ALICE MARGARITE (DONAHUE) ELLIS

Alice Margarite Ellis

July 10, 1918 – June 14, 2020

Alice Margarite Ellis was born to Jesse Wesley Donahue and Mary Isabel (McIntosh) on July 10, 1918.  She was the fifth child and the only daughter.  Her brothers were Royden, Ken, Cecil and Murray.

She was raised in the Allanbank District and attended Alert and Thirsk schools till Grade 8, then completed her high school by correspondence.  She married Hugh Ellis on October 29th, 1936 on the family homestead, where they continued to live and farm while raising their three sons.  They were married almost 60 years.

They had three sons, Wesley (Deanna), Thomas and Raymond/Butch (Marilyn).

After retiring from her Bear Hills farm, they moved into Biggar where she quickly became a dedicated community minded individual; she was a member of the Eastern Star and Fortnightly Club.  They assisted in establishing the Biggar Museum and Gallery where she became a wealth of knowledge of the history of Biggar and area.

She had extensive involvement with local and provincial level boards.  A lifetime member of the provincial museum association and she received many awards and accolades for her volunteerism including the Queens Jubilee Medal.

Together she and Hugh travelled extensively from the far north to Texas and all over the world.  They had fond memories of camping and fishing in the northern lakes of Saskatchewan and of the Rocky Mountains.

In her later years she had taken up writing with a series of children’s books and a biography of her first ninety years, in which she was so very proud of.

In 2015 she was placed into Diamond Lodge and then moved into the new Biggar Health Centre where she lived till her passing on June 14, 2020.  She was born in a pandemic and passed away in a pandemic.

The thing she was most proud of was her family, her three boys and daughter in laws.  The nine grandchildren can tell stories of how much enjoyment there was playing at the farm in childhood.  Later, her 23 great grandchildren and then her 18 great-great grandchildren all of whom she took an interest in and treasured seeing their pictures and hearing their stories.

She also held dear her relationships with her nieces, nephews and her many friends of all age groups.

Although she will be missed, we all can agree that she had a great life that was full of adventures.  In her later years her favorite word was grateful and she lived it.

Alice will be greatly missed & lovingly remembered by her family; son, Wesley (Deanna) and their family Rhonda (Brad) Robinson, Loral (Lyle) Antonenko & Mitchell; son, Thomas and his family Shaun (Jeanine) & Shannon; son, Raymond/Butch (Marilyn) and their family Craig, Joel (Marcy) & Sharon (Rob) Hamlin; great-grandchildren, Jayda (Brent)Goldie, Brayden Robinson, Mallory (Neil)McKinley, Jacey (Blake) Antonenko, Kace Ellis, Makenna Ellis, Levi (Sherrie)Ellis, Savannah Ellis, Orin Ellis, Chance Ellis, Wade (Syhra) Ellis, Stephanie Ellis, Carley (Keaton) Ellis, Savana Ellis, Siena Ellis, Sever (Kiley)Ellis, Brody (Kelsey)Ellis, Kolby Ellis, Latham (Melissa) Hamlin, Atley (Chad) Hamlin; great-great grandchildren, Taylor, Jesse, Jordan, Halo, Jake, Harlow, Ember, Jude, Murphy, Sawyer, Chuck, Aubrey, Brayley, Nantan, Braxen, Rylee, Mila & Myles; nieces, nephews, extended family members & friends.

Alice was predecased by her husband Hugh in 1996; parents, Jesse Donahue & Mary (McIntosh); siblings, Royden, Ken, Cecil & Murray; grandson, Jess in October 17, 2003; great grandson, Graydyn in August 15, 2015.  

onations in memory of Alice may be made to the Biggar Museum & Gallery

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