Obituary of Sr. Theresa Mary Horvath

To watch the recording of the service, click this link:

https://video.ibm.com/embed/recorded/132677551

Sr. Theresa died peacefully at Trinity Manor on March 24th, 2023, after having lived a very full and active life.  She was a member of the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion for 69 years.

Sr. Theresa was born in Waka, SK on Dec. 28th, 1934 to John Horvath and Theresa Fogen, the third of four children.  She was predeceased by her parents, her step-mother, Clara, and her three siblings:  Matilda, Michael, and John.  Theresa is survived by her religious community.

During her life time, Theresa pursued two professional careers.  In her younger years, she was an elementary school teacher and principal in both Canada (Saskatchewan and Ontario) and the United States (Michigan and Missouri).

A primary source of revelation of God’s love, for Theresa, was the Scriptures.  On her way home from a sabbatical year in Israel during which she studied the Scriptures in greater depth, she made a brief stopover in Lourdes, France.  This brief stopover changed her career choice entirely.  Upon her return to Canada, she continued to teach by day and attended nursing courses by night and during the summer holidays until she became a registered Nursing Assistant.  She spent the following twenty years plus looking after those in long term care.

Another primary source of revelation of God’s love, for Theresa, was nature.  She loved the out-of-doors.  Her dear friend, companion, and community member, Alice Godin, and Theresa spent many summers camping in Western Canada.  Both were avid gardeners.  If Theresa was not outside, she was in the kitchen preparing her delicious jellies which were shared with everyone with whom she crossed paths.

Theresa was not one to put herself forward.  However, she always responded generously and quietly with whatever she was asked to do.  She was very devoted to whichever parish she was living in at the time.  She particularly enjoyed singing in the choirs and could always be called upon to drive someone somewhere.

The Sisters of Sion would like to sincerely thank the staff at Trinity Manor and OverCHealth who cared so well for her these past months.  We will have fond memories of the staff of OverCHealth taking all of us to the Festival of Trees in December and the smile on Theresa’s face as she looked at the trees and gingerbread houses.  We will also remember having Christmas dinner together at Trinity Manor and Theresa’s sharing of her childhood Christmas memories.  There was also the brief retreat at Trinity (brief because of the amount of snow which prevented all of us from attending) which meant a great deal to her.  And lastly, thank you to Fr. Mike Dechant and Shirley Hyshka of St. Philip Neri Parish and Gerry Mitchell of the Saskatoon Funeral Home for helping us to celebrate Theresa’s life in the way that she wanted to have happen.  The Mass of the Resurrection will take place on Tuesday, March 28th, at St. Philip Neri, at 10:00 am.  Lunch will follow.  Rite of Committal will then take place at Woodlawn Cemetery.

For those unable to attend the service, you are invited to join the service via the livestream link located at the top of the obituary.