Alta Irene Skene (Bullock)
May 10, 1929 – May 29, 2023
On May 29th, Alta passed away peacefully, surrounded by members of her family, after a very long and fulfilling life. Alta will be forever remembered and missed by her sons; Jack (Ann), Bill (Jan), Blair (Bonny), Calvin (Judy). Grandchildren, Scott, David, Brooke, Lani, Elizabeth, Danielle, John, Jayme, Cameron. Great grandchildren, Sequoia, Thomas, Arthur, Benjamin, Clara and Liam. Daughter in law, Cindy, and many loved nieces, nephews and special friends. Alta was predeceased by her parents, Elizabeth and Joe, husband, Tom, son, Dale, and brothers Daniel and Vernon.
It is near impossible to summarize this woman’s life in a short write up, but here we go…
Alta grew up on a homestead on what is now named Bullock Road and went to school in the one room schoolhouse that still stands on the corner of Glengoland road and Hwy 17. The importance and value of hard work was instilled in her at an early age. When she reached the higher grades, she had the job of cross-country skiing to school, long before the teachers and other students arrived, in order to start a fire in the wood stove so the building would be warm for the start of class. She said her lunch would usually be frozen solid after her ski to school, so she would set her lunch pail by the fire she started, in hopes it would thaw by lunchtime.
As a young woman, she left her family in Glengoland and boarded a train to Hamilton ON to attend a nurse training program, which was initiated by the government to bolster the health care system after World War II. When she returned she worked at the Red Cross Hospital in Dryden. Alta’s decision to become a nurse fit perfectly into who she was, because she may not have continued nursing after she married, but she continued to care for and show kindness and self sacrifice to others throughout her entire life.
She met her lifelong partner, Tom Skene, of Oxdrift, and the two wed in September of 1950. Their first year of marriage was spent homesteading in a small cabin at Rugby Lake, before moving to Tom’s family farm where the real adventures began. Alta and Tom raised a family of five boys, and to say her plate was full is an understatement! Alta had a house to keep, a farm full of workers to feed, and five boys and a husband to keep in line. She was always busy driving to horse shows, teaching quilting classes, and leading 4H clubs.
Alta was a member of many groups; however, it was the Women’s Institute that was her true passion. She personified the WI’s mission of education and advocacy, as she epitomized what it meant to be a lifelong learner, and always strove to right wrongs and/or stand up for issues she felt strongly about. Alta served many years as president of the Oxdrift branch of the WI, and had a lifetime membership honour bestowed upon her after she could no longer regularly attend meetings.
Alta had many interests, and was always busy doing something. She was a huge fan of curling and figure skating, but could never just watch, she had to have a quilt on the go or a pair of socks being knitted while she was watching her favourite sports or programs. Gardening was a joy for Alta. Not only did she love being out working in the garden, what she grew directly contributed to her main priority…feeding her family! There was never a shortage of home cooked food in Alta’s home, and there was always room for one more at her table. It didn’t matter who was brought to her home, they were greeted with a warm smile and offered something to eat. She would admit that her last tray of cookies would usually be a bit burnt on the bottom, because someone would come along and she would get visiting and forget about them.
Not only was Alta a supportive and loving mother, she was an excellent Grandma and Great Grandma. Many people lovingly called her “Grandma Skene”, whether related or not. Her grandkids spent endless hours on the farm with her in Oxdrift, and later at her houses in town. Grandma’s house was the place to be because she didn’t just do things for her grandchildren, she taught them how to do it. She infused life lessons into every interaction she had with her grandchildren, and for this they will forever be grateful.
Alta was never happier than she was when surrounded by family. The coffee was always on at 4 o’clock at Alta’s, and anyone was welcome. If you stopped in for Coffee Club you walked into a room filled with any number of Alta’s family and friends debating the issues of the world, telling long winded stories, and laughing…always laughing, while Alta sat (usually behind a quilt) happily taking it all in.
Alta’s family would like to thank Dr Cook and Dr Bester, Cheri, Sierra, Sara and the rest of the nurses at DRHC, as well as home care nurses, Laine and Amy, and Rikky and the nurses at the Dingwall clinic, for the exceptional care shown to Alta over the last few months.
A simple service will be held, to celebrate Alta’s life, Saturday June 24th, at 11:00am at the Dryden Agricultural Society building.
If friends and family so desire, donations can be made to the Dryden Food Bank, 62 Queen Street, Dryden, ON, P8N 1A4, in Alta’s name.
Arrangements entrusted to Dryden Community Funeral Home
249 Grand Trunk Avenue, Dryden, Ontario, P8N 2X3
