Irene’s Obituary
Irene Meriam Findlay, age 97, passed away peacefully on February 2nd, 2021 in the Killam Long Term Care Center.
She is pre-deceased by her husband, Gordon Clare Findlay, one granddaughter, Melanie Aliwalas, as well as her parents Gus and Bertha Spankie and all of her nine siblings.
Mourning her loss are her five children, Cheryll, Miriam, Dawn, Susan and Bob, her 15 grandchildren, 29 great grandchildren and 1 great great-grandchild.
Irene was born December 22, 1923 in High River, Alberta. She was raised on a farm in Brant, Alberta. She married Clare at the start of WWII just before he was shipped overseas with the RCAF.
After the war, they took up farming on his family farm outside of High River. Alberta. Soon along came three daughters, Cheryll, Miriam and Dawn, and her husband’s dream to move abroad and join the United Church Board of World Missions.
But first a five year stopover in Edmonton so Clare could complete a 4-year agriculture degree and one year of Theology. Their youngest daughter, Susan, was born during this time.
With university finished Clare and Irene were selected to take their family to South Korea to work with farming communities that had been devastated during the Korean War. In preparation for this placement, they spent a year in New Haven, Connecticut to study the Korean language at Yale. In this endeavour Irene proved to have an excellent ability for learning languages. She became quite fluent in Korean and could still speak it well many years into her retirement. Through all of these years, Irene provided a warm homelife for her family and involved herself in community activities and church events as well.
Upon arrival in Korea, Irene and Clare dove right in to becoming a part of the mission community as well as making many friends and contacts in the Korean town where they lived. It was during their second term over there that they adopted a son, Bob.
The Findlay’s spent a total of 13 years in Korea with a furlough home every five years. In 1973, they retired back home in Canada, but hardly to rest on their laurels.
Clare secured a job as the ranch manager at the University ranch in Kinsella and Irene joined the WI and the UCW in the United Church.
She always had something on the go. She had a love of arts and crafts and always had her hands in some artistic project and took classes when she could.
In about 1978, they began to build a house on a lot in Sedgewick. It was finished in 1979 and they moved in that year. But even then, retirement did not arrive.
They grew a large garden and kept themselves well supplied until the magic age of 65 when they formally retired. Around that time Irene caught the travel bug. Clare went on a couple of trips with her to Hawaii and Vancouver Island, California and down to Mexico. However his declining health eventually kept him closer to home and Irene then took trips with friends to far flung corners of the globe: Switzerland, Arizona, China, Ontario, and twice to South Korea.
They enjoyed their retirement together, welcomed a total of 15 grandchildren into the world and loved visiting and being visited by their ever-increasing family. She was an accomplished cook and baker and always had a new delightful dish for her kids to sample. She was very active in the community visiting friends, bowling in the local women’s league and creating many quilts with the UCW quilting group over the years. Her most outstanding accomplishment during her Sedgewick years was as an instrumental partner in opening the Good AS New shop, which became quite a huge success. A point of great pride for her.
A year after Clare’s passing in 2006, Irene moved into Sedgewick Lodge where she lived for 6 years. During this time they discovered she had Alzheimer’s disease and she was eventually moved into the Killam Long Term Care Center in 2013. Through all theses moves, Irene remained cheerful and showed the staff her ever pleasant disposition and love of corny jokes. They speak fondly of the time they spent with her there.
Irene was in the company of her daughters by phone and in person as well as one granddaughter at the time of her passing. She was loved very deeply by her family and will be greatly missed.
Due to Alberta Health Regulations, there will be a Private family Funeral Service at the Viking Alliance Church with Pastor Paul Warnock officiating. Interment to follow at Sedgewick Cemetery, Sedgewick, Alberta.
Donations in memory of Irene may be made to Alzheimer Society , 10531 Kingsway N.W., Edmonton, Alberta T5H 4K1 or to Compassion Canada, 985 Adelaide St. S., London, Ontario,N6E 4A3
A link to the service will be posted at a later date.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Irene Meriam Findlay February 2 2021..
Death notice for the town of: VIKING, Province: Alberta