Obituary of Florence RIBEN

Florence Riben, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, friend and remarkable lady, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 10, 2017 in Calgary at the age of 92. Florence lived for her family and cherished any opportunity to spend time with, and do things for, those she loved. As we cope with the loss of our great matriarch, Florence’s grandchildren have offered some words and memories of their Baba. “As broken hearted as I am sure we all feel, we have to remember that the six of us are the luckiest kids in the history of the world ‘cause we got to have that woman as our Baba. She drove through blizzards when our mothers were in labour with us, she kissed and bandaged ouches, sang “You are my Sunshine” like no one else. She was hands down, the most loving, caring, kind woman to walk this earth. Please sleep well tonight knowing that we have our beautiful Baba resting peacefully looking over us in some way.” “Yesterday my Baba, the amazing soul she was, passed away at 92 years old. We are all ribbons in time, twisting around each other for just as long as we can. I am honoured to have known her and my life is immeasurably better because of her. We will see each other again, just not in this lifetime. Rest easy. I love you.” “So many of our fondest memories of Baba are of time shared in the kitchen. She taught us to make pitahee, varenyki, pishki katorshki and so many more and these have become traditions in our own homes. Every time we make them, memories of quality Baba time bubble to the surface. Her greatest joy came from making those she loved happy, sometimes with a hug or a smile, and so, so often, with a feast of all our favourite Russian foods. Baba’s love will always be our secret ingredient.” Florence is survived by her sons Peter (Jill), Ned (Emily), Alex (Kathy); grandchildren Lara, David (Tara), Kathryn, Carmen (Jason), Andrew and Allison (Justin); and her sister Polly. Florence was predeceased by her parents Peter and Annie Postnikoff, husband Peter, brother Alex, and daughter-in-law Alanna. Thank you to the staff of the Chartwell Harbours Lodge for the wonderful care and attention you gave our mother and Baba, and thank you to the doctors, nurses and attendants at the Peter Lougheed Centre for making her final days comfortable and her passing peaceful.