Margaret LaVonne "Vonnie" Rutherford passed away with family by her side on January 11th, 2026 at the Lloydminster Hospital at the age of 98 years.

Vonnie is survived by: her daughter: Karen Rutherford: granddaughter, Haley (Alex), great-granddaughter, Abigail; son, Brian, (Meredith) Rutherford: and grandsons, Bryce, Mitch+ (Echo) and great-granddaughter Aspen; daughter, Nancy (Norman) Benoit: granddaughter, Ashley (Shaun), great-grandchildren, Elizabeth, Emelia and Anthony; grandson, Christopher (Justina), great-grandson, Vaughn, Alanna (Kit) Lainey, Karleigh (Kaden) and Quinley; Daughter, Myra Rutherford (Darryl+): grandson, Adam (Celine), great-granddaughters, Ada and Julie; granddaughter, Nicole (Mitch), great-granddaughter Lily; grandson, Alex (Victoria), great-grandson, Liam; and granddaughter, Charline (Dan); sisters-in-law, Olive and Lois; as well as many nieces, nephews, friends and relatives.

Vonnie was predeceased by: her husband, Albert Rutherford; son, Garnet Rutherford; Grandson, Mitch Rutherford; parents, Henry and Elsie Voss; siblings and their spouses, O'Dell (Margaret) Voss, Vivian (Bill) Dyck, Verne Voss and Ellen (Rick) Blench; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Lex (Alda), Keith, Bob (Shep), Bill Rutherford, Margaret (Ralph) Watson; nieces, Beverly, Debbie, Sandra and Glenna; nephew, Craig; and son-in-law, Darryl Ramsay.

The funeral will be conducted at the Neilburg Community Hall, Neilburg, SK on January 16th, 2026 at 10:30 AM. This will be a time to spend sharing memories and lunch.

Donations in Vonnie's memory may be made to the Twin Rivers Health Care Foundation -Vonnie Rutherford Scholarship Fund, The Neilburg Senior's Centre or donor's charity of choice.

Vonnie Rutherford Memorial Card

Eulogy

The Early Years

Mom was born in Carole Iowa Sept 30th, 1927, the youngest of five children and lived there with her parents and grandparents until the family moved to Canada when she was four years old. She loved to tell stories about those early days—usually beginning with how little they had and how they simply … adjusted.

When she was small Marbles was a game kids played.  Her family could not afford glass marbles so her and Auntie Ellen would scour the farm looking for rabbit “*&^%$” as a good substitute for marbles. She said she walked to school in shoes held together with rubber rings from the canning supplies. Winters were bitter, school trips were by horse, and she never forgave horses for it. One memorable runaway incident left her scarred emotionally for life and firmly anti-horse for the remainder of her years.

When she was entering Grade 2, her mother—who believed education was the most important thing in the world—sent her from the farm to live at the hotel in Marsden so she could attend a better school. Her father was there too, running the local grain elevator and staying at the hotel, but the story was always told from her “little girl” perspective. While living at the hotel, she insisted she worked for “her keep” by washing the stairs and doing dishes. We do not doubt she did the work—but we do wonder if they mostly gave her a few chores just to keep her busy.

Eventually, the family moved into town to the yellow house in Marsden we would come to know so well.

Growing Up and Finding Her Way

As a young teenager, she fell in love with dancing. Since her dad played in one of the few orchestras around, she attended more than her fair share of dances. These evenings resulted in a variety of boyfriends, and over the years she enjoyed shocking her children with those stories.

During high school, she worked part-time as a telephone operator back in the days of “one long ring, two short.” She considered it an important job and took it very seriously.

After graduating high school, she wanted to become a nurse but was not old enough to attend nursing school. So, like many of her generation, she packed up her courage, boarded a train, and headed to Moose Jaw to attend Teachers’ College. She had never been alone in a city, did not know how to read street signs, and had no idea how to find a boarding house—but she persevered, found a room, made a friend, and got on with life.

After graduation, she found a teaching job alongside her sister Ellen in Erwood Saskatchewan. On weekends, the two entertained themselves with wiener roasts and long walks in nature—simple joys that would remain important to her for life.

Nursing, Family, and a Life of Service

Once she was old enough, she left teaching and moved to Vancouver to train as a Registered Nurse at St. Paul’s Hospital. She loved Vancouver and her training… and stayed in contact with her fellow nursing students for decades.

Antibiotics were just becoming common at the time, and she was taught by the nuns that cleanliness was next to godliness—a belief she upheld with enthusiasm her entire life. When we were teenagers and expected to clean the house, Nancy can confirm that we would clean thoroughly, then inspect each other’s work—sometimes literally with a white glove. Mom would walk in and within seconds spot the single fleck of dust we had missed.

After nursing school, she returned to Marsden for a visit, planning to move to Hawaii to work. Instead, the Chairman of the Board at the Neilburg Hospital convinced her to commit to one year because they were desperately short of nurses. That “one year” became her entire professional career.

The small hospital was kept immaculate, led always by Mom. She cared deeply for her coworkers and her patients. For most of our childhood, she volunteered to work Christmas Day so others could be at home with their families. Her Christmas shifts included nursing duties—and a bit of laundry and cooking for the patients who remained. It worked out well for us too: we opened presents on Christmas Eve so she could be with us. Santa, of course, knew to come early.

She was a professional nurse in every sense—kind and gentle, but firm when needed. Many girls named Lavonne may never know that their name came from the nurse who helped their mothers through labour and delivery.

Mom was a lifelong learner and continued to study medical topics into her nineties. She received the Mayo Clinic newsletters and was able to discuss the changing practices of medicine and research right to the end. About a month ago I had the hiccups on the phone with her and she said …go drink cold water from the opposite side of the cup. We had always used that technique, but I never new why…so I said why dose that work and with not a hesitation she said...Well it is the trigeminal nerves  and vagus nerves that cold water shocks…..I looked it up on google …and she was right

She met her future husband at one of those many dances she attended and married Albert Rutherford on Nov 25 1952.  And together they had five kids. It was a happy marriage, ended all too soon by tragedy.

They lived in the back of Dad’s store for a couple of years before moving to the house on Railway Ave.

Through the years in Neilburg, like so many others, she was involved in the Hospital Auxiliary, The Ladies Alter Society, the Hall Club, the Museum. These groups were where the community came together, everyone giving of time and resources to ensure a vibrant life for small town Saskatchewan.

Family, Nature, and the Things She Loved

Beyond her career, she loved her family, nature, and travel.

Because she loved the lake, we all learned to love the lake. Every summer day, we packed up and headed to Manitou to swim and play while Mom and Auntie Ellen drank coffee on the beach. Her picnic basket was legendary—rice crispy squares, puffed wheat cake, peanut butter squares, and more than anyone could eat.

On summer nights with a full moon, we went back to the lake just to watch the moon shimmer on the water. Sometimes we stayed in town simply lit candles and sat outside, quietly taking in the full moon.

To the very end she like to try and see the full moon, and some have joked her love of the moon and her insistence on cleaning will see her washing the face of the moon in her next life.

In the fall, she walked through the trees, smelling the leaves and pointing out every colour—something we still catch ourselves doing. Every spring, we climbed the hill above Manitou Lake to search for the first crocuses, that hopeful sign winter had finally lost.

Every day, all year long, she watched the sunset. We are certain no one owns more photos of prairie sunsets.

Winter may have been her least favourite season, but she made sure we all had skates and got to the rink almost daily.

Despite working full-time, she always read to us at bedtime—chapter books. The rule was one chapter a night, but if all of us begged “one more chapter,” she usually gave in.

She insisted we be clean, well-groomed, and properly dressed. Looking back at four children under six, shoes polished and lined up for Sunday church, never late and always in our best—honestly, it is still impressive.

She was blessed with nine grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren. She will be remembered for her quick wit, her humor, and for having a listening ear when needed. Her great grand children brought her joy, and she loved to repeat their stories to me when we chatted on the phone.

After the deaths of her husband and parents, she left nursing and returned to Vancouver, trying her hand at retail. A few years later, she moved to Lloydminster to take over Auntie Vivian’s store until her own retirement at 65, when she returned to Neilburg.

She hated retirement at first and often said, “Keep working until at least 75—I wish I hadn’t retired!” Thankfully, her friend Jean Ball intervened. Jean convinced her to brush up on her piano skills and join a band. That became the highlight of her retirement. They practiced regularly and travelled to small towns to play for senior centres. Mom was the driver, and that group—Norman Peart, Jean Ball, Rudy Kekula, and others—kept her young.

In 2023, on her final visit home to Neilburg, she sat at the piano and played several songs from memory—no sheet music needed. On that trip, we also took a four-generation photo on the hill overlooking Manitou Lake, where we had searched for crocuses for so many springs.

Final Years and Gratitude

She spent her last years at Pioneer Lodge and Pioneer House. While, like many, she did not want to leave her home, she accepted the reality that it was time to let others do the work. She accepted the transition with grace, making it easier on everyone who loved her. She was always grateful to the staff for their many kindnesses over the years.

For the first 6 years she loved to decorate the common spaces and when she was not physically able her friends helped her get things in the right place.

Her life was full. She travelled widely—through Europe, across Canada coast to coast, the United States, Japan—and her favourite place after Manitou Lake was Hawaii. She loved everything about it: the air, the plumeria, the lush green landscapes so different from Saskatchewan winters.

She visited first with her parents and sisters, then with her sisters alone, and later on many trips with Haley and me. If you attended her yard sale a few years ago, you already know she owned at least one of every souvenir ever sold in the state of Hawaii.

I guess the last thing I think about is Mom’s sense of humour. Through out her life she loved to play practical jokes, and this was supported by her Neilburg Friends, particularly in her retirement years. But I remember her pranking her mom. Grandma Voss was a big crocheter and made endless doilies. Mom secretly gathered a bunch from Grandma’s house, then dressed up like an old lady and knocked on the door, told a sad story and then Grandma Voss bought back her own doilies!!

As we sat with Mom in her last days, she was still making jokes………

Through the years, she loved sparkly things and had a wide collection of broaches, earrings, and bracelets. She thought it brightened the day. They did not need to be expensive just sparkly!! And that is why today we are sharing some of her sparkly things, hoping for those that take one it will brighten your day.

She lived fully, loved deeply, worked hard, laughed often, and left us with stories we will tell forever.

She will be missed beyond measure—but never without a smile