Obituary - Irene Anderson

Mrs. Irene Anderson, beloved wife of the late Mr. Thomas R. Anderson of Medicine Hat, peacefully passed away while surrounded by her family at the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 at the age of 87 years. Mrs. Anderson was the youngest of nine children and is predeceased by her parents, Annie and John Weiss and all of her brothers and sisters. Irene leaves to cherish her memory her four children, Mary Eva (Albert) Link of Lethbridge, Thomas (Noreen) Anderson of Victoria, Bonnie (Butch) Insko of Medicine Hat and Dan (Carla) Anderson of Medicine Hat. Granny is also kept in the hearts of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Kelly (Kirk) Sharp of Innisfree and their son Shane; David (Jackie) Link of Lethbridge and their children Kelly and Kaitlynd; Richard (Jessie) Link of Halifax; Michael (Gisele) Link of Lethbridge and their son Joshua; Richard (Wendy) Anderson of Calgary and their son Thomas; Dan (Maureen) Anderson of Victoria and their children Emma and Sam; Lisa Anderson (Boyd) of Victoria and their children Vanessa, Tawnee and Kenton; Wendy Insko of Medicine and her daughter Brandi-Lynn; Steve Insko of Irvine; Kim Insko of Medicine Hat; Kelsey Anderson of Calgary and Haley Anderson of Calgary. She also leaves many nieces and nephews and their families. Irene was born in Gros Vendre, Alberta in 1918. She spent her early years growing up with her family on their farm in the Cypress Hills. After moving to Medicine Hat, she met Tommy and were married in Medicine Hat where they raised their family. In the years after the passing of her husband, Irene loved to spend her time with her friends and family. She enjoyed teaching all of her secrets of good German cooking and the fine art of knitting, crocheting and making quilts. Irene loved to drive and loved to drive fast, and after receiving her license late in life, it was always an adventure getting into a car with her. Irene passed her time playing cards, bingo, painting ceramics, tatting, doing jigsaw puzzles and listening to music. All of this, of course, paled in comparison to the joy she felt when she was trying to "win some money"! In her final years at the Cypress View Lodge, Irene made many friends and had many fond memories. She will be missed deeply by all who knew her. In Irene's honour, a Celebration of Life will be held at Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, 901 - 13th Street S.W., Medicine Hat on Thursday, September 22, 2005 at 1:00 p.m. Irene's cremated remains will be interred with her husband at Hillside Cemetery. If friends so desire, memorial tributes in Irene's name may be made directly to the War Amps of Canada, 1 Maybrook Drive, Scarborough, Ontario M1V 5K9 or to the Canadian Diabetes Assoc. 102 - 73 - 7th Street SE, Medicine Hat, Alberta T1A 1J2. As an extended courtesy, friends in need of transportation to the Celebration are encouraged to contact Cook Southland Funeral Chapel and necessary arrangements will be made to accommodate those in need.