Florence Severson was born in Calgary Alberta on January 14th,1923 to Peter and Mary Senkiw. The family then lived in Cudworth, SK, where her dad worked as a licensed mechanic at a local garage. In April of 1931 they moved to the Highland Park area (about eighteen miles southwest of Hines Creek, AB). The family lived in a tent that summer, until Mum’s dad built a house. Mum was out of the school for a whole year as there was no school in the area. The next year mum and her sister attended the Lubeck school, which was located five miles away. Imagine, a nine-year-old walking ten miles a day walking to and from school. Mum’s dad, Peter, built a sawmill before they departed Saskatchewan. Her family had the first sawmill in Highland Park.

Mum started teaching in 1942 or 1943, at Ranger School (Gage area west of Fairview). She had thirty-one students ranging from grade 1 through grade 8 inclusive. Imagine the work involved in preparing all those lessons. Florence (Mom) then taught at Horseshoe Valley (NE of Worsley).

Florence met dad, Arne Severson, at a box social, in late 1945 or early 1946; they were married on August 16, 1946. Florence then was the teacher at the Dancing Hill School which was located a quarter mile from her house on the farm. She taught there until just before I, Arne jr, was born. My sister Gladys was born in 1959. Mum’s dad, Peter, passed away in 1949, her mother Mary in 1998 at the age of 96 years. Florence’s husband, Arne, passed away in 2000 at the age of 88. Mum worked so very hard in her lifetime as she homesteaded twice, once with her parents and once with our dad. Teaching was very difficult in her day as all lessons had to be done manually. She always said, “In teaching your day was never finished”. Mum was a very intelligent and dedicated person, when she was presented with a problem, she would not quit until she had a solution. I am going to miss my mum forever, as she was my best friend and as well as my mum.

My sister Gladys and I had the best mother that anyone could have.

Written by Florence Severson’s son, Arne James Severson.

A memorial service will be held in Florence’s memory at a later date.

Condolences may be sent by visiting www.oliversfuneralhome.com.