THE FRANK & AGNES LOVSIN STORY

– THE LEGACY CONTINUES…

Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta is honoured to feature the Lovsin family, who created the Frank & Agnes Lovsin Legacy Fund in 2017. The Lovsin’s started a fund to support the community of Peace River, an area that was near and dear to the family since they made a home in the region in 1962. Within a year and a half of each other, Frank and Agnes completed their earthly journeys, with Agnes’ passing in May of 2021, followed by Frank passing away in November of 2022. Their legacy lives on in their family and the community they helped to build and support over their 60 years together.

Agnes Eisler was born March 16, 1936 in the small town of Cadomin, Alberta and her affection for this community plus the entire Coal Branch was clear to all who knew her. Cadomin was the place that she loved all her life. The mountains, the air, the wind and the people. As the coal mines closed down in the early 1950s, the Eisler family relocated to Edmonton where Agnes completed high school and quickly thereafter started her nurse’s training at the Misericordia Hospital graduating in 1957. Subsequent to her graduation, she was employed as an RN at the Oliver Institution, as well as at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. Her family remembers how sharp she looked in her nurse’s uniform with her white hat when she worked at the cancer clinic in Peace River for many, many years.

Frank was born January 28, 1934, in the small town of Mountain Park, Alberta. When the coal mine closed in Mountain Park in June of 1950, this was a defining moment in his life. This decision led to a lifelong journey of being in control of his own destiny and assuming the responsibility for looking after those he loved and cared for. After an initial move to Edson, Frank began a career in the meat business with Canada Packers and this eventually led to his entry into business in November of 1955 with the creation of Freson Market Ltd. in Hinton, Alberta. From this small meat shop on movable skids to Freson Bros. of today, he was extremely proud of all those who helped along the way with this incredible journey, which continues to this day.

The Coal Branch influence came calling again when Frank and Agnes met at a wedding in Edson and within a year, they were married on June 13, 1959. They started building a life together in Hinton followed by a move to Peace River in 1962 which would be home to them for the following fifty-eight years. Agnes immersed

Each is given a bag of tools, A shapeless mass, a book of rules. And each must make – ere life is flown, A stumbling block or a stepping stone.

- R.L. Sharpe

herself in the community and as a busy mom of four rambunctious kids plus the pals that they brought home for lunch, supper, cinnamon toast and hot chocolate. Frank was the type of dad that attended all school and sporting events including figure skating, Ukrainian dance, piano recitals, track and field, hockey, football or baseball and more often than not, he was coaching one of his children at the time. Whether it was hitting pop flies to the Lovsin children and their friends at the Forestry, playing road hockey in the winter on Sunday afternoons or teaching us about life, he was there with his biggest booster, Agnes.

Frank was forever busy working on another project whether it was for the local Chamber of Commerce, a provincial or national board, or on a new business venture. He always looked for the positives in all situations and had an inherent gift in believing the best was yet to come. We heard often that the difference in business, every business, was the people and he proved it many times over.

Agnes was Frank’s biggest fan and very often he indicated that he could not have built Freson Bros. without her. Whether it was in the garden weeding and watering the flowers or listening to Mozart loudly in the living room, she was with him every step of the way and although they were two people, they were one person with similar dreams, aspirations and beliefs. Their love and respect for each other was apparent to all; the greatest gift parents can give to their children. Frank was a man of incredible character, integrity and devotion who led by example in all aspects of his life, every day.

In 2017, the Lovsin’s developed a donor advised fund with Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta. Each year, the Lovsin family deliberate on applications received to support the Peace River area.

PROJECT AND INITIATIVES INCLUDE:

● EE Oliver School - $2,500

● High Prairie Museum - $4,300

● Fairview Fine Arts Society - $4,337

● Northern Lake College - $15,000

● Nampa Museum Society - $10,000

● Peace River School Division - $10,000

● Friends of the Shepherds Society - $10,000

● First Baptist Church - $10,000

● Peace Regional Outreach Student & Daycare Support Society - $10,000

The community support of these Peace River area initiatives speaks to the Lovsin’s desire to uphold the community through a variety of social programs and projects. Frank and Agnes’ legacy of building community will continue to support the area they called home for now and forever. Their support transcends death, their story lives on through lasting impact, and their foresight in planning for community will provide sustainability and growth for the Peace River area for decades to come. Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta honours this incredible couple and their family and offers our sincerest appreciation to their significant and meaningful support!