July 25, 1951 – October 13, 2022
It is with profound sadness we announce the passing of Margaret (Maggie) Ruth Ballantyne at age 71 at the St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta after battling cancer for the last several months. Maggie was born in Calgary, Alberta and lived there until 1969, when the family moved to Edmonton. Maggie attended the University of Alberta where she obtained a degree in Zoology. She had a long career at the Royal Alberta Museum, where she held positions in Natural History, Collections Management and Education. She retired in 2008 to care for her family. Early in her career she worked on many research projects with the University of Alberta and Canadian Wildlife Service, which included the study and reporting on Pelican behavior, small mammal trapping, and other field work.
Maggie had many interests. She was an avid gardener, knew the botanic names of many plants, and even worked part time at a greenhouse during her first years of retirement. She loved birdwatching and always participated in the annual Peregrine Falcon watch. Maggie enjoyed all kinds of music from jazz to folk, from classical to modern and loved to attend live music performances with her daughter and her friends. Maggie spent many years volunteering in the music library at CKUA radio and singing in the Cosmopolitan Choir. She was very involved in genealogy and would light up whenever she had the opportunity to share her research with friends and family. She loved history and never missed the tours of Historic Edmonton week. Maggie enjoyed sharing her wealth of knowledge with others, especially her daughter and grandkids and she loved to travel. She had been planning a trip to Egypt with several close friends when she fell ill.
Maggie is predeceased by her parents Duncan and Ruth (Coverley) Ballantyne of Edmonton. She is survived by her daughter Meagan Ballantyne, her grandchildren Kiera and Kali, her brother David (June) Ballantyne of Courtenay, BC and nephews Gwynn, Owen (Elsemieke) and Ciaran, as well as many friends and other extended family.
A celebration of life for Maggie will take place on November 12th at 2 pm at Connelly-McKinley Funeral Home in St. Albert. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, the family asks donations to be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Margaret Maggie Ruth Ballantyne 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Edmonton, Province: Alberta