On May 7, 1947, Carole was born in Montreal, Quebec, where she attended school in Notre-Dame-de-Grace and, in summers, vacationed in Kennebunk, Maine, with her adopted parents, Lorraine Killorin and Ross Crawford. Throughout her life, Carole excelled in virtually every activity she undertook she was an accomplished academic, artist, athlete, mentor and friend to those who had the privilege of being in her life, whether in Eastern Canada, Alberta, or Scottsdale, Arizona.
One could speculate that Carole was born to compete with the likes of Hermes, or more appropriately, Nike, given the grace and speed at which she flew through life. An intrepid runner, she completed numerous half marathons, several triathlons, and consistently won in her age group. In the 1990s she completed in the Boston Marathon, cheered on by her husband John. Throughout her stellar professional career, she touched the lives of numerous colleagues at the Banff Centre, Telus, and ultimately, the University of Alberta, where she served as Vice-Provost and Registrar until her retirement in 2008.
Carole’s untimely passing leaves a legacy of unwavering love for her cherished husband of 25 years, John Byrne (Edmonton) and daughter, Trish O’Flaherty, of Ontario. Countless friends, neighbours, colleagues, fellow golfers, artists, and runners from Alberta and Scottsdale will miss her genuine warmth, humour, integrity, creativity, beauty, and indefatigable spirit.
John and Trish acknowledge with profound gratitude close friends and neighbours John Deacon, Anne Fry, and Liz Kennedy, whose constant support over the past 7 months will never be forgotten; and also the exemplary actions of the Edmonton Police Department’s Search & Rescue teams.
Given these challenging times, all are invited to celebrate Carole’s meaningful life by visiting www.connelly-mckinley.com to view memoirs of her life and contribute condolences. If you wish to add photos or reminiscence of Carole, please email sandy@gunderson77.com If you so desire, donations in memory of Carole may be made to the Edmonton Humane Society, 13620 163 Street, Edmonton, T5V www.edmontonhumanesociety.com
Joined throughout eternity, and forever in our hearts.
Reminiscences of Our Friend Carole, by the Herd
The three of us first met Carole when she was working at TELUS. It quickly became obvious that we four shared a love of running and of good conversation. Out of that shared love grew a weekly get together of a training run after work followed by a long dinner. This became a highlight of our week and over many years we got to know Carole well.
Carole was a ferocious member of our group which we came to call the Herd. She was a strong and capable runner, with enough competitiveness to easily match and even exceed our collective intensities. She was fun to be with, and always joined in with our conversation and banter. She loved to talk about running, gardening, her horses, her love of wine, and of course her daughter Trish. At times we felt if we could keep her talking, she’d be less difficult to keep up with.
It didn’t work very well. Carole never slowed down. But did we ever learn a lot about her flower garden and what she was planting this spring and how the various plants were doing. Talking about her lovely dog was also a good topic. She loved animals. Her collie was smart, beautiful and loyal. And, in desperation to slow her down, we’d even ask about knitting. She loved talking about knitting and so many other things. Carole was interested in everything.
Those were very good times. For years, from the middle ‘90s to the middle ‘00s, the Herd was out pounding the trails in the river valley once a week. And, the really fun part, when the run was over, we would go to dinner at yet another excellent restaurant in Edmonton. You just can’t have a better time than spending time with good friends by going for a challenging run and then reliving it all over drinks and dinner.
We realize now what a privilege it was to get to know Carole better. She was a private person but her love of life and the enthusiasm and passion she brought to all her projects was immensely engaging. The drive that was obvious in her athletic endeavours also showed in her work at TELUS and then at Stentor. Carole always strived for excellence. Her intelligence was obvious as soon as you met her and as you got to know her in more depth, her wisdom and understanding of people came to the fore. These qualities made her a good coach and mentor at work. She was a delight to be with and a valued friend.
The Herd misses you Carole,
Ken Pemberton, Joe Foster and Neil Kirkpatrick
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Carole Byrne 2021..
Décès pour la Ville: Edmonton, Province: Alberta