Louise Joan Ostrander

Louise Joan Ostrander (Hoffman) was born on June 13, 1932 at the family farm north of Shamrock, Saskatchewan and passed away with her children by her side in Vernon, BC on October 19, 2023 at the age 91.  She was predeceased by her loving husband Jim in 2002 and previously by all of her siblings.  Louise was the second youngest of 12 children, six boys and six girls and grew up in a hard working family where she learned to garden, sew, preserve food and also helped to care for the family home.  In 1937, due to severe drought conditions, the family moved to Vernon, BC.  Their possessions were loaded into a railway car and an old truck with a box built on the back of it.  Louise’s dad, mom and a few younger children rode in the cab while the rest rode in the back on some mattresses.  After nine years the Hoffman family left BC and moved back to Saskatchewan after Louise’s father took over his father’s farm near Hallonquist; Louise was 14 at the time.  She first met her then future husband, Jim, in the winter of 1946/47 when she was helping out at the Hallonquist store.  Jim was at Moose Jaw Tech School and had travelled home by train and got off at the station in Hallonquist.  When asked what her first impression of Jim was, Louise replied that she thought he was very shy.  Three years later, just a few days after her 18th birthday, Louise married James William Ostrander on June 17, 1950. 

Louise and Jim lived, worked and raised five children on the Turkey Track Ranch; Jim Jr (1951), Doug (1954), Cal (1955), Dawn (1958) and Terry (1959).  The duties of a rancher’s wife were many and varied.  Louise had a large yard to keep and a huge garden to provide for her family’s needs for many years.  She was a big part of the heart of the Ranch, making its world turn and function with a sense of grace, poise, hard work and tenacity.  She was involved in the kids’ 4-H club, sewed their clothes and enjoyed curling in her younger years.  During the early years of her marriage she did not have the luxury of electricity or running water which made managing the home very difficult.  Louise was always trying to improve her vocabulary and her children would sometimes tease her that she was reading the dictionary again!  Throughout the years she did the Ranch bookkeeping, was a business partner and shareholder in the Ranch, cooked for her large family, many hired men, branding and weaning crews, friends, travelling salesmen and business associates.  Many people have commented on Mom’s excellent home cooking, baking and her famous “buns”. 

Louise and Jim moved from the Ranch to Swift Current in November 1996.  They enjoyed travelling south to the US during the winter months where they made good friends, including the “California Bunch” whom all travelled north to the Ranch for a visit one summer.  They also enjoyed travelling within Canada during the summer, camping at the Landing, trips to visit family and a trip to Tillsonburg, Ontario to discover Jim’s “Ostrander” roots. To celebrate their 40^th wedding anniversary they flew to Hawaii and years later took a cruise through the Panama Canal.  Louise was married to Jim just shy of their 52^nd anniversary when he passed away from cancer in June 2002.   Louise always missed him greatly and stated many times how she wished they would have had more years together.

In 2008 Louise moved to back to Vernon, BC where her daughter Dawn resides.  After Jim passed she took a trip to Mexico, went on a Mediterranean cruise, spent one winter in Arizona and took bus trips to Tulalip, WA for casino fun and shopping.  She also travelled to Vancouver, Calgary, and Saskatchewan to visit family.  She loved spending time at the Collins cabin at Vavenby, BC by the river, enjoying her bonfires and picking Saskatoon berries.  Her last but very special trip to the Ranch was in 2017 to celebrate the Turkey Track’s 100th year in the Ostrander family.

As she got older Mom enjoyed reading, shopping, crosswords, walking and spending time with family, whether it was in person or by phone.  Mom was always dressed well and took care about her appearance.  She had exquisite taste in her home, clothes and jewelry.  Many people describe her as a “classy” lady and that she was!  She was a positive role model to other women with the dedication and service she exhibited in her life.  She was strong in ways that were remarkable but not recognized by our society’s lens.    

In July 2023 Louise received her published book The History of the Turkey Track Ranch.  She spent many years researching names, dates, places, stories and many other facts about the Turkey Track.  It was important to her that the facts were correct.  Former winter travels down south were sometimes planned around different libraries and archives so Louise could do researching on microfiche articles, old records, journals, etc.  All of her family is extremely proud of this huge accomplishment of hers. We are grateful for this historical record that she worked so hard on for so many years.

Louise is survived by her five children; Jim (Bonnie), Doug (Phyllis), Cal (Monty), Dawn (Dave) and Terry (Joy), her eight grandchildren; Corey, Jana, Dustin (Keleah), Robyn (Rod), Leslie (Chris), Tyler (Karen), Karlie (Tim) and AJ (Hilary), also her 15 great grandchildren; Jozee, Kale, Elek, Zola, Finn, Isley, Elsa, Helen, Charlie, Paisley, Vivian, Gretta, Lewis, Daisy and Cap and numerous nieces and nephews.

Louise Joan Ostrander will be interred with her husband Jim in Swift Current at a family gathering in the spring of 2024.  Our family wishes to thank everyone who has sent condolences and all those who shared their love in Louise’s life, she will be greatly missed.  Join us at cypressfuneral.ca/obituaries to share heartwarming stories, cherished memories and pay tribute to Louise Ostrander.

Arrangements entrusted to

Cypress Funeral & Cremation Services 250-558-0866

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