Mary Shantz, 1906-2002

Mary Shantz of High Prairie, Alberta, passed away on July 22, 2002 at the High Prairie Health Complex. Mary was 96 years old and lived in her own home till July 2. She was a resident of High Prairie for 74 years.

In 1928 Mary came to Canada from the village of Ruzdwiany in the western Ukraine to join her husband John who immigrated one year earlier. John was already working for the Northern Alberta Railways in Aggie, Alberta.

Their first home was a railway car. This was a good shelter compared to what many other homesteaders lived in. A short time later John signed in for a homestead and purchased it for a fee of $10. This land was in a good location, ½ mile from the railway tracks, where John continued to work and only 41/2 miles from High Prairie. They began to clear land and lived there for 30 years.

During these years John would take a three-month leave of absence in the winter from his job. They traveled to New York and Taylor, Pennsylvania to visit relatives and spend part of the winter there.

Mary was a great social person. Almost every weekend they attended a dance or concert in the near by halls or a house party. They loved to dance and danced well past their 60th wedding anniversary.

People and friends were her interest. In winter by 6:30 in the evening they would be off to someone's place to play cards or would have friends come over.

Summers were spent traveling in the area to visit and attend picnics. Mary had a strong community spirit. She cooked at weddings and at work bees, making pyrogies and cabbage rolls. It was noted that things wouldn't get rolling until she gave the orders. She also enjoyed someone helping her to make donuts, clean chickens, sew or whitewash the house. Her friend, Mrs Prockiw, was a consistent help to her, as she would walk for two miles to come and give her assistance.

John and Mary took many trips to Edmonton. The Northern Alberta Railways provided their workers with a free "pass" with which they could travel at any time. Mary would go to Edmonton every three months just to get her hair permed. She loved to shop and buy clothes well into her 90s. Shiney dresses, beaded sweaters were her taste in clothing.

During the years of Syl's Confectionary she would come to work everyday. She loved to stock shelves, police the kids from sneaking the three for one-cent jawbreakers and visit with many people. She'd come home at midnight to lock up with Syl as well as when he was away. Mary took the cash box home and became the manager.

Mary would invite people every birthday and never thought of herself as being old. She was a friend to call regardless of race or culture. She was respected by all and was called "Baba" by most. The great-grandchildren and grandchildren were a very dear part of her life and she enjoyed them thoroughly.

Mary was predeceased by her husband John. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law Sylvester and Anne of High Prairie; grandson Derek and wife Maxine; great-grandson Nathaniel; great-granddaughter Christine of Grand Prairie; granddaughter Patricia and her husband Cliff Alexander, twin great-grandsons Cameron and Travis and great-grandson Jacob of Calgary; as well as several relatives in the Ukraine, Canada and the United States.