Alberta May Booth passed away peacefully in her sleep on November 19, 2005 at the Vulcan Community Health Centre at the age of 94 years.
Alberta was born July 7, 1911 at Claresholm, Alberta to Andrew and Martha Hartwick. She attended Lomond School and after graduation attended Normal School in Calgary. Alberta taught school for one year (1930-31) at Prairie Queen then the school closed due to small enrollment. In October, 1934 she married Earl Armstrong and had three children. Alberta and Earl bought the corner (Elliot and Erskine) store in the mid 40’s and sold it to Sam Croissant. They farmed a section of land seven miles west of Lomond. In 1946 they sold this land to build the Lomond Service Garage. This building burnt down in 1949 and right away Earl built a cinder block building. Earl passed away in 1956. Alberta went back to teaching in 1961 and taught Grade 4 at the Lomond school for twelve years. She sold the garage to Pete Ruppert in 1976. Alberta married Cliff Booth in 1973 and they lived across from the Lomond Senior Centre. Cliff passed away in 1997.
Alberta was well known in the community for her dinner buns on senior citizens night, her Afghans crocheted for every family member, her cinnamon buns, homemade jams and her special Armstrong pudding. She always had cookies in the cookie jar, raspberry drop candies in the candy dish and peach juice in her fridge. Cliff and Alberta always had a crib board on their kitchen table and were always playing crib or the card game Thirty-one. Alberta never played cards until she married Cliff at the age of 63. Les said he was only “double-skunked” once in his life and it was by his mother at age 90. In the winter of 2000 Alberta moved into the Peter Dawson Lodge in Vulcan where she remained until she became ill in May of 2005. She then moved from the Vulcan Hospital to the Claresholm Care Center and in October came back to Vulcan.
Alberta is survived by a daughter Lillian (Gerry) Kary of Calgary, two sons David (Marjorie) Armstrong of Lomond, Les (Deb) Armstrong of Creston, BC, nine grandchildren Bruce, Arlie and Deb (Robert) Hughes, Earl (Joanne) Armstrong, Christine (Tim) Nelson, Jennifer (Brad) Robinson, Wade (Kathy) Armstrong, Micheal Armstrong and Dana (Mike) Jordan-Knox, eleven great grandchildren Mianna and Shawn Armstrong, Danielle, Sarah and Tianna Nelson, Kiarra and Brooke Robinson, Cody (Jody) and Randy (Nicky) McCreadie, Luke and Audrey Hughes, five great great grandchildren Nya Hughes, Kaitlin, Meagan, Ashley and Bailey McCreadie, an extended family Jean Mix and her children Ken, Duane and Lola, Arlene (Robert) Smith and their children Kathy, Gordon, Connie, Cindy, Rick, Candace and Stewart and numerous nieces and nephews.
Alberta is predeceased by her first husband Earl Armstrong in 1956, second husband Cliff Booth in 1997, her sisters Grace and Olive, her bother Howard and her parents Martha and Andrew Hartwick.
Funeral service was held Friday, November 25, 2005 at 1:00 p.m. at the Bethany Lutheran Church at Lomond with Rev. Ed Summers officiating.
Casket bearers were Bruce Hughes, Arlie Hughes, Earl Armstrong, Wade Armstrong, Mike Armstrong and Brad Robinson.
Internment Vulcan Cemetery at 3:30 p.m.
If firends so desire, tributes in Alberta’s memory can be made to the Bethany Lutheran Church, Box 238, Lomond, Alberta T0L 1G0.
Arrangements in care of Vulcan Funeral Home. Directors. Telephone 1-403-485-2633. E-mail condolences to vulcanfuneralhome@hotmail.com.