Obituary of Alvina Rose Buchwitz

Alvina was born to parents Imanuel and Rosina on November 28, 1922. The family including Alvina’s parents and 4 siblings arrived in Canada on May 26, 1927. They settled on a farm at Scapa on July 5, of that year. On August 1, 1927 her mother passed away. For awhile she stayed with neighboring families until her dad remarried and the family was reunited. After graduating grade eight at age 14, she left to work at Camrose as a nanny and domestic helper. From there she went to work in Calgary where the children were playmates of Ralph Klein. Her claim to fame was she taught Ralph how to ride a bike. From there it was off to BC for 5 years for fruit picking to hospital nursery to installing fabric on fighter planes for the war. On one of her return trips home she met Nat and after a courtship of dating and letter writing, she married Nathaniel, her life partner for the next 68 ½ years. They moved into a two storey house, one room up and one room down. Here two boys were born, Dan on May 2, 1946 and Dave on March 26, 1950. In 1952 they took over the family farm, it was here they completed their family with the birth of Robert on August 5, 1953. Alvina took great pride in her many flower gardens that brightened up every yard and home she lived in. She could feed any number of unexpected guests on a moment’s notice. After a move to south of Endiang and then into a new house in Endiang, they moved into Hanna in 2001 and into the lodge in 2010; where she resided until her passing on November 16, 2013 at the age of 90 years. Predeceased by parents Imanuel and Rosina; grandson Wade; stepmother Maria Pahl; sisters Lena (Carl) Weber, Mary (Helmut) Reimer, Florence Dabbs; brothers Arnold (Frieda), Arnold’s second wife Esma, John, Otto, and Roland; Alvina is survived by her loving husband Nathaniel of Hanna; sons Dan (Verla) of Endiang, David (Luann) of Bluffton, Robert (Sheila) of Endiang; grandchildren Garry (Michele), Maryann (Garnet) McLearn, Miles (Judy), Susan Reid, Dwayne, Kelly (Roberta), Kirk (Twila), Lane (Bobbi); as well as 19 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren. Alvina is also survived by her siblings Emanuel Erion of Wetaskiwin, Victor (Violet) Erion of Brooks, Albert (Tina) Erion of Calgary, Emma Flaig of Ontario, Walter (Diane) Erion of Calgary, Ernie (Joanne) Erion of Innisfail, and Leo (Shirley) Erion of Scapa; brother in law Frank Dabbs, and sisters in law Lucille Erion and Shirley (Jack) Benedict.