Amelia Mary Bessey

The family of Amy Bessey (nee Stakiw) are saddened to announce her passing on Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Amy is lovingly remembered by three daughters: Valerie (Ken Krpan), Lorna (Orest Marusiak) and Darlene (Ken Pontikes); five grandchildren: Brian Krpan (Karen), Marcia Kimmerly (Jim), Mark Krpan (Charlene), Michael Krpan (Dianna) and Zoë Pontikes; ten great grandchildren: Rachel (Jack), Johnny (Bobbi), Luke, Jarred, Raylene, Ryan (Carlyne), Tyson, Quinn, Kendall and Sarah; one great great grandchild: Makenna Amy; and her sister-in-law Evelyn Mills, as well as a very large Bessey/Stakiw extended family. She was predeceased by her husband Fred Bessey; parents Peter and Mary Stakiw; brothers Joe, Stan, Walter, and Paul; and sisters Lilly Martin and Jean Emde. Amy was born January 6, 1920 in Saltcoats, SK. and raised in Foam Lake where her father was Section Foreman for the CPR. She was proud of her Ukrainian/Polish ancestry. Amy graduated from the Saskatoon St. Paul’s School of Nursing in 1943 and successfully completed a post-graduate diploma in obstetrics from St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver in 1944, subsequently returning to work in Saskatoon. In 1945 Amy married Fred Bessey and together they owned and operated the Commercial Hotel in Bladworth, SK. from 1945 to 1965. During this time Amy spent several years nursing at the Davidson Union Hospital. In 1965 she and Fred moved to Saskatoon and she returned to St. Paul’s Hospital. She spent the next 20 years working in the Nursery with new born babies and their mothers, retiring in 1985. She also supported her husband in the operation of their restaurant, Try’s Fish and Chips. Amy was an avid sports fan who curled in Bladworth and at the CN Curling Club in Saskatoon. She loved fishing and camping and her family have many fond memories of these times with her and Fred. She enjoyed dancing, gardening, baking, and playing cards, bingo and the slots at the casino. She and Fred travelled to Europe, Alaska and Hawaii and made their winter residence in Mesa, AZ for 18 years and spent the rest of the year at Brantwood Estates in Saskatoon. Amy’s family wishes to thank Dr. W.H. McKee and Dr. J. W. Barton for the care of their mother for many years, as well as the staff at Cedar Gardens Personal Care Home where she resided for nearly a decade and the Saskatoon Convalescent Home where she attended a day program two days a week for the past seven years. We also want to thank staff at Royal University and City Hospitals for care provided in recent weeks and to Luther Special Care Home where she spent her final days. A Celebration of her Life will be held at 1:00 pm on May 25, 2016 at McClure United Church (4025 Taylor St. E.). In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Bladworth Cemetery Fund (Box 90 Bladworth, Sk. SOG OJO) or to the St. Paul’s Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Scholarship Fund (c/o St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation 1702-20th St. West. Saskatoon, SK. S7M OZ9). Arrangements entrusted to Acadia-McKague’s Funeral Centre (306.955.1600).