Ann Eugennie Halsey

Ann Eugennie (née Auramenko) Halsey was born March 5, 1922, in Sturgis, Saskatchewan, the youngest child (with twin sister Mary) of Alexander and Maria Auramenko, and had three elder sisters and four elder brothers; she is the last of her generation. The Auramenkos immigrated from the Ukraine, and initially settled in northern Saskatchewan to become farmers. Ann grew up speaking both English and Ukrainian.

After attending Normal School to obtain her teaching certificate, she taught several grades simultaneously in a little one-room, wood-stove-heated school house.

Ann met Robert John Halsey in Regina, Saskatchewan. They married November 8, 1942, in Yorkton, Saskatchewan; she was his faithful wife for 64 years. The young Halseys moved to a farm near Brandon, Manitoba, and later to the city of Brandon, where Robert built two homes: one for his family, and the other for his mother-in-law Maria Auramenko.

They had four children: Luella (1943), Shirley (1946), Sharon (1947), and Robert Kenneth (1951). During these years, Ann co-owned and managed a Nursing Home for elderly men. In 1972, Ann and Robert moved to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where they resided and worked until 1980, when they retired and relocated to Langley and then Cloverdale, British Columbia. Their retirement years were marked by the beautiful yard and garden they both loved to care for. In 1992, they moved into a townhouse in Walnut Grove. Robert died in July 2007.

On the occasion of her 100th birthday, in March 2022, Ann received a personal greeting from Queen Elizabeth II, commemorating her accomplishment. In 2024, after a bad fall which weakened her, it was determined that Ann could no longer live alone; she moved into the Langley Lodge (a long-term care facility in Langley), where she was well cared for by the lovely staff.

On August 11, 2025, Ann was called by her LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, hearing Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into your Eternal Rest” (Matthew 25:23). Her charming personality will be missed by many. Her remains are interred in the Fort Langley Cemetery, next to her husband.

Ann is survived by three daughters: Luella Forsythe, Shirley Wiebe and Sharon Walton; two sons-in-law: Bill Forsythe and Jack Walton; one son: Robert Kenneth Halsey; one daughter-in-law: Jeanne Halsey; eight grandchildren: Jason Krauchi and Lori Hogue, Alisa Loch and Jeremy Wiebe, Turell Mathews and Sharmilla Brown, Jennifer Freeman and Alexander Halsey; six grandchildren-in-law; nineteen great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchildren.

Welcoming Ann into Heaven are her parents Alexander and Maria (née Dybowasodoway) Auramenko; four brothers; three sisters; husband Robert John Halsey; and three sons-in-law.

“Her children arise and call her blessed. Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Honour her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise.”

Proverbs 31:28-31