Loretta Elizabeth Herperger

Loretta Elizabeth Herperger passed away in the early morning hours of Thursday, May 26th, 2022 at the Broadview Centennial Lodge after a brief but difficult battle with Covid.  She was 82.

Loretta was a fierce and creative spirit who was wholly devoted to the wellbeing of her children.  With her husband Alfred, she continually reinforced the importance of further education as a path to a better life.  She was also insistent that her children knew to never put themselves above or below others – that we are all in this together, deserving of respect and understanding.

Born on November 1st, 1939 on a farm in the Kolin District southwest of Esterhazy, Loretta was later raised by her parents John and Regina (Tereposky) Seman on the family farm next to Stockholm, where they ran the local dairy.  The eldest daughter in a family of five siblings, she attended all of her schooling in Stockholm before working with the Toronto Dominion Bank in Regina.

Returning home, Loretta married her high school boyfriend Alfred Herperger (son of Leslie and Elizabeth) at St. Elizabeth Church in Stockholm on May 12th, 1959.  They set up house in Stockholm and before too long they were blessed with two children, Cheryl and Dwight.  In the early years Loretta focused on raising her family, with occasional work as a substitute teacher and catechism instructor.  Loretta and Alfred were also instrumental in setting up the very first Figure Skating Club in Stockholm.

The family moved to Esterhazy in 1974, where both kids completed high school and then went on to university.  During this time (and with the kids in school), Loretta returned to work at the Royal Bank and Bank of Montreal in town.  And she worked with Alfred on the family hail insurance business, something that she would continue and eventually manage for several decades.

In the following years, Loretta joined Alfred as his career in the grain industry took them to Langbank (late 70s), Shaunavon, Swift Current (80s) and Yorkton (90s).  In that time, she worked at banks in Kipling and Shaunavon, and made many friends along the way.  When Alfred secured a job at the new Viterra Grain Terminal in Grenfell in the late 90s, they decided to return to the Stockholm/Esterhazy area and build their retirement home at Round Lake.  Some years later, Alfred moved to Broadview while Loretta remained at the lake until her dementia diagnosis in 2010.  Son Dwight returned from Montreal/New York to care for Loretta before she went on to the Yorkton & District Nursing Home in 2011.  She spent many spirited and fulfilling years at the Skinner Dementia Unit there before being transferred to the Broadview Centennial Lodge in 2017.

One of the passions of Loretta’s life was her work in politics and social justice.  She served as Constituency Secretary for the local MLA and then Provincial Agriculture Minister.  Loretta was actively involved in several election campaigns (in both partisan and non-partisan roles).  Ever the news hound, she devoted much time to keeping herself informed of the issues of the day (we have the newspaper clippings and recorded TV news stories of the day to prove this!).  Later on, she took several courses at the University of Regina Social Justice program and continued her advocacy with local community issues.

Loretta was inspired by the strong women of the early pioneer generation.  No doubt influenced by the example of her mom Regina – a quiet woman who “got the stuff done that needed to be done”, without credit or fuss – this was reflected in Loretta’s later relationships and efforts.  She sought out and became close friends with older women of wisdom; and mentored and befriended so many more, young and old, especially those without the support of others.  And unlike her mom, no one would ever accuse Loretta of being “quiet” – if something needed to be said, it got said!

But mostly, Loretta focused her energies on her two children.  They were her joy and life’s mission.  Cheryl took Loretta on many travel and holiday vacations over the years, and you can just imagine the presence that these two powerhouses had on any people they encountered!  They had the usual mother-daughter dynamics, but the love and respect was deep and without limits.  With son Dwight, Loretta was always up for debate and discussion on the issues of the day (which made for some very expensive phone bills), and the affection was deep and sincere.  There are particularly fond memories of all the visits that Loretta and Alfred took to see Dwight in Kingston and Montreal.

In her upbringing, Loretta was close to her parents (and the Tereposky clan in Lestock), and especially close to her brother Mike and sister Patricia.  With Alfred’s side of the family, Loretta cherished her friendships with Rosemary Hajdu (who introduced the two of them in high school), sister-in-law Helen Gal in Calgary, and in later years with niece Joanne Donnelly in Winnipeg.  There were many visits, long phone calls and wonderful memories made.

Loretta is survived by her daughter Cheryl (Calgary) and son Dwight (Round Lake), as well as her sister Patricia Bach (Prince George, BC).  She was predeceased by her parents John and Regina Seman; siblings Henry, Mike, and Bonita (Dimen); sisters-in law Dorothy (Brunskill) and Violet (Drotar), and brother-in-law Dave Bach; nephew Ross Seman; and husband Alfred, just in the past year.