OSTER: Emilia Oster passed away peacefully at Lloydminster Hospital, Lloydminster, SK on May 31, 2025 at the age of 93 years. She lived a very full life and leaves a lifetime of family memories. She will be loved and missed. Emilia is survived by: her 9 children, Marlene Priest, Monica (Jerome) Canfield, Robert Oster, Eleanor Fink, Raymond (Wanda) Oster, Rosemary (John) Hardes, Timothy Oster, Geraldine Kushniryk and Wanda Shaw; 21 grandchildren, Dean, Jeffrey (Krista), Aaron (Robyn), Trevor (Tara), Maurice, Duane (Jen), *James, John (Leanne), Kevin, Alana, Kelsey, Jessica (Roozbeh), Zane, Nikita (Richard), Dustin, Melissa (Brent), Dacia (Scott), Sarah, Joel (Madie), Brodie and Jillian (Cody); 36 great grandchildren; Ashley (Clint), Brette (Dryden), Kirsten, Holden, Tayler, Riyan, Drew, Brock, Karlei, Kylan, Drayson, Jorja, Avery, Ewan, Finn, Mackenna, Cole, Dalton, Dani, Annalea, *Gabrielle, Jadea, Samantha, Ava, Leah, Evelyn, Silas, Laynie, Kash, Maizie, Sofie, Preslie, Zoey, Revel, Indie and Landon; and 5 great-great-grandchildren; Brantly, Briar, Waylon, Stetson and Norah; sisters, Elfreda Trotzuk, Dolores Bossert and Rita Robinson; and numerous extended family and friends. Emilia was predeceased by: her husband, Vincent Oster; son-in-law, Daniel Fink; grandson, James Fink; son-in-law, Ernold Priest; daughter-in-law, Linda Oster; great-granddaughter, Gabrielle Fink; parents, Albin and Barbara Ball; sister, Marlene; and brothers, Valentine Ball and John Ball. The Celebration of Life for Emilia was conducted from Paradise Hill Community Centre, Paradise Hill, SK on Friday, June 13, 2025 at 11:00 am. If you were unable to attend in person, you may view the live streaming of the service posted on McCaw Funeral Service website under Emilia’s obituary. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Emilia may be made to donor’s charity of choice. Mccaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. Card of Thanks The Oster family would like to thank all those who showed their support, and any form of kindness during this sad time. Thank you to the staff at Paradise Hill Care Home and the 3rd floor nurses at Lloydminster Hospital for the care provided for mom. Thank you to Father Frederick Akah for doing the service. Many thanks to Ray Meyers and friends for the music. Thanks to Leanne Colliou for preparing and serving lunch. Many Thanks to the McCaw’s for their help and understanding. Emilia Rosalia Zita Ball, or better known as Millie, was born on June 28, 1931, in Holdfast, Saskatchewan, to Albin and Barbara Ball. She was the second child and first girl of seven children, and grew up speaking low-country German. Life on the bald prairies in the dirty thirties, during the great depression wasn’t easy. It wasn’t until many years later that Millie would tell stories of those times to her children and grandchildren, having looked upon her early life with a certain kind of shame, not having the privileges of the so-called “English” kids at school. There were stories of being left alone at the age of 5 or 6, watching over her younger siblings, while her older brother Val was in the fields with their father, or when Val and her mother went to town to barter home churned butter for other store bought goods. Imagine being just 5 years old, alone, with no telephone and trying to keep your younger siblings quiet and out of sight while rough looking hobos wandered over to the homestead from the nearby train tracks looking for food. Life was hard, but the simple pleasures made it rewarding, like her dad playing songs on his squeezebox accordion, or learning to cook, clean, garden and help raise her siblings from her mother’s example. Over the years, Millie took it upon herself to learn practical skills that were essential for farm life. One such skill was how to check the ripeness of a watermelon in the garden, she would carefully notch out a small square with a penknife, take a peek, and if it wasn’t ready, she’d push the square back into place. How does that even work? Another skill, of course, we should all know is how to assess the readiness of a cow patty to be collected as fuel for the stove. Either it was dry and you picked it up and put it into your gunny sack or it was only dry on top and you flip it over for the next time you go chip picking. For the novice chip picker you only made the mistake of flipping a fresh one once, and you never forget that life lesson! In August of 1946, at the age of 15, Millie and her family moved to St. Walburg, Saskatchewan. The journey by train became a cherished and often retold family story. Millie made reference to feeling like a “hobo” because of the way her family travelled north on the train. It has been shared that Grandma Ball and Rita rode in the passenger car, while Grandpa Ball, Val, and John hid in a boxcar with the machinery. Millie, along with her sisters Elfreda and Dolores, traveled in another boxcar with the animals-specifically, inside the chicken coop. One humorous memory recalled from that trip was the girls receiving some juicy fruit gum from someone before getting on the train and Elfreda losing and finding her chewing gum 3 times along the trip. When Millie first arrived in the St. Walburg area, she worked for Carl and Gladys Imhoff, who treated her like family, and always welcomed her to join them for afternoon tea. Later, she worked at Larre’s Store, as well as at the restaurant owned by her future sister- and brother-in-law, Aunt Helen and Uncle Alphonse. Evenings in St. Walburg were spent at the bowling alley and this is where Millie first met her future husband Vincent Oster. The relationship started with Vincent offering Millie a ride home from the Saturday night bowling league. On October 25, 1950, Millie married Vincent Oster. Together, they built a loving home on a farm just outside of St. Walburg, where they raised a large family of nine children, six girls and three boys: Marlene, Monica, Robert, Eleanor, Ray, Rosemary, Tim, Geraldine, and Wanda. Life on the Oster farm was full of simple joys and meaningful moments. A highlight for the family was their Sunday trips to Brightsand Lake after church, where they would often meet up with their cousins, the Trotzuks. The afternoons were spent swimming, playing, and picnicking on the beach. Millie and Vince also knew how to create fun close to home. It wasn’t uncommon for them to load all the kids into the old farm truck, pack a washtub to build a fire in, and head out to the pasture for a good old-fashioned wiener roast, an economical and memorable staycation for a family of eleven. Millie was very resourceful with her sewing skills. She could take simple flour and sugar sacks and transform them into clothing for the children. They resided on the farm until June 30, 1967, when they then moved to Paradise Hill after purchasing what was then known as Rudy’s Snack Bar. The very next day, on July 1, 1967, Millie opened the Rainbow Inn Restaurant, marking the beginning of 25 years in the restaurant business. In 1972, she remodeled the restaurant, transforming the modest setup, where she cooked behind a lunch counter using just two frying pans and an oven, into a kitchen equipped with a grill and deep fryer. Seating was expanded to accommodate 20 guests. In 1983, the restaurant was expanded once again, growing to 44 seats to meet the needs of its growing customer base. The Rainbow Inn became a beloved local spot, known especially for its Rainbow Special, a deluxe cheeseburger served with fries, gravy, and onion rings. It was also a popular gathering place, especially during weekday morning and afternoon coffee breaks when locals would gather to share stories and converse. Sundays were always busy, and when the Sunday night dinners became too many to handle, she started the Sunday Night Smorgasbord, a favorite for many from the area. Some frequent customers even asked for the recipe of their favorite dish, and Millie always demurred, saying the recipe only lived in her head, even though she really only shared her favorites with family. Millie employed many students, and women, young and not so young in the restaurant over the years, and anyone, staff or family, who shared the kitchen with Millie learned that anything that needed to be beaten, whipped, or folded in was not quite right unless you used the proper hip action. Millie continued to run the restaurant until she sold it in the summer of 1992. Millie had a true love for travel and adventure. One of her most memorable trips was a European tour with her sister Freda and her mom’s sister, Aunt Sadie Sevick, where they reconnected with long-lost cousins in Bad Aachen, Germany, and visited Austria as well. Another unforgettable trip was a sister getaway when Millie, Dolores, Elfreda, and Rita took a shared trip to revisit their old stomping grounds at Holdfast and Dilke, like the Golden Girls on the road, trading barbs and bouquets, laughing all the way. Millie also visited Hawaii multiple times, explored Las Vegas and Disneyland, enjoyed a scenic and relaxing getaway to Salt Spring Island and joined several bowling bus tours over the years. Millie, however, had a bit of bad luck with the Pacific Ocean during her travels, losing her sandals in Kawaii, and her dentures near Salt Spring Island. The most legendary story came from her Salt Spring Island adventure. While standing on the ferry deck near the railing, a sudden gust of wind caught Millie by surprise and sent her top dentures sailing right out of her mouth and into the water. That unforgettable moment quickly became a favorite family tale and a perfect reflection of Millie’s lighthearted and good-humored spirit Word has it there’s still a sockeye salmon out there sporting a gleaming smile. Millie also enjoyed being on the water-whether it was a ferry crossing the Strait of Georgia or a party boat cruise around Perch Lake, she made the most of every moment. Millie enjoyed sports such as ball, curling, and bowling growing up- though bowling was her first passion. In retirement, she was once again able to enjoy one of her favorite pastimes by joining the bowling league in Paradise Hill. Gardening and yard work became another one of Millie’s most beloved pastimes. Gardening was not like cooking, if she wasn’t pleased with the results, she had to wait a whole year to try it again, whereas with cooking and baking she could start again right away. Every year she would grow what she called a challenge plant, something she hadn’t grown before, or something that shouldn’t grow in this area or climate. For years she grew her plants from seeds in her own greenhouse. She took great pride in her flowers, garden, and beautifully maintained yard, a passion that was clear to anyone who stopped by for a visit. Without fail, she would take guests on a guided tour, eagerly sharing details about each plant: the type of flower, where she had originally planted it, where she might have moved it, or even where she had acquired it. Her knowledge and enthusiasm were truly remarkable. In fact, Millie was still mowing her own lawn at the age of 80, just one example of how she approached everything in life with dedication and care. Whatever she did, she did it to the best of her ability. Millie had a lifelong love of music and built an extensive collection of records, CDs, and DVDs, which were often playing in the background whenever you visited her home. She knew how to play some piano and even taught herself to play the organ. Later in life, she especially enjoyed visiting the Maier Ranch for Ray Maier’s Sunday afternoon jam sessions, where she would sing and dance along with the music. She also attended several polka fests over the years in places like North Battleford, St. Walburg, Humboldt, and Danceland at Manitou Beach near Watrous, with the sprung horsehair dancefloor. As Millie would often say, ‘I love my music, and it keeps me happy.’ More than anything, Millie found joy in her large and growing family. She treasured her many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. Some of the families most cherished memories consist of: •The legendary New Year’s Eve parties Grandma Millie used to host, where all the grandchildren were invited for a sleepover. These special evenings were filled with music, food, games, and dancing. The Bird Dance was always a favorite. •Being in the kitchen with grandma, watching her work her magic. Hanging out, probably getting in the way, but she didn’t seem to mind. She’d be dancing and singing as she was cooking. She would sneak little tasters here and there for us. This is where she passed on her love for food and passion for cooking. •Grandma Millie’s legendary Jam Jam cookies she made were always a hit. •The large family suppers she would host in the restaurant on holidays and special occasions. Always an abundance of food, games, laughter, and conversations. •Placing rags in the girl’s hair prior to bed at sleepovers, as an easy way to curl or wave their hair. •Alphabet and Mickey Mouse pancakes in the mornings after sleepovers. •Watching her classic VHS tapes such as The Sound of Music, Victor Borge and Red Skeleton comedy. •Playing bingo with her at the care home and attending the 4H Pie Bingos with her. Millie lived a full and vibrant life for over 93 years filled with love, laughter, hard work, and countless memories that will be treasured forever
