GROSFIELD – Elsie Grosfield, beloved wife of the late Don Grosfield passed away in Brooks, Alberta on March 15, 2020. Elsie was the eldest child in a family of ten born to Dietrich and Anna Boschmann. Elsie was born at Namaka, Alberta on November 23, 1928. With Elsie still a young child, the Boschmann family left Namaka and moved to a homestead at Blue Ridge, Alberta. Elsie would later recount many fascinating stories of living in the wilderness beside Pleasant Lake. Life at Blue Ridge during the 1930’s was incredibly difficult and after a few years of trying to scrape out a living on land unfit for farming, the family relocated to a new, irrigated farm near Rosemary. Elsie attended school in Rosemary and then went on to junior college in Rosthern, Saskatchewan. Her next stop was nurse’s training at Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. She obtained her RN’s certification in 1951 and nursed in Prince Albert, Medicine Hat and Brooks. She was very proud of her work as an iron lung nursing specialist during the polio outbreak in 1953. Elsie later worked for the Medicine Hat Health Unit as a public health nurse, immunizing thousands of kids with polio vaccine. In April of 1957, Elsie married Don Grosfield. She and Don raised a family of five on the farm near Duchess. She loved working outdoors, flower gardens and landscaping. Elsie led a busy life. When she wasn’t driving kids to music lessons, school sports or 4-H meetings, she was happy to pitch in driving a tractor or swather on the farm. Elsie worked endless hours at the Duchess Hall with the Duchess Ladies catering group and was very active at Trinity Lutheran Church in Brooks. In 1981, seeking a new challenge, Elsie was elected to county council for Division 8 of the County of Newell, a job that she took very seriously and enjoyed immensely. In 1986, Don and Elsie sold their farm to their son and moved to their new house in Brooks. Their home on Lake Stafford Drive would become a happy gathering place for friends and family for the next twenty-six years. Soon after her move to Brooks, Elsie was elected to Brooks town council and served two terms. She sat on the Hospital Board, chaired the Newell Housing Authority and was also appointed as a senator for the University of Lethbridge. In her spare time, Elsie was an avid curler and every winter she teamed with Don in organizing the 50+ curling league in Brooks. She loved to play golf, entertain grandkids and read anything that was nonfiction. Elsie was a good mom, a proud nurse, a doting grandma and will be missed by family and friends. Elsie’s family would like to thank the staff at Sunrise Gardens for the marvelous care they provided for mom. We will never forget your kindness. Elsie was predeceased by her husband Don, her parents Dietrich and Anna Boschmann, brothers Dick, Edward and Benjamin. She is survived by her children, Naideen and Neil Bailey, Earl and Marg Grosfield, Kathleen and Grant Jensen, Lloyd Grosfield, Allen Grosfield; her grandchildren; Brennan Bailey and Lisa Massaro, Kevin Bailey and Brier Pennanen, Lesley and Tony Diep, Robyn Jensen, Eric Jensen and Sydney Tancowny, Kayla Grosfield, Lynsey Grosfield, Taylor Grosfield, and two great grandchildren; Sylvan Diep and Finnegan Bailey: and her brother and sisters; David and Alvira Boschmann, Margaret and Paul Hunchak, Linda Epp, Hilda and David Friesen, Elma and John Walde, Elvera and Fred Walde, Sara Boschmann and their families. Elsie was interred at the Brooks Cemetery on March 20, 2020 at 1:00 pm. Reverend Janice Whitelock officiating. In respect of Mom’s work in Public Health and the current public health concerns, there was no funeral service. Donations in Elsie’s memory may be made to the Mennonite Central Committee, https://donate.mcccanada.ca/.
For further information, to leave a message of sympathy or to light a candle in memory of Elsie, please visit www.thomsfuneralhome.com or call (403) 501-1010.
