Obituary of Loretta Mary Scherger

In Loving Memory

Loretta Mary Scherger 

September 10, 1944 - February 5, 2026

Loretta Mary Scherger, beloved mom, grandma, great-grandma, aunt, sister, cousin and more, passed away at Stettler Hospital & Care Center on February 5, 2026, at the age of 81 years. Loretta was born on September 10th, 1944, in Macklin, Saskatchewan to parents Maria and Rapheal Scherger.

Loretta grew up in a small farmhouse where she, along with 12 siblings were raised. They raised farm animals and Loretta had a horse named Teddy who she always spoke fondly of. Loretta went to school until she took over the duty of caregiver to her mother. She worked various jobs between running restaurants, managing retail stores, and taking care of people in need. Although her most important job of all came along when she became a mother. Loretta had and raised a family of five, two daughters and three sons, in Castor, Alberta. For the last 10+ years she lived her life in Stettler, Alberta surrounded by family. She was predeceased by her Baby Boys waiting in heaven, Wesley Whiteford & James Darren Whiteford. Though she endured the heartbreaking loss of children early in life, she remained devoted to her family and lived with remarkable grace. 

Loretta was a fantastic cook and shared recipes with her family over the years including borscht soup, “nip” noodles, and “jibberechk”. She did lots of canning and always made a big meal from nothing. She also baked many warm goods. Loretta always had anywhere from five to fifteen kids over at lunch for pancakes during the school days! Best pancakes ever. She loved to sit and crochet and made blankets for all the kids, bags, wall decorations, toques, slippers and much more. If she wasn’t doing that she was drawing, crafting, and doing lots of crosswords and word search puzzles. She was a part of many years of camping trips and enjoyed sitting with family playing crib or other card games with an iced cold beer and clam. Loretta was an avid animal lover throughout her life. Loretta loved to dance whether that was in community, a wedding, or just a day in her room. She had birds, cats, and dogs over the years and babysat many of her kids’ pets. The grand fur babies always knew when it was time to go to Grandma’s. She let them sit or sleep wherever they wanted and always gave them lots of love and treats. She loved plants and flowers; a red rose was her favorite. She never failed to have a full bird feeder and adored watching them in her yard. 

Loretta's pride and joy was getting to help raise her grandbabies & great grandbabies. She was a personal taxi until it was time for the kids to drive grandma around. She helped get kids ready for school, broke up a few parties on school nights, did crafts and painted rocks together. She attended many graduations and weddings in the past while.

There were many water fights outside… and maybe even inside her house. She spoke in her German tongue often and taught the kids the most important ... curse words. Loretta was not only a “Nan” to her grandchildren over the years, but to all their friends too. She was everyone’s ‘Grandma’.  

Loretta is survived by her loving family; children: Tammy (Merle) Renschler, Dwight (Amanda) Whiteford and Tamara Elliott; grandchildren: Nigel (Sarah) Renschler, Haylie (Blair) Mueller, Kendra (Brandon) Grams, Dylan Whiteford, Braydon (Ronni) Whiteford, Jayda Elliott and Sienna Elliott; great grandbabies: Parker Renschler, Blakely Renschler, Harper Mueller, Ruby Mueller, Reeve Whiteford and Zev Whiteford, other family and friends 

Loretta was predeceased by her parents Maria and Rapheal Scherger and sons Wesley Whiteford and James Whiteford.

In remembering Loretta, it’s the pure warmth that she brought everyone she knew. Loretta was truly the seed of the family. She taught each kid something valuable they will always remember. 

Funeral Liturgy ~ Family Service

Friday, February 13, 2026, at 1:30 P.M.

Stettler Funeral Home, Stettler, Alberta

Memorial Donations in Loretta’s memory are gratefully accepted to the Alzheimer's Society or  the Saving Grace Animal Haven at Alix, Alberta