Helen Vera (Hobbs) Hoisington

On the morning of Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at the age of 88 years, Helen Vera Hoisington gained her well-deserved pair of wings. Helen passed peacefully from natural causes, surrounded by the wonderful and loving staff and nurses of the Bethany Care Center in Didsbury, Alberta. Helen is survived by her two sons David (Josie) and Donald (Sherry), as well as her four grandchildren: Alyssa, Rebecca, Ashley and Dillon. Helen was predeceased by her loving husband, Dillon Hoisington (1994), her brothers Verne (1989) and Allan (2005), and one granddaughter, Brittany (1989).

Helen was born on May 29, 1931 in Calgary, Alberta. She was the last-born child of Vera and Fred Hobbs, with two older brothers to watch over her (Allan and Verne). Helen lived her life as a true Calgarian, never going too far from her hometown; she met the love of her life, Dillon, and was married to him on June 2, 1951. Helen loved her husband with great tenacity, and after fourteen wonderful years of marriage, they had their first son, David; two years later, they became parents to their second son, Donald. Helen was a model wife and mother, who always put her family first. The family of four lived primarily in Dalhousie, where Helen sewed the ground for lifelong friendships.

Helen dedicated many years of her life to her love of animals, and co-founded Eboracum Kennels, where she and her close friend Myrna Getty dug deep into breeding champion Yorkshire Terriers. Not only did this inseparable pair breed beautiful dogs, but they also published a magazine, The Blue and Gold, which had international subscriptions.

Helen was so passionate about everything she did, from running the kennels, to raising her family. Not only did Helen make an incredible mother, but she was born to become a grandmother; she was the most caring, dedicated and supportive woman that many of us have and ever will encounter. Helen was always so proud of these accomplishments, and if you got her talking about her dogs, her family or her best friend for that matter, she wouldn’t stop! She was wonderfully opinionated in all the right ways and made an enthusiastic companion on any adventure.

Her tenacious personality was something that she was known for; Helen was the type of person to walk into a room, and bring a unique brightness along with her, one that truly affected each person who crossed paths with her. She will forever be remembered for her witty humor and love of breakfast. May she always be able to enjoy a cup of coffee and piece of toast with raspberry jam and watch over all of those who she loves and those who loved her.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date; if you wish to be included in this celebration, please email: [email protected]. We will provide details of this gathering when plans have been made.

If friends or family so desire, Helen would have loved memorial tributes to be made directly to Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS) in lieu of flowers. Please visit this webpage (https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/DonationPage.aspx?eventid=195747&langpref=en-CA&Referrer=http://aarcs.ca/donate/) or contact AARCS at (403) 250-7377 to make a donation.

“You left us beautiful memories, your love is still our guide, and though we cannot see you, you’re always at our side” ~Unknown