1928 ~ Margaret June MacKenzie ~ 2020
We are sad to announce the passing of Margaret MacKenzie on October 25, 2020 at the age of 92 years. She died peacefully in her sleep in the Continuing Care section of the Bow Island Health Centre where she had lived for many months. Margaret was an important part of the Foremost community for most of her life. She is survived by her sons, Colin (Susan Kierstead) and Richard (Jennifer Bain); her grandchildren, Lucy, Hazel and Charlie; and numerous nieces and nephews. Margaret was predeceased by her husband, Ken; their son, Norman; as well as her parents; sisters, Dorothy and Rose; and brother, Joseph. Margaret MacKenzie was born in Stettler on June 30, 1928, the second daughter of John and Pauline Lockwood. She grew up on the family farm nearby. Later the family moved to Stettler. This was the great depression of the 1930’s and times were tough. As her father was an invalid, Margaret was forced to leave school early. She worked as a hairdresser in Calgary, then Edmonton. After Margaret’s father’s death, her mother moved to Edmonton and set up a boarding house. In Edmonton she met Ken MacKenzie, an Agriculture student who often ate at the boarding house. They married in Edmonton in 1949 and moved to the Onefour Dominion Experimental Farm for about two years. While there, Ken was involved in the “cattalo” experiments, which sought to find a hybrid of cattle and bison. In 1951 Ken and Margaret took over the MacKenzie family ranch in Chin Coulee, near Foremost and converted it over time from a sheep ranch to primarily a cattle ranch. They raised three children, Colin born in 1951, Norman born in 1953, and Richard born in 1958. Ken and Margaret ranched until 1993 when they retired to live in Foremost. Margaret, along with her husband Ken, were heavily involved in the Foremost community. Margaret had a particular interest in artistic pursuits. She painted and did some design work. Among her earlier designs was the pronghorn antelope on the chinaware made for Foremost’s 50th Anniversary in 1963. There were very few years that the parade for the Foremost Stampede, the Maverick Mardi Gras, or local fair that she did not feature at least one float that she had played a major role in designing and working on. She was active with the Foremost Theatrical Society starting in 1972 and continued to be for many years. Along with Ken, she worked as a set designer and with lighting in the early years as well as with makeup, props and other backstage work. She also assisted Foremost School drama productions, particularly with makeup. She was particularly skilled at leathercraft. Aside displaying her own work in numerous craft shows, she spent many years teaching adult education courses in the County of Forty Mile and elsewhere.
Margaret was also involved with the Agricultural Society, the Senior Citizen’s Society, the Foremost Library, and the Foremost Community Hall Association. She was involved the the local 4H club as an assistant leader, working mostly with leathercraft. She judged leathercraft and food at many local Agricultural fairs in southern Alberta. Ken and Margaret went on a number of trips to destinations such as Aruba, Eastern Canada and the Southern United States in their later years. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in May of 1999. Ken passed away on October 16, 1999. Their son, Norman passed away in a tragic car accident on March 4, 2003. Margaret will be greatly missed by her children and grandchildren. We all remember her hard work in the community and, of course, her famous bread and cinnamon buns. Thank you to the wonderful staff at the Bow Island Health Centre Continuing Care Section for making Margaret’s last days as pleasant as possible. A memorial service will be held at some point in the future when it is safe to travel and gather. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Bow Island Health Centre Continuing Care Section, 938 Centre Street Bow Island, AB T0K 0G0 or Foremost Senior Citizen’s Centre, 103 1 Ave. E, Foremost, AB T0K 0X0. Condolences may be sent through www.saamis.com or to condolences@saamis.com subject heading Margaret MacKenzie. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Margaret Mackenzie October 28th 2020..
Saamis Memorial Funeral Chapel and Crematorium
Death notice for the town of: Medicine-Hat, Province: Alberta