HOLOBOFF, ANNE, BELOVED WIFE OF JOE HOLOBOFF OF SHOULDICE, AB PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY ON DECEMBER 31, 1996 AT BASSANO, AB AT THE AGE OF 69 YEARS.
ANNE HOLOBOFF (ZAYSTOFF), MORE AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS “BABA” WAS BORN ON MARCH 16, 1927 AT PASS CREEK, BRITISH COLUMBIA. HER FAMILY MOVED TO THE QUEENSTOWN AREA WHEN SHE WAS SIX AND THEN RETURNED TO B.C. WHEN SHE WAS TWELVE YEARS OF AGE. THERE SHE COMPLETED HER SCHOOLING AND WORKED IN THE ORCHARDS. FOLLOWING HER MARRIAGE TO JOSEPH HOLOBOFF ON DECEMBER 17, 1944 THE COUPLE MOVED TO THEIR PRESENT LOCATION NEAR SHOULDICE, ALBERTA AND TOOK UP A LIFE OF FARMING.
BABA HAD A PHILOSOPHY BY WHICH SHE LIVED HER LIFE. “GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES,” WAS A SAYING THAT MEMBERS OF HER FAMILY GREW UP HEARING. HER ACTIONS SPOKE AS LOUD AS HER WORDS. RATHER THEN POSSIBLY BOTHERING ANYONE ELSE, SHE WAS KNOWN TO HANDLE MOST THINGS ON HER OWN. TO THIS DAY WE ARE STILL NOT REALLY SURE WHETHER SHE DIDN’T NEED OUR HELP OR WHETHER WE WOULDN’T DO IT THE “RIGHT WAY.” WITH HER EXTREMELY INDEPENDENT NATURE, THERE SEEMED TO BE NO TASK THAT SHE WAS INCAPABLE OF. ONE MEMORY THAT IMMEDIATELY COMES TO MIND IS THE TIME SHE SINGLE- HANDEDLY EXTERMINATED FIVE PESKY SKUNKS WITH A NEARBY BROOM AS HER ONLY WEAPON. AND NO, SHE DIDN’T GET SPRAYED! BABA CARRIED THIS PHILOSOPHY THROUGHOUT THE IMPORTANT AREAS OF HER LIFE; FAMILY, COOKING, GARDENING AND HANDICRAFTS.
IN THE FALL OF 1958 THEY MOVED INTO SHOULDICE WHERE THEY WERE CLOSER FOR THE SCHOOL BUS ROUTE. THERE SHE ENJOYED GOOD TIMES WITH MANY NEIGHBOURS AND MEMORIES OF CARD GAMES AND GATHERINGS AT THE SHOULDICE HALL. FINALLY IN 198? SHE GOT TO MOVE BACK TO THE FARM WHERE SHE WAS CLOSER TO HER GARDEN. SHE ALSO LOVED BEING BACK AROUND THE ANIMALS. THERE WAS ALWAYS A DOG TO FEED, LOTS OF CHICKENS TO LOOK AFTER, THE COW TO MILK FOR MAKING CHEESE AND BUTTER AND SHE WOULD TAKE IN ANY STRAY CAT NEEDING A HOME. SHE LOVED WATCHING THE NEW BORN CALVES ROMPING AROUND. ALTHOUGH SHE LIKED HER HOLIDAYS, SHE FELT AT HOME ON THE FARM.
BABA LOVED HER FAMILY DEARLY AND SPENT MANY HOURS WITH AND FOR THEM. SHE WAS ALWAYS MAKING SOMEBODY SOMETHING TO EAT, WEAR OR USE IN THEIR HOME. WE CAN’T BEGIN TO COUNT HOW MANY l000’S AND 1000’S OF PEROGIES AND JARS AND JARS OF BORSCH SHOWED UP AT THE DOOR. SOMETHING WAS EITHER DELIVERED OR WAS SENT HOME WITH YOU. NOT MANY PEOPLE LEFT BABA’S HOUSE EMPTY HANDED. TO THIS DAY WHEN ENJOYING FAMILY MEALS, SOMEONE USUALLY SAYS, “IT’S GOOD, BUT NOT AS GOOD AS BABA’S. NO ONE CAN MAKE BUNS AND LEMON PIES LIKE BABA!”.
HER TALENTS IN THE KITCHEN WERE NOT EXCEEDED BY HER SEAMSTRESS ABILITIES AND CRAFTSMANSHIP. ALL OF HER BEDS BEAR BEAUTIFUL HANDSOME QUILTS AND DUVET COVERS. OUR TABLES ARE ADORNED WITH IMPECCABLE DOILIES AND OUR FLOORS WITH UNIQUE “BABA RUGS”. AS ‘WASTE NOT WANT NOT’ WAS A MOTTO SHE BELIEVED IN, WE OFTEN TAKE DELIGHT IN RECOGNIZING A PIECE OF CLOTHING IN A NEW QUILT OR RUG. EVEN HER GREAT GRANDCHILDREN LOVE TO CUDDLE UP IN A COZY ‘BABA QUILT OR AFGHAN’.
GARDENING WAS ANOTHER OF BABA’S PASSIONS AND SHE GAVE TRUE MEANING TO THE TERM ‘GREEN THUMB’. EVEN IN LATER YEARS WHEN MOST OF THE FAMILIES HAD GARDENS OF THEIR OWN, HERS WAS LARGER AND PRODUCED MORE. SHE CARED FOR HER GARDEN AS SHE WOULD FOR A BABY. EVERYTHING WAS SEEDED, WEEDED AND PICKED INDEPENDENTLY, INCLUDING SACKS AND SACKS OF POTATOES. SHE SPENT TIRELESS HOURS IRRIGATING. THE CUCUMBERS WERE NEVER BITTER, THE TOMATOES ALWAYS MUCH REDDER AND THE PEAS MORE PLENTIFUL AT BABA’S HOUSE. AND THE SUNFLOWER SEEDS… OH THE SUNFLOWER SEEDS! ONCE AGAIN, EVER MINDFUL OF PROVIDING FOR HER FAMILY, WE SAW BOXES AND BOXES OF FRESH PRODUCE AND COLD ROOMS THAT WERE ALWAYS FULL OF CANNED GOODS AND FROZEN VEGETABLES. HER GARDENS ALWAYS EQUALLED THE SIZE OF HER HEART.
BABA ASKED FOR LITTLE AND GAVE LOTS… THE LOSS OF BABA LEAVES A LARGE VOID IN OUR HEARTS. SHE LEAVES THE FOLLOWING FAMILY MEMBERS TO REMEMBER HER AND HAPPY MOMENTS SPENT IN HER COMPANY:
HUSBAND JOSEPH HOLOBOFF, DAUGHTER RUTH (TOM) WILLIAMS, SON JOE (DARB) HOLOBOFF, GRANDCHILDREN JUDY (DUANE) ASHBACHER, DARREN (MELISSA) WILLIAMS, CLARK (DEBBIE) WILLIAMS, JODY AND DAWN HOLOBOFF, LEANNE, LACEY AND REBECCA HOLOBOFF. GREAT GRANDCHILDREN RANDI, AUSTIN, AND KOLE ASHBACHER, THOMAS, DANICA AND MICHAELA WILLIAMS. MOTHER DORA PLOTNIKOFF, CASTLEGAR B.C., A SISTERS MARY (JOHN) PLOTNIKOFF, VIOLET (PHIL) GORKOFF, ALICE (JOE) ZEBROFF ALL OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. SISTER DORIS (ALEX) HARELKIN OF SASKATCHEWAN AND BROTHER PETER (PHYLLIS) ZAYTSOFF ALSO OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. BROTHER-IN-LAW FRED (MURIEL) HOLOBOFF, SISTER-IN- LAW ANN PLANEDIN, AND NUMEROUS NIECES AND NEPHEWS.
SHE WAS PREDECEASED BY HER FATHER PETER ZAYSTOFF AND SON TOM HOLOBOFF.
FUNERAL SERVICE SATURDAY JANUARY 4, 1997 AT 1:00 RM. ARROWWOOD UNITED CHURCH WITH DON HOLMES L.M. OFFICIATING. INTERMENT SHOULDICE CEMETERY.
CASKET BEARERS RALPH WIEBE, KARL AIMATO, SONNY AIMATO, RAY LATIMER, LLOYD ARMSTRONG AND GORDON LEADBEATER.
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, IF FRIENDS SO DESIRE, TRIBUTES IN ANNE’S MEMORY MAY BE MADE TO EITHER THE ALBERTA CANCER FOUNDATION, 133l~29 ST. N.W., CALGARY, ALBERTA T2N 4N2, OR THE BASSANO GENERAL HOSPITAL, BASSANO, ALBERTA T0J 0B0.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS IN CARE OF VULCAN FUNERAL HOME DIRECTORS.