It is with great sorrow we announce the death of Anna Maria Wice-Richard who passed away peacefully in her home at Princess Court on Monday August 29, 2011.
Anna Maria was born in Allan, Sask. on May 8, 1917 to Marion and Aloysius Senger. On Sept. 17, 1936 she married Russell Wice. Together they moved to the Dryden area. Here they started a home just north of Dryden on Richan Road. Shortly after settling their family began, first Loretta and then Joyce. Once the girls started school, the family moved to town. Then came the addition of Shirley and Richard to the family.
Anna Maria had a heart of gold and most her life was dedicated to caring for other people. For many, many years she had an open home for emergency foster children. Often she would be woken in the middle of the night with Children’s Aid at her doorstep dropping off children in crises. She was never known to refuse one. She had as many as 24 children around her dining room table at one sitting.
Following Russell’s death, Anna Maria moved to British Columbia to be with her youngest daughter, Shirley. While there she found love again and married Zoel Richard in 1974. Moving back to Dryden she continued to give her love and support to family and to young adults in need. Her door was always open to those who needed a roof over their head. Many of the foster children from years back would drop by her home to say hello to their “mom.”
Anna Maria had many setbacks in her later years with health related problems. She persevered through many of those obstacles, conquering them all with great courage, inner strength and faith. She then decided that it was time for her to take up residence at Princess Court where she knew that she would be taken care off with the best of care.
Anna Maria’s main interest was her family. She loved to quilt, crochet and knit. While crocheting was a passion, she had much enjoyment making many items that could be sold at the Princess Court tuck shop. As Anna Maria found more time for herself she took up reading books for the first time in her life.
Anna Maria is survived by her children: Loretta Wice of Eagle Lake, Joyce McGinn of Dryden, Shirley Froese (Cornelius) of Kelowna, B.C. and Richard (Paulette) of Edmonton Alberta, 10 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren, sister Rose Guillas of Dryden, brother Eugene Senger of Milden, Sask. and sister Clara Volk of Allan, Sask.
Anna Maria’s family would like to thank the staff and volunteers of Princess Court for making a loving home for her over the past eleven years. Every one of you had a special place in her heart and she loved you all for taking such good care of her.
A Funeral Mass was held on Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church with Reverend Alan Campeau officiating. Interment followed in the Dryden Cemetery. Visitation was held Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. with prayers recited at 6:00 p.m. in the Moffat Chapel of Stevens Funeral Homes. If friends desire, donations can be made to Princess Court DECO through the Stevens Funeral Homes P.O. Box 412, Dryden ON P8N 2Z1. Condolences maybe emailed to sympathycard@shaw.ca subject: Wice Richard
