Nita Ione Beatty

The eldest of 5 children in a Manitoba farm family, Ione grew up in the depression years. She became a teacher, and at age 18 presided over a one-room schoolhouse. She met and married David Neelin Beatty; they made their home in Winnipeg, then Saskatoon, where they raised 4 daughters. As soon as was practical, Ione resumed teaching, serving students in the Saskatoon Public School Division. She returned to university in 1969, earning her B.Ed. Degree with Distinction.

Ione’s desire to “make a difference” was reflected in altruistic activities before and after retirement: teaching teachers in Guyana, volunteering for

service organizations, participating on community boards, and donating to charities.

Her faith in God helped her cope with the onset of dementia, and even the progressive nature of the disease could not eradicate the grace in which she lived out her last days. Many thanks to the loving, skilled staff at Saskatoon Home Care and Sherbrooke Community Centre who assisted Ione through the difficult transitions she experienced.

Ione was predeceased by her parents, Dolph and Jonina Sampson; 2

Brothers, Wilbur and Kenneth; husband, David; and beloved grandson, Jacob. She is survived by her sister, Guelda Bottrell of Edmonton; her brother Garth (Lorna) Sampson of Brandon,MB; and her daughters, Jane McMurtry (Gordon), Jill Beatty (Larry Mitzel), Pamela Beatty, and Suellen Beatty (Tom Archibald); she will also be remembered by her nieces, nephews, 7 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, students, and friends.

A Celebration Service will be held Friday, February 7 at 3:30 pm at Sherbrooke Community Centre, 401 Acadia Drive, Saskatoon. Donations in Ione’s memory may be made to Sherbrooke Foundation and Camp Easter Seal.