Gertrude Mary (Vonderloh) Newby

NEWBY- Gertrude was born to Leo and Anna Von der Loh on Tuesday, September 4th, 1923.  She was the oldest of 5 children.  She was born at Lockwood, Saskatchewan, prematurely in a time when preemies didn’t survive. Gertrude spent the first 2 weeks of her life in a shoe box on the door of the wood stove oven. Her sister, Jeannette Joyce, was born next.  Victor Vernon was the middle child. Verginia Victoria next with Winfred Joseph John bringing up the rear.  

Gertrude left home to work as a hired girl at a young age. She worked at two or three different farms at this status. Gertrude then became a cook at the Assinaboia Saskatchewan Hospital. She quit her job in 1951 to attend her sister Jeannette’s wedding, not knowing that she could just take a leave. Not having a job after the wedding, she came to live with her parents in the Ravenscrag district. Gertrude then got a job with Tom and Ellen Hodgson. It was there that she met her husband, James Newby, born Tuesday, June 8th, 1909, who was a brother to Ellen Hodgson. They were married Tuesday, May 5th, 1953. Gertrude had returned to Assinaboia to work for a period before that in order to save enough money to buy a lot and build a house at 706 Jasper Street, where she resided for the next 68 years.

In this time she was Head Cook at the Maple Creek Union Hospital from 1953 until 1966.  Gertie and Jim had a son, Glenn, born June of 1962 and daughter, Karen, born November of 1966.  At this time Gertie decided to quit working as a result of Karen being born with only 1 leg, she was going to require a little extra care.

After Jim passed away Tuesday, August 11th, 1981, Gertie worked at the Cypress Motor Inn cleaning rooms and kept a fairly large garden also to help make ends meet.  She worked at this job until 1982.

Karen has one son, James (married to Sara Martin), born in 1988.  Glenn married Lisa Sabin in 1992.  They have 4 children: Adelita (married to Tyler Gebhardt), born in 1992; Amber (married to Cassidy Hudson), born in 1994; Michaela born in 2000; Darcy born in 2003. She also had one great grandson James Edward Cecil born to Adelita and Tyler on July 6, 2017.

Gertrude’s brother, Win, still resides in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Family was always the most important to Gertie.  Her door was always open for a coffee, tea or a meal (hopefully there was pie for dessert). Everyone was welcome to sit around her table. After most gatherings, whether family or friends, the visit would include a game. 

Gertie, as she was known to her family and friends, passed away peacefully at the Maple Creek Hospital, Tuesday, May 11th, 2021.

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