Violet Elizabeth Stewart Erskine Elliot was born on Feb 6,1917 in Lochwinnoch, Scotland.  She was the 9th of 10 children, to Robert Erskine who was a widower with five children who married a widow Agnes Stewart Rutherford with 2 children. They lived on a farm “The Cruiks” in Lochwinnoch where Violet grew up playing outside with her siblings and exploring nature, one of her lifelong passions. As a young girl, Violet experienced tragedy with the passing of her father in a hunting accident when she was eleven years old, and then the death of her younger brother Walter from meningitis.  Her mother died later in 1942.

Violet trained as a nurse from 1937 to 1941 at Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland.  She graduated first in her class and was awarded the gold medal, which she was so proud of.  In her training, she studied both midwifery and Public Health as well. She became a Health Visitor in the Gorbals, the poorest part of Glasgow from 1941 to 1946 which led to her lifelong strong belief in social justice.

Violet was a war bride, marrying James Alison Elliot, a gunner in the 7th Anti-tank Regiment of Canada in 1943.  For the first two years of marriage, Jim was in Italy while Violet was in Glasgow.  At the end of war, they moved to Canada, living in Calgary and later settling in Marwayne, Alberta.  Jim built a twelve by twenty square foot house for them to settle in and Violet enjoyed being a stay-at-home mother, but she also had a passion for nursing. She became an important part of the community in that regard, with the phone frequently ringing until late into the night for her counsel on health issues or when a child took a turn for the worse. It was very commonplace for babies to be born at her house.

In 1959 Violet returned to paid nursing at the last Nursing Station in Alberta at Tulibee Lake. Although she was only there for three years her deeds were local folklore and she was invited back for the local history book launch in 1995, Trails of the North Saskatchewan.  Violet continued her career and worked as a Public Health Nurse in Vermilion and later Red Deer.  She became the “needle nurse” for Lindsay Thurber Composite High School in Red Deer and one of Dr. More’s “Charlies Angels” with the Red Deer Health Unit. She was awarded a Nursing Service award in 1999. She retired from nursing in 1982 but went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Alberta after retirement.  When asked why she did that, she would often reply, “Because I could!”.

Violet believed in lifelong learning and regularly attended courses offered through her church or within the community.  She wrote a book about her life when she was in her nineties with several copies printed.

Violet loved people and made many friendships throughout the years that have lasted to this day. She believed strongly in community involvement and was an active member of many groups where she met many friends.  She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star for over 75 years, and she recently received a 70-year pin from the UCW.  She was an active member in the Sunnybrook United Church, joining the church when it was first built. She attended Kasota East Camp as the Camp Nurse for many years, and later attended family camp with her great grandchildren.  She enjoyed contributing her time and talents on various boards including the Red Deer Childcare Society and her wisdom and patience was well known.

Violet loved nature and enjoyed bird watching and growing flowers.  She won awards for her geraniums which she planted each spring.  In her later years she had her great grandchildren help her to plant her flowers as a way to spend time with them and connect. She was a kind, patient, joyful grandmother who loved her family very much.  She was a role model for her grandchildren and great grandchildren on how to live life with joy, curiosity, persistence, and faith.  She wrote a special poem dedicated to her great grandchildren called “The Painted Lady Came” about a butterfly.  It was published in the Poetry Institute of Canada’s book “From the Cerulean Sea, Anthology of Verse” in 2013.

Violet had a quick wit and was a joyful soul.  She knew how to make others laugh and feel at ease.  Her love of people and of life was apparent to all who met her.  She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

A celebration of Violet’s life will take place at Sunnybrook United Church on Friday April 8, 2022 at 2:00 pm. As well, a visitation for family and friends will be held on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Red Deer Funeral Home (6150 – 67 Street, Red Deer, AB).

She is survived by her four sons; Rob (Sheila), grandson Wade (Michelle), great granddaughters Bailey (Colin), Ryann, great grandson Cannon, granddaughter Jennifer Macleod (Mark), great granddaughters Alex, Taylor, Reese, Charlee, great grandson Cohen; David (Evelyn) grandson Tim, granddaughter Ginger, grandsons John Barnaby, Dwayne Lowe, Brandon Whitequill, and granddaughter Chrystal Kay; Neil (Faith), grandson Julian (Brittany) Bodnar, great grandchildren Skylar and Sage, granddaughter Carolyn (Matt) Barton, great grandsons Owen and Noah, and great granddaughter Sophia, grandson Charlie (Paige) Bodnar, great granddaughter Ashton (Jon) Lerat, great grandchildren Dominick Adams, Emma Amundrud and Everett Lerat, great granddaughter Kelsy Rodger Klyne (Chad), great grandchildren Kinsey and Lylaand; Alastair (Deena) and granddaughter Tedra Elliot.

• Date : 2022-03-25
• Location : Red Deer Funeral Home