped, she knew that when she and Ralph and their four kids landed in Dillon, Saskatchewan in the early 1960s, she'd probably have to deliver some babies. And so, before leaving Langenburg, she went to the local hospital and watched some babies being born.

She would indeed deliver some babies, a handful of them in fact. And so beloved was she — the stitcher-of-wounds, maker-of-movie-nights-popcorn, affectionately known by the locals as "Mrs. Teacher" — that one of those babies would be named Venita.

They were but two short years in her 89-and-a-half years of life, but Venita's time in that remote, northern community with her husband, Ralph, whose teaching job took the family around the province, and their four children, marked one of the most significant times in her big, boisterous, beautiful life, which ended Sunday, June 27, 2021.

Venita (she decided quite a long time ago she disagreed with the actual spelling, Veneta) was born and raised in Sturgis. She and her nine siblings were brought up in a modest home where their mother, during the Depression, would cut up an apple and hand out one slice to each of the children for dessert. So special of a treat was an orange during Christmas that little Venita would save hers for later.

She fell in love with Ralph because he was a good, Catholic man. They married on her 20th birthday and their journey around the province began shortly thereafter.

Laura and Karen were born in Yorkton; Tom and Elaine, in Langenburg. Whether in Dillon or Sweet Grass or any of their other homes, Fridays were for fasting, Sundays were for church, even if it meant stopping along the side of the road to listen to mass on the radio, the family of six kneeling on the pavement next to the car.

A plot of land was purchased in Tobin Lake, first with a small trailer, then a bigger one. Venita rose early to wrap hot dogs in tin foil so the family could have a warm lunch on the water. For decades, Ralph caught the prize fish; Venita fried them up.

Venita's fish. Venita's chicken. Venita's pies. The woman could cook. She was a traditional cook, save for the George Forman Grill.

We loved her noodles; she loved her poodles — Sparky and Ginger and all the babes she bred. And her chocolate — Venita loved her chocolate.

From her four children came 11 grandchildren, each mesmerized by her fantastical stories, delivered with raised eyebrows, wide eyes, sly smiles, and the gentle, sing-song voice of a life so enchanted. Every visit ended with a treat bag.

Family aside, there wasn't anybody who visited Venita's home who wasn't offered a bed or a meal or both. Not anybody. In her later years, treats for the homecare workers were always on her grocery list.

Venita was generous, kind and hilarious, once heard calling out for Karen's dog, "Max! Max! Oh, Maxi Pad!" What that woman would do for a laugh.

And she was lucky. Every year in Vegas, she cast a spell over the Blazing 7s machines. Upon their return, Ralph would be asked, "How much did you lose?" and Venita would be asked, "How much did you win?"

Of course, we can't be too sad that this incredible life has met its end, not when we consider the nearly nine decades she had down here, and the hootin' and hollerin' that's happening up there. Surely, there has already been an impromptu duet with her most-adored husband of nearly seven decades, Ralph; a party with the seven siblings that went before her, each enjoying a slice of apple and so much more; and warm hugs for her beloved grandson, Kristian, and parents, Tom and Dehlia.

But grateful as we may be that she is at peace, Venita will be deeply missed by all of us whose lives are more beautiful because she was in them: her four children, Laura (Peter) Walton, Karen (Mark) Cherry, Tom Alberts and Elaine (Blayne) Gardiner; grandchildren Lisa, Sarah, Chelsea, Tamara, Grayham, Josh, Chad, Melissa, Kyle and Lana; 15 great-grandchildren; siblings Tom (Anette) and Cecelia; in-laws Mavis, George, Eileen and Abigail; and her many nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.

Venita's life will be celebrated in a mass at Resurrection Roman Catholic Parish, 3155 Windsor Park Road, Regina, SK S4V 3B1 on Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 11:00 a.m.

Donations in Venita's memory may be made to Carmichael Outreach Inc., 1510 12^th Avenue, Regina, SK S4P 0L5