Mrs. Florence Viona (Norman) Raven

Florence Viona Raven/Giles of Duchess, beloved wife of Errol Raven, passed away in Brooks on December 5, 2025 at the age of 83. Born to Adolf & Ella (Johnson) Norman on October 14, 1942, in Wetaskiwin, Alberta. Florence spent her early years in Leduc, Alberta, where she met and married Neil Giles. Neil and Florence were blessed with three boys David, Byron and Bobby and adopted Lynda to round out the family. They bought there first bed truck in Edmonton and followed the oilpatch from Edmonton to Drumheller to Edmonton and finally to Brooks in 1964. In 1973, they purchased and managed JoAnn Trucking. Florence was a fixture at the hockey rinks in the winter and the pool and ball parks in the summer. Keeping her children active and in sports was a very high priority for her. She was an excellent skater and raised the most money in a skate-a-thon one year. Florence and Neil separated and divorced in the late 80’s

In 1992, Florence and Errol Raven met in Leduc and were married on August 20th, 1994. They were very happily married for 31 years and had many adventures together. They loved to go gold prospecting in the interior of BC, camping, fishing , and travelling whenever they had the opportunity. They especially loved their garden and the vegetables they would produce. Zucchinis, pumpkins, carrots and potatoes were their staples.

Through the seemingly endless shuffles and moves throughout her life Florence gained and maintained many amazing lifelong friendships. Florence has a beautiful smile and was known to be strong, honest, hard working and most compassionate and caring women anyone would have the pleasure of knowing. She was also known for her spotless house and loved to clean.

Family was Florence’s pride and joy, and her greatest happiness came from being surrounded by her grandchildren—Lamont, Danielle, Marc, Neil, Sammy-Jo, Kristin, Dylan, Emily and Adam, her great grandchildren Shelby, Xander, Talia, Teagun, Maddison, Hailey, Sienna, Maverick, Navy, Oaklynn and Landin—and her precious great-great-granddaughter, Rose.

She is survived by husband, Errol; brother Ron; sons, David(Debbie) Giles, Byron(Jane) Giles and Bob (Kathy) Giles ; and numerous other family members. She is predeceased by her dad, Adolf, mother Ella, stepdad Stanley Moberg, daughter Lynda, brother Arnold, sister Viola and various aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Florence will be greatly missed by her family and friends. A memorial service will be held at Thom's Funeral Home on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 2PM.

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