Donna Arie and Edith Erickson -Nieces to the Late Anne Kearnan

Celebrating an astounding legacy gift from the late Anne Kearnan

For the late Anne Kearnan, education and learning was a thread that wove throughout the tapestry of her life. Growing up in the Queenston area of Saskatchewan, Anne walked to school each day or travelled by horse and cart. Her time at school inspired her choice of career, resulting in her choice to become a teacher herself. Her first teaching position was at the same one-room schoolhouse that she had attended as a young girl, and was where she began her long and rewarding career as an educator.

The students loved her. Even after she retired, former students would approach Anne when they saw her out and about to tell her how much she influenced their lives. “She loved the kids,” her niece Edith Erickson says.

This love extended to her family Anne’s house was a second home for Edith and her sister Donna, who always felt welcome there. “Uncle George and Auntie Anne’s place became the favourite place to go,” Donna says; “We spent a lot of time there as kids.”

Her career in education also led her to meet her first husband George while teaching at a rural school near Laura, Saskatchewan. They married in 1960. Always an active part of her community, Anne was highly involved in the places she worked, whether that be by participating in the local teachers’ associations or by taking new teachers under her wing as a mentor.

“She always had an interest in women being a part of things,” Edith said. She believed that “you don’t sit back and let things happen, you take responsibility.”

When Edith was starting her own career as a nurse, she was grateful that Anne took her aside and talked to her about how important it was for her to be a leader in her own career.

Similarly, she encouraged her Donna to go back and finish her degree.

In their younger years Anne and George loved curling, with the rink serving as a social hub in small communities at that time. She and George also loved to dance, and Donna recalls: “Uncle George, Auntie Anne and our parents belonged to a square dance club and went to many dances.”

After George passed away in 1995, Anne re-married. Alongside her second husband Stuart Warren, she carried on her love of dancing: “Auntie Anne and Stuart continued to attend dances in Saskatoon, right up until their health would no longer allow it,” Donna says. “Dancing was a big part of their social life.”

Anne was deliberate and intentional in everything she did. A smart dresser, she had her hair done every week, paying the same attention to her appearance as she did in every other aspect of her life. Donna remembers “She was a very industrious person. She did everything correctly. Her house was always immaculate. If she served a meal, it was always the best.”

Anne’s studious nature extended to her finances, and she had a deep interest in improving the communities she was a part of. This interest became a significant part of her end-of-life planning. Always one to plan ahead, Anne designated a $1.15 million gift to SPH Foundation in her Will.

Her generous Legacy Gift to St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation’s Area of Greatest Need will benefit many people around and in Saskatoon and in the North, especially now that her donation has been designated to support the By Your Side Kidney Care Campaign.

Her nieces say Anne was always a very generous person. Although they did not know the extent of her philanthropic plans, Donna and Edith did recall that Anne frequently saw a Kidney specialist at St. Paul’s, so the By Your Side Campaign seemed like an excellent fit for her remarkable legacy.

With the Early Screening Program’s significant focus on education and empowerment, it seemed fitting to ensure that Anne’s commitment to education, leadership and kindness was respected. Anne’s generous gift was celebrated at the public launch of the By Your Side Kidney Care Campaign in September of 2024.

Anne passed away on July 31, 2021, and is deeply missed by her family, her friends, and all those that she mentored over the years. St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation is honoured to celebrate the life of the late Anne Kearnan… wife, aunt, teacher, curler, square dancer, and philanthropist. Anne’s forethought and dedication to improving the well-being and education of others is her legacy, and will live on for generations to come.