Gussie Dubetz, spitfire, orator, wanderer, beloved auntie, sister, daughter and friend, died on Saturday, November 4, 2023 at age 88. Born near Alvena, SK, Gussie moved to Saskatoon with her parents and siblings in 1952 and completed grade 12 at Nutana Collegiate. She studied for a year at the University of Saskatchewan, then began at St. Paul’s Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1957. She served in hospitals in Vancouver and Calgary before landing in the operating room of Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. Though small in stature, Gus soon became a commanding presence (aptly nicknamed “The General”), pushing to keep a perfectly ordered OR and demanding the best from her cherished fellow nurses and surgeons. RUH was her home away from home, site of many a Christmas and Easter and storied shenanigan, until she retired in 2000. It was fitting that her last few days were spent in the care of RUH’s capable staff.
When not working, Gus would be exploring the city on foot or by bus — often traipsing around town with wee Sam or Jamie or BJ pup in tow, keeping a sharp eye out for lucky money. She loved to treat them to the movies, a whirl around The Ex, the theatre or the opera. Gus was a voracious reader, precision crossworder and armchair sleuth who loved trashy TV, trash talking (those dirty rackafratz Bruins) and cheering on her Montreal Canadiens (Carey Price especially). She was a young soul, always open to new ideas and growing as a person, dazzling all with her wit, intelligence and audacity. Though outspoken and tough, Gussie was deeply loving, generous and vulnerable. Unforgettable, in every way.
Gussie is survived by niece Sam McCrory and family (McCrory, McAuley and Campbell Skuce), nephew Jamie McCrory (and Seanine Warrington and Stanley), many other treasured nieces and nephews, and many dear friends. She was predeceased by nephew-in-law Todd Skuce; parents Josephine (née Cherneski) and John Sorokowsky; sisters Lil Anderson, Sue Patrick and Rose-Anne McCrory; and brothers Victor and Bill Sorokowsky. Gussie's funeral will be held at a later date and will be announced in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix.
Keep your pecker up and your stick on the ice, Auntie Gussie. We miss you profoundly.
In lieu of flowers, please support the Royal University Hospital Foundation, the Saskatoon Public Library or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Arrangements entrusted to Travis Minor
