Wilhelmina Masterson

In loving memory of “Mickey” Wilhelmina Masterson (nee Reinders), born in Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask. She passed away peacefully on July 30, 2022 at the age of 98 years. She will be deeply missed by her three children, Gayle Larson, Glorya Trainor and Gordon Larson; her grandchildren, Lauren Evers and Kimberly Trainor (daughters of Glorya and Bussy), Stephanie Ross (daughter of Carmen and Gordon Larson) and her grandchildren, Tay (son of Kimberly and Troy), Max (son of Lauren and Mike) and Hudson (son of Stephanie and Tyler).

Mickey was the oldest of five daughters born to Hilbrand and “Scotty” Jeanne Reinders. In 1924, their first daughter was born and named for the queen of Holland, Wilhelmina. Since Scotty, with her rich Scottish brogue, had a hard time pronouncing her name, she became “Mickey”. Mickey was soon followed by Hilda May, “Val” Greitje Myrtle Isabelle and the twins, “June” Aukje and “Val” Buntje Valley. Hilbrand was joined by his younger brother, Tjasse, and both were drawn to the new land opening in the Peace River area. They made their homesteads in what would become Deadwood. Hilbrand loved horses and decided to raise some and eventually raced in the sulky class of the early Calgary Stampede.

Mickey and her sisters all attended school in Deadwood and Mickey and Hilda went on to high school in Dixonville. Hilbrand hauled grain to Peace River but low grain prices and the war effort put a strain on the budget, so he took a job on the Alaska Highway. While there, he had a serious accident and returned to Deadwood where he passed away.

That same year, Mickey graduated high school and immediately joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as a Parachute Rigger. After the war she became a secretary at a coal company in B.C. There she met and married Roy Larson and had a family of three: Gayle, Glorya and Gordon. They moved to Vancouver where Mickey taught cooking classes and then opened her own travel agency. She travelled extensively in the holy land and throughout Europe. She and Roy divorced, and Mickey moved to Hope, B.C. where she bought a store. While running her store she met Ed Masterson, an American from Yuma, Arizona. They married in August 1981 and then moved to Yuma, Arizona where she lived for several years. In February 2008, she moved to Hines Creek to the Homesteaders Lodge where Val and Jim were staying. After Val passed away, she moved to North Vancouver, B.C. and lived at Evergreen House.

Mickey was predeceased by her mother and father; her first husband, Roy Larson; her second husband, Ed Masterson; and her sisters Judy McDiarmid, Hilda Ressler, June Magrum and Val Richardson and son-in-law, “Bussy” Donald Trainor.