Rosebud loses a gem in Mexico accident

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

At 26 years old Anna Hudson had a promising future. She had just bought a house, accumulated two dogs and cat, was trailblazing her path as an engineer for KMC Mining in Fort McMurray, had moved in with her boyfriend, was two weeks away from her birthday, and was travelling to Mexico to attend her best friend’s wedding – a trip that was supposed to be a joyous occasion.
However, hours after arriving at the resort in Cancun, Hudson’s family, who farm in Rosebud, received a phone call late Wednesday night that stated Anna went down to the beach with the bride and the fiance, and was caught in a rip tide that dragged her into the ocean. Despite numerous efforts to save her life, Hudson’s body was brought in by the tide the next morning one kilometer from where she went missing.
Nearly a week later, her boyfriend, who was with her in Mexico, returned to Canada with Anna’s ashes, bringing her home to grief-stricken family and friends that are now remembering an outgoing, family-oriented, animal-loving, energetic, confident individual.
“When you grow up in the country and the door opens – it hardly every rings – someone just comes in, and that’s what Anna was like,” said Sherri Skibsted, who has known the family for 24 years and whose farm is located next to Hudson’s farm.
“She was a real light. She was a lot like her dad and her dad and her were very close. I say she was her daddy’s girl, she just did everything with him. Of course she was a mommy’s girl too, but they were so like-minded. The more days go on, I just can’t believe it.”
Skibsted described Anna as a bubbly girl with a cute giggle, who was social, loved to visit her family, came home for the holidays, and was the glue that held everyone together. She would volunteer with her father Art Hudson, who was a chief to the fire department, and had attended the University of Alberta to become an engineer.
“She lived up in Fort MacMurray, but made the trip as much as she could to come home to be with her mom and dad,” Skibsted said of Anna, who also has an older brother and a younger sister.
“If we were watching a program, she’d just come join us, if we were visiting at the kitchen table, she’d come in and join in, and she was a part of the family.”
Skibsted heard about the tragic events through social media and has spent much of her time since with the Hudson family. She said, according to the Hudsons, the area had been red flagged, but Skibsted questioned the visibility and patrol out on the beach.
“It’s such a shame,” said Skibsted. “She was smart, beautiful, her life was just beginning. I don’t know how they’re going to carry on without her.”
Anna Hudson’s funeral will be held on Nov. 28 at 3:30 p.m. at the Rosebud Church. Reception will follow at the Rosebud Hall.