Erlyce Elaine (Albright) Ten Hove

TEN HOVE, Erlyce Elaine

January 30, 1935 - November 28, 2019

It is with much love and heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of Erlyce Ten Hove at the age of 84 years. Erlyce will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 64 years, Dick, and their 7 children. Joan and Henry Eisses (Aaron & Marion, Anthony & Susan, Allan & Katie, Evelyn, Adam & Heather, Emily), Wendy and Rob Dolman (Darren & Erin, Randall & Kathryn, David & Betty, Jonathan & Ashley), Dixie and John Drost (Dan, Mike, Sara & Mark Vantienhoven, Eric & Teri), Lorne and Thelma Ten Hove, Allen and Rita Ten Hove (Liana & Sean Mulvey, Jarin, Jayna & Jon Bakker, Mandy & Joel Buisman, Parker & Julie VanWolde), Karla Lozynsky (Mya), Steven and Sherry Ten Hove (Hailey, Ciara, Justin, Megan), and 31 great grandchildren. Erlyce is survived by her sister, Joyce Smith, brother Gary and Jacqueline Albright of Edmonton, and the families of her husband’s siblings. Erlyce is predeceased by her mother Lydia Albright in 2001 and her father Louis Albright in 2002. She will be missed by the extended families.

Erlyce was born in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, the first of three children of Louis and Lydia Albright, and was raised in the Camrose, Galahad, and Wetaskiwin areas. She moved to Blackfalds with her family as a teenager where she met lifelong friends and began attending WoodyNook Church.

She graduated with a teaching certificate in 1954 from the University of Alberta, and then taught the 1954/55 school year in Mirror, Alberta.

In attending WoodyNook Church she met the love of her life, Dick Ten Hove. They were married in 1955 and have farmed in the WoodyNook district for 63 years, moving to the Lacombe Lodge within the past year.

Our mom Erlyce was devoted to her husband, family, and extended family. She was trained as a teacher, and often was a substitute teacher at Lacombe Christian School, but her children and grandchildren became her most loved students.

Mom had many interests, talents, and loves that she developed, but her overarching love was for her Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Mom loved songbirds, birdwatching, gardening, and caring for her many trees and flowers (with Dad’s untiring help).

She was a very creative person, reading and writing poetry, stories, and plays, and was an avid photographer, carrying her camera with her and taking many candid pictures of her family and God’s creation that live on through her artistic scrapbooking endeavors. Many of her family have received handmade birthday cards with her beautiful sky and flower pictures and her encouraging words and poetry. Mom also liked to draw, paint watercolour, and quilt. All of her children received a beautiful hanging quilt tapestry. She passed on many of her artistic interests and skills to us kids. Allen is talented in drawing and visual arts, and Dixie has developed her watercolour and drawing skills in recent years.

Mom also loved music. She collected phonographs of many classical composers, and would play them throughout the day. At one time Mom, Joan, Wendy, and Dixie all played instruments and joined the marching band. Lorne was sad that they dropped this just as he was getting old enough to join in, but later took piano lessons from her and other teachers. He fondly remembers the joy she received whenever he played her favourite songs. Karla and Dixie also blessed her heart with their music. Mom played piano by ear throughout her life, even entertaining residents at the Lodge with her playing in the last months of her life. She gave all her children a start in music lessons and several children and grandchildren carried on with their musical studies as a result. Mom became a fixture in the farming community as a piano teacher, inspiring many of the children toward musical pursuits. She and Dad faithfully attended the music festival in Lacombe for many years, supporting their grandchildren and other budding musicians in the community. Mom also loved musicals and the theatre, and we often attended productions together as a family.

Mom was a ‘word person,’ enjoying the challenge of word games like Scrabble, Boggle, and Upwards (she and Steve battled it out on many occasions) and crossword puzzles that she kept in her purse for quiet moments. She kept a book of jokes and funny stories to share with anyone who came for a visit.

Mom also loved literature and reading, two favourite authors were C.S. Lewis and L.M. Montgomery. Reading in the evenings became a family ritual, alternating between The Chronicles of Narnia and the Anne of Green Gable book series. Because of her affection for the Anne books, when Mom and Dad took their one big trip for their 25th Anniversary she chose the Maritimes, even overcoming her aversion to air travel for this ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to see Green Gables in person.

We are so thankful and blessed for the many years we have had with her, for her love, her steadfast faith, and her godly influence. She will be very dearly missed.

Funeral Services for Mrs. Erlyce Ten Hove will be held at Woody Nook Christian Reformed Church, 40104 Range Road 281, Blackfalds, Alberta on Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. with interment to follow in the Woody Nook Cemetery.

A Public Visitation will be held Wednesday, December 4, 2019 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Wilson's Funeral Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Erlyce's name to Lacombe Christian School,5206 58 St, Lacombe, AB T4L 1G9. 

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