Frances Henrietta Ouellette (nee Murphy) November 13, 1927 – February 3, 2010.
Hetty died peacefully at the ICU in St. Paul’s Hospital, Saskatoon, Sask. on Feb. 3, 2010. She was born in Dodsland Hospital on Nov. 13, 1927, daughter of Fred and Frances Murphy. She was the sixth child in a family of ten. She attended Algoma School until Grade ten; then St. Joseph’s Convent at Rosetown for Grades 11 and 12, graduating in 1946.
In Feb. 1947 she went into training at St. Paul’s Hospital graduating in 1950. She used her nursing skills at Eatonia, Meadow Lake, Dodsland and Davidson, Sask. She was the matron of Davidson Hospital. At that time, she helped care for Corinne and Colleen Parks, a set of twins who needed lots of TLC before they could leave the hospital.
She was married on June 1, 1953 to Stan Ouellette at Kerrobert, Sask. They lived in Kenaston in several houses, at the Wopchall farm six miles west of Kenaston and finally into the Ouellette homestead house in 1963. Stan and Hetty had six children. The children enjoyed the convenience of living in town but were able to have the space and luxury of living on a farm because we had the barn to play in the loft and the pasture to ride horses and snare gophers.
Hetty returned to full-time nursing in 1968 to supplement the farm income and retired in 1991. Being a nurse in a small town is like being a doctor. She was always “on call” in Kenaston, when people needed her for sickness and accidents. In 1988 Hetty received the Heart of Gold award for outstanding service to her community.
Her husband Stan passed away in 1996. Hetty found this change very hard but in her usual strong-willed manner she moved forward. She continued to be present on the Community Housing Board. She was an active choir member at St. Andrews. She enjoyed gardening and flowers. She will be fondly remembered for her dill pickles and apple butter. Her children and grandchildren were her joy and focus. Many a story can be told of memories of Mom and Grandma. Stan and Hetty Ouellette are survived by their children, Brian (Angelika), Greg (Carolyn), Cyndy (Claus) Spielmann, Kevin (Debra), Heather (Lorne) Lowdermilk and Colin (Cory) Ouellette; grandchildren, Jay, Dallas, Ryan, Amanda, Braden, Darren, Ellen, Timothy, Jesse, Riley, Ashley and Johnny; great-grandchildren, Taya and Gabriel; siblings, Isabelle, Josephine (Wilfred), Sister Irene, Mildred, Madge (Peter), Bud (Bernie) and Dennis (Helen); sister-in-law, Irene and numerous nieces and nephews.
Hetty is predeceased by her husband Stan; brothers, Wilfred and Patrick; and parents Fred and Frances Murphy.
A celebration of Hetty’s life was held on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Parish in Kenaston, Sask. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation Inc., Saskatoon, Sask. or the St. Andrew’s Cemetery Fund.
Hanson’s Funeral Home, Davidson, in care of arrangements.