With heavy hearts the family of Dorothy Laurena Ruth Anderson announces her passing on August 18, 2012 at the Yorkton Hospital. Laurena (as she was known to all) was born on December 1, 1924 to Edward and Bertha Klause in the district of Springside. Laurena attended school at Whitesand, Peachview, and Saltcoats. She graduated in 1946 as a Registered Nurse from the School of Nursing at Yorkton Queen Victoria Hospital. Laurena continued nursing until she married Lauren Anderson, on April 16, 1947. Lauren and Laurena - it was destiny! The couple began their life together on
the Anderson farm ten miles east of Saltcoats. They were blessed with three children. In 1959 Laurena went back to nursing at Saltcoats Memorial Hospital. When that hospital closed she transferred to Yorkton Union Hospital. From 1979, until her retirement in 1989, Laurena was the supervisor of the Candy Striper Volunteer Program. During the early years of marriage and motherhood, Laurena mastered many crafts and arts out of necessity but continued them out of sheer pleasure and joy. Sewing, knitting, crocheting, needlepoint and quilting to name a few. After Lauren and Laurena retired from farming and moved to Yorkton in 1976, opportunity allowed Laurena to
teach knitting and crocheting at the Yorkton Regional College. She had such satisfaction from promoting the art form and often gave private lessons or would knit projects as requested. She was humbled and honored when she was asked to judge at local fairs. Laurena generously donated knit articles to any worthy cause, including 100 pair of mittens for the ?Coats for Kids? program one particular winter. Family members also
benefited so much from her intricate sweater designs and other creative knitting projects that Laurena was affectionately nicknamed "the human knitting machine". Laurena was very involved in the Castleton United Church, a small country church near Saltcoats. She was an active member of the Ladies Aid, taught Vacation Bible School, and helped with church picnics or putting a cookbook together. In Yorkton she became an active member of Westview United Church. During her farming days, Laurena was a strong supporter of the local 4H Club, and she shared the important values of this program with her own children as well as others in the community. On the family farm many hours were spent tending the garden, processing and canning vegetables, and picking berries for preserving. Laurena always had an interest in and an appreciation of life in the outdoors. She bestowed upon her children that nature was a gift and she taught them to be aware of the colour and beauty of wildflowers, to identify the song of the birds, and to marvel in the changes of the seasons or the wonder around them. In retirement, Lauren and Laurena developed an interest in travel. They cruised the Inside Passage and rode the narrow train from Skagway to Whitehorse. They flew to Sweden to visit relatives and journeyed across Norway. They traveled to Spain and Morocco and were thrilled to see the Rock of Gibraltar. They toured North America from east to west, and north to south. After Lauren passed, Laurena continued her travels on her own. She enjoyed the Christmas show at Branson, traveled north to Yellowknife, and her last and most exciting trip was a cruise around Â鶹ÊÓƵ America. Laurena will be forever loved and remembered by her children Ray (Mary Ann) Anderson of Toronto and Laurian (Warren) Bily of Churchbridge. She could not have been more proud of her four grandchildren and two great grandchildren, Laura Bily, Lynelle (Les) and Tyler Reagh, Neil (Holly) and Laine Bily, and Nora Bily. Laurena was predeceased by her beloved husband, Lauren, in 1998, their son, Dwight, in 2010, her parents, her sister, Beatrice, and her brother, Norman. She will be remembered by her brother Art (Dot) Klause of Saltcoats, sister-in-law Eve Klause of Vancouver, and Violet Rooke, her sister-in-law, best friend, and confidant at Fairview Arms. She will be held deep in the hearts of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. A memorial service will be held for Laurena at the Saltcoats United Church, Saltcoats, on Saturday October 6th at 11:00AM. In lieu of flowers and other tokens of remembrance the family respectfully requests dona-
tions to the Castleton United Church Fund or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
