Alois Engebretson

Alois Faye Engebretson passed away in her sleep at her home in Lumsden, SK on Monday, July 15, 2024 at the age of 86. Her daughter, Lisa, was with her at the time.

Alois was born on April 20, 1938 to Irvin and Sophie (Skogstad) Quaal. She was the youngest of two daughters. She lived on a farm west of Rose Valley and attended Robinsdale School. She continued her schooling at Rose Valley after the family moved to town. While attending high school, she was active in school sports such as curling and was a member of the Luther League (Lutheran youth group). After high school, Alois attended Robertson Business College in Regina and became a clerk typist. On July 5, 1958, Alois married the love of her life, Lester Engebretson. A daughter, Donna Lynn, was born the following year. Lester and Alois lived in the town of Rose Valley for the first couple of years of their marriage and then moved to Regina where Alois worked for the provincial government. One of her duties was typing information on hospitalization cards. In 1963, the opportunity arose for Lester and Alois to purchase Lester's family farm. The family of three moved into a farmhouse without running water and lived that way until 1966 when they had a new house built and moved onto the yard site. Also, in 1966, the family grew with the addition of one more daughter, Lisa Faye. The couple was very fortunate to have Alois' parents as mentors, and they farmed together with them and Irvin's hired man, John Brown, for many years. Alois followed in her mother's footsteps by tending to large gardens and ensuring nutritious meals were served with punctuality. Lester and Alois also raised cattle and chickens. Alois continued to be an active member of her church and community. She participated in many curling bonspiels and was always ready to donate time and food to various local organizations throughout the years.

When Lester's health began to decline, Alois became his caregiver. Caregiving may have been her greatest calling as she not only looked after her husband, but many grandchildren and great-grandchildren in their times of need. After Lester passed in 2003, Alois moved a few times but was always the most comfortable when closer to nature and away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Recently, her own decline in health limited her mobility, but she enjoyed watching sports on TV. Watching curling was always her favourite pastime, but she also took a keen interest in the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the CFL. Many happy family memories were made during summer road trips to various places. This became evident when she was watching the events from the Calgary Stampede on TV the day before she passed. Alois mentioned a time the family went to the Calgary Stampede and they thought they had lost Donna.

 Alois was predeceased by her parents, Irvin and Sophie Quaal; husband, Lester Engebretson; grandson, J.D. Sneddon; brothers-in-law, Sidney Engebretson, Mike Doherty, and Terry Colin; sisters-in-law and their spouses, Wilma Wickstrom (Frayne), Josie Baldry (Robert & Harold), Ivy Pengelly (Jack), and Edna Engebretson.

 Alois is survived by her daughters, Donna (Frank) and Lisa; grandchildren, Shantel (Jason), Glory (Dave), Reid, Caitlyn (Mitch), Ciara, and Nathan (Amber, and her daughter Jordyn); great-grandchildren, Treyton, Christian (Hope), Jordan, Ethan, Savannah, Austin, and Sawyer. She is survived by her sister, Lenora Doherty and sister-in-law, Mary Colin. She is also survived by 17 nieces and nephews and their families.

Memorial Donations in Alois’ name may be made to: 

Rose Valley Cemetery Fund ,

 c/o Alvin Qually, Box 266, Rose Valley, SK S0E 1M0

or to a Charity of One’s Choice