Betty Savenkoff

Savenkoff, Betty Bernice - June 23, 1929 – January 24, 2016 aged 86 years

   Betty was born in Lafleche, SK., to parents, Robert and Lila Sephton (nee Payne).   She passed away in the St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon after a series of complications in the weeks following her surgery.

   After receiving her education from the schools of New Hope & Winston, Betty began nurses’ training at the Regina General Hospital School of Nursing.  In l950, she graduated as a Registered nurse and began a career that she truly loved.  In l952, Betty married Alex Savenkoff and began raising their family of 4 children:  Jim, Greg, Cyndy, and Curtis.  Life revolved around farming duties and their children’s sporting events. Betty resumed her nursing career in the Norquay Union Hospital from 1968-1978 and treasured the time spent with patients and staff. After Alex passed away in l995, Betty remained on the family farm until 2013 when she moved into Eaglestone Lodge in Kamsack.  During her time there she made numerous friends and appreciated prepared meals.

   Betty enjoyed reading, baseball, and curling, yet it was the time spent with family and the stories about grandchildren that were closest to her heart.

   Betty is predeceased by her parents, Robert and Lila Sephton husband, Alex and brother, Bud.  She is survived by her four children Jim, Greg (Lynda), Cyndy (Mike), Curtis (Audrey), nine grandchildren Ryan, Brett, Mark, Richelle, Brittany, Tyler, Jennifer, Krystal and Taylor, four great grandchildren Preston, Ashton, Bentley, Stassia.

   Betty will truly be missed, but never be forgotten, by all who knew and loved her!

Cyndy Eulogy that was shared at Betty's Memorial Service

                             EULOGY FOR BETTY SAVENKOFF

                                  June 23, 1929 – January 24, 2016

                                              by Cyndy Hinds

Good afternoon.  Thank you so much for coming ….. to this celebration of Mom’s life.

Mom, Betty Bernice, was born in June 1929.  She grew up on a farm in the southern part of Saskatchewan.  Thus she and her brother, Bud, and numerous cousins spent the early years of their lives in “the dust bowl” of Saskatchewan in the thirties complete with all the hardships that that description brings to mind – clouds of dust, crops eaten by swarming grasshoppers, people struggling to survive.

It’s hard for us to remember that at the time she was growing up:  not all women had the vote in Canada, women were still expected to stay home once married and, if on the farm, often had no ownership rights, and, thus many girls were not even allowed to complete their schooling. 

Despite this environment, Mom excelled.  She had to travel by horse and cart to school, leaving the horse in a shed on the school property while attending class.  She would then return home to help out on the farm and in the house where, remember, there would be no running water or indoor toilet.  A very different life from what most of us grew up with.  But, was it really?  She, like her adored father, Bob, was a spirited athlete.  Her main passion, as a sport, was softball. She was good enough to be offered a catching position by the Moose Jaw Royals, a professional ladies team in the southern part of the province.  She didn’t actually consider doing this because she was still in high school and she and her parents wanted her to graduate.  She also talked about her group of girlfriends and the school dances they attended.  There were picnics and sports days in the summer as well.   Family members who dropped by the hospital during Mom’s last illness recounted the parties they attended in the old farm house where Mom and her family lived.  There was a piano and the kids would take turns “playing” it – well or not.  She also held down part time jobs in nearby Glentworth at the Post Office and in the Co-op Store.  So despite the hardships of that time all the love, family and community events that we experience now, in this easier time, were there and thriving and helping to meld the spirit of this strong, steadfast woman.

From this environment she went to Regina and entered the Regina General Hospital School of Nursing.  She graduated in 1950.  (When Greg recently asked her what her proudest moment as a young adult was, she said it was this – her nursing graduation.)  In 1950 and 51 she worked in the RGH’s Isolation Ward.  This was right when there was a severe poliomyelitis epidemic.  She recalled respirators arriving from various parts of Canada for the patients.  She also recalled a violent electric storm that knocked out the power and having to pump five respirators by hand for two hours.  Mom also applied for and was awarded a postgraduate scholarship at this time.   It enabled her to travel to Montreal for a three month course in infectious diseases.  While there she took the opportunity to travel to NYC, the Big Apple –see some of the world.   Although she was a hard worker, she knew how to have fun too.  And again during these years, there were also stories about a group of girlfriends and the fun that they had together. 

Through one of these girlfriends, Luttie Swanick, Mom met Dad, Alex.  They were married in 1952 and she moved to the old Eaton house on the farmyard just three miles south of Pelly.  (That house is no longer there.)  Grandma and Grandpa were next door in the “new house” that Alex had built for them.  (In what you kids think of as Grandma’s house).  I can only imagine how busy and hectic their lives were.  They had 3 children within the two years between ’54 and ’56 with a fourth (I didn’t forget you Curtis) arriving three years later before any of the first three were old enough to be of any help.  This was at a time that there were no disposable diapers, the laundry was done in a washing machine that you had to manually put the clothes through the wringer, there were cows to be milked, butter to be churned, bread to be baked, chickens to be fed, eggs to be gathered and a huge garden (no three huge gardens) to be tended and then persevered for the winter.  Getting supper often consisted of going out and killing and cleaning a chicken or two, picking and shelling peas or tipping and tailing beans, and digging and cleaning new potatoes before they could be cooked.  There was always enough.  Even if someone unexpectedly arrived at the door at meal time, a not unusual experience in my memory, Mom would have enough to feed them as well.  As well, through these years there was a strong commitment to the community with active support of the credit union, co-op store, the sports associations and the PTA.  And in later years there was also the Nurses Union.  Despite all this hard work the emphasis was on us children and our education.  Family definitely came first!  We helped with chores – but before and after school – not at the expense of school.  Mom (and Dad) also made sure that we took part in every possible school activity. Despite all she had to do she was there to cheer us on at all our sporting events, musical recitals, speeches and plays.  Having had only two children and a lot more aids to make life easier I am always amazed at how much energy she had to have had. 

In the mid 1960’s, when I was in grade 3, a fateful decision was made that we needed a horse.  In a horrible farm yard accident Mom was riding one that we were looking at buying.  He reared and fell over on her, badly fracturing her leg.  To make a long story short, Mom ended up with many joint problems from the repercussions of this injury.  This caused her many physical challenges in the latter half of her life.  It changed her life.   

Despite her physical challenges, however, she never forgot her love of nursing and when she thought her kids were old enough to be responsible for “making supper” (ie putting the roast that she had seasoned and the potatoes and carrots that she had dug, cleaned, peeled etc into the oven to cook), she returned to her nursing career.   She worked in both Kamsack and Norquay.  As previously she found the friendships of the ladies that were her colleagues very fulfilling.  Again, she had gone against the popular thinking of the time.  She, a married woman, did not just stay at home – she sought out and found work that she found exciting and fulfilling.  She did not do this for the money and would rarely spend any on herself or on things for the house.  She was always generous to others though. She returned to nursing because she loved it.    

After Mom’s parents retired they moved from Glentworth to Pelly to be nearer to Mom and us, their grandchildren.  While this was wonderful for us to have them nearby it did give Mom her next real challenge.  Her father had a stroke in his 80’s.  Their house was not wheelchair accessible so Mom took him into our home and looked after him.  Then, years later, Mom also simultaneously looked after Grandma who had had a stroke and Dad who was dying of cancer.  She had both of them at home with her at the same time and they died within a couple of months of each other.  The amazing energy, stamina, love, courage and devotion that this took were brought home to me over the last two months during her own illness.  Her respite was going out for a drive.  By this time she was no longer working and, as she found driving relaxing, she would volunteer to drive people to doctor appointments etc.  I think the open road (and a rather heavy foot on the gas pedal I’m afraid) gave her a feeling of freedom. 

After Dad’s death in 1995 Mom gradually spent less and less time away from the house.  Her interests, concerns and love revolved around her family.  Some of my strongest memories of home are:  sitting over endless cups of coffee at the kitchen table, watching an amazing display of hummingbirds at her feeders at her kitchen window, fish fries with Mom keeping several pans going to produce heaping plates of delicious fish, every TV in the house on (and blaring), and seeing Mom dangle a new grandchild’s feet in a basin of warm water, her sure fired way of settling a restless infant.  Her love of sports was evidenced right up to her final stay in hospital by the fact that a game of curling still held her interest.  (And as both Jim and Greg recall) probably her favourite sport to watch was a Blue Jays game! 

From this indomitable woman I learned:  love of family, courage, steadfastness, strength of character, resilience, and (not a little) ambition.  She will be greatly missed and always remembered and always loved.

(And in her words …. Thank you so much for coming!)