Eva Isobel Doonan

October 29, 1934 – November 4, 2025

Eva Isobel Doonan was born October 29, 1934, the fifth of six children of John and Violet Doonan, and the fourth of five daughters. She grew up on the family farm in Elmvale, Ont., a place still worked today by her nephews Bert and John Doonan. The land has been in the Doonan name for more than 160 years.

Smallest in the family, Eva often laughed that she was the one most teased. But she was also the only sibling to complete high school and go on to earn a business diploma. At 16, she survived a near-drowning at Wasaga Beach. While wading between sandbars with friends, she slipped into deep water. Two American tourists heard the cries for help, dove beneath the surface, and found her lying on the bottom. They pulled her ashore, where officer Ernest Weaver and a doctor worked for 15 minutes before she regained consciousness—an experience Eva never forgot.

In high school, Eva dreamed of seeing the mountains in Banff. In July 1956, she travelled to Calgary with her sister Margaret to stay with their cousin Hubert Coutts. Their first night in the city, they visited the Calgary Stampede with cousin Bert Doonan, who pointed out a tall blond man he worked with on the postal train—Ray Andersen of Cappon, Alta. Eva met him a few days later. On October 12, 1957, Eva and Ray were married. They honeymooned near Blairmore, Alta., staying in the teepee motels, and made their home in northwest Calgary. Ray continued with Canada Post, becoming a mail carrier, while Eva worked in Accounts Receivable at the General Hospital.

Their daughter, Sheila Rae, was born in 1962, and son Jerry Melvin in 1965. In 1967 the family moved to the Andersen farm at Cappon where Ray had grown up, while Ray’s uncle, Martin Andersen, moved into their Calgary home. Eva, raised on a farm herself, was happy to return to country life. Sheila and Jerry attended school in Oyen, 26 miles away, travelling daily with Raymond and Alice Yake over long stretches of gravel road.

Ray and Eva loved to dance, going out often in their Calgary years and later attending Legion events, sports days and community dances in Cappon. Visits with neighbours frequently ended in impromptu jams, a natural fit for Eva’s musical upbringing. Her father played the mouth organ and called square dances; her mother played piano and sang. Her maternal uncles were accomplished musicians. Eva taught herself accordion and played in a small band with Ann Goodine on piano and Mary Anhorn on guitar—the accordion almost bigger than she was.

The family lived in the original farmhouse—two houses joined together—where winter storms sometimes blew snow in along the windowsills. In 1982, they built a new home, and Sheila and Jerry surprised them with a combined housewarming and 25th anniversary celebration. The following year, Ray was diagnosed with colon cancer. He died July 30, 1985. Jerry, then only 20, stepped into the farming role and continues to farm the land today.

After Ray’s passing, Eva’s resilience came to the forefront. She waitressed at the Tumbleweed Restaurant, catered with Doris Peters, and in 1988 began working at BJ’s/Debmart. She remained there for 26 years, retiring only when she turned 80.

Eva was active with the Oyen Legion, serving many years with the Legion Ladies and becoming a Lifetime Member in April 2024. She was honoured to serve as flag bearer for Remembrance Day ceremonies and held deep respect for Sergeant-at-Arms John Dzuiba.

Becoming a grandmother was one of Eva’s greatest joys. Sheila’s sons Christopher (1992), Kalen (1993) and Liam (1995), and Jerry’s children Rayla (2007) and Jaden (2009), were her pride. She read stories, played games, hid leprechaun treasure in the pasture, and always kept favourite snacks on hand. She loved travelling with them, saying they helped her “see things through the eyes of a child.” As they grew older, they helped her at the store, stocking coolers and mopping floors.

Eva was a talented cook. Branding days were among her busiest: pies, squares and buns made the day before; salads prepared in the morning; and at least three meat dishes cooked in the afternoon. She routinely fed 30 or more people at branding suppers.

Her handiwork—knitting, cross-stitch, embroidery, tatting and quilting—was impeccable. She was rarely without a project until developing macular degeneration in 2011, which required monthly injections in both eyes for the next 14 years.

Eva loved to travel: by road, bus, train, ferry and even on a bingo cruise. Her trips took her to Banff, Jasper, Peace River, Victoria, Churchill, Watrous, the Maritimes, Jackpot and Reno, Disneyland and Disneyworld, Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas, England, Scotland, Ireland, Switzerland, the Nordic countries and China. Every few months she took a “stress trip” to Medicine Hat—mornings shopping, afternoons and evenings at bingo, always staying at the Medicine Hat Lodge.

In 2021, through ancestry.ca and the unsealing of Ontario adoption records, Eva reconnected with the three children of her sister who had been adopted decades earlier: Dr. Peter Scott, James Nopper and Nancy Hammond. Nancy, the youngest, had been a baby at the time; she was 65 when they met. Eva had always known her nieces and nephews were out in the world somewhere, and the reunion brought her immense joy.

Health challenges marked Eva’s later years. A week after her 80th birthday in 2014, she underwent major surgery and spent six weeks recovering in Medicine Hat and Oyen hospitals. A resulting large hernia affected her for the rest of her life. In April 2022, she had a minor stroke and moved to Meadow Ridge Seniors’ Home in Medicine Hat. Cataract surgery in 2024 brought complications, and she was later diagnosed with diabetes. In May 2025, doctors discovered she had breast cancer. Despite these hurdles, Eva approached every challenge with determination. One consulting surgeon told her she embodied the phrase, “Keep Calm and Carry On.”

Eva celebrated her 91st birthday on October 29, 2025, enjoying a week filled with visits, dinners out, shopping, and an afternoon at Top Hat bingo. She delighted in every moment. Only four days later, she was rushed to Emergency when her long-troublesome hernia worsened. Thirty-six hours after being admitted, Eva died peacefully at sunrise on Tuesday, November 4.

Eva is survived by her children, Sheila (Del Pratt) and Jerry Andersen; her grandchildren, Christopher Schuler, Kalen Schuler, Liam (Cynthia) Schuler, Rayla Andersen and Jaden Andersen; as well as Vaughn Schuler, Sarah Pashovitz, her nieces and nephews, and many others who loved her.

Memorial tributes may be made to the Oyen and District Health Care Foundation, Box 1, Oyen, AB, T0J 2J0.

Funeral arrangements were entrusted to MacLean’s Funeral Home, Oyen, Alta. A celebration of life was held Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, at the Royal Canadian Legion in Oyen.