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Our mother Shirley Joan McQuitty passed away peacefully on the morning of Wednesday, June 01, 2022 in her 93rd year, at Foyer Lacombe Hospice, St. Albert.
Shirley was born in 1928 in Victoria and spent her childhood in various places throughout BC – Victoria, Nelson, Vernon and Nanaimo, as her father was transferred with his work. She spoke fondly of the ‘gang’ she hung around with as a late teen in Nanaimo and the incredible times she had frequenting dances at the Pygmy dance hall on the weekend, where big band music got them up dancing and a large pasta meal at someone’s house rounded out the evening. Her love of big band music never wavered throughout her life. It is also during this time that she learned to drive her mother’s car, a Nash Metropolitan, and that started her love of old or fast cars and car shows.
After graduation from John Shaw High School, she made her way to Vancouver and worked for a few years at the Bank of Commerce as a teller. She was encouraged by her roommates to answer an ad for a position in payroll at Keno Hill Silver Mines in the Yukon. She was hired for the position and moved there in her early 20’s staying at Elsa Camp just down the road from the mine. It was there she met her future husband Stan. They left the Yukon and became engaged in Vancouver before leaving to go to Onaping, Ontario where Stan accepted a job with the Falconbridge mine. They were married in August 1954.
Within 2 years they welcomed their first child, Joan, soon after a son David, then 3 more daughters, Laura, Lynn and Karen. Life was busy and good – spending summers at their cottage on Windy Lake and managing the life of a family of 7, cooking meals, sewing clothes for the kids and as Shirley would say, ‘endless cleaning’.
When Stan accepted a job with Syncrude Canada they moved to St. Albert in 1965, and they settled temporarily on Salisbury Avenue while they built a bungalow for their family on Sylvan Drive. After they moved in to their new house, Shirley busied herself with making it a home alongside fostering her own interests. Walking, bicycling or shopping were worked into her week and she volunteered for the St. Albert Hospital Auxiliary with a group of ladies who became dear friends. They not only worked in the gift shop, they also spent many hours at sewing bees, making fabric teddy bears and dolls to be sold in the shop. The passing of her son in 1972 was a devastating blow and the loss changed her forever.
She took a part-time job at Woodward’s when the kids got older, working in the office and shortly after there was a transfer accepted by Stan to move to Fort McMurray in 1976. Once settled, Mom worked for Northward Developments (Syncrude’s housing arm) part-time showing new hires what their housing options were. Following that Mom put her finely tuned sewing skills to use and took a position at the local fabric store, The Silver Thimble.
Upon retirement, Shirley and Stan made their way south and settled in Edmonton in a beautiful house in the west end where their home became the central hub for their daughters visiting with their kids. It made for a busy place when there were family gatherings, birthdays or Christmas holidays. There was plenty of room, the yard was spectacular for various activities and the meals were excellent, not to mention the proximity to West Edmonton Mall. Along with Stan she turned her spare time into volunteering endless hours for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, after their first grandchild Jessie was diagnosed with the disease in 1983.
They started to spend winters in Phoenix and with the Edmonton home becoming too much work for them, they moved to a duplex estate area where they could enjoy less yard work and more free time travelling. After Stan’s passing in 2005, Shirley chose to move back to Vancouver Island to be closer to the water, which she loved dearly. She spent 5 years in Nanaimo, near her sister before returning to Edmonton to be closer to family.
Shirley was a glamorous, stylish woman who took great pride in her appearance and always dressed with such care whenever she left the house, never having worn a pair of jeans in her life. On her sewing table one would often find an outfit in the works for the next special occasion. She also had a remarkable memory, recalling names, dates and even phone numbers of friends from long ago. The details she could recall when telling a story from her past was astounding, and this memory served her well until her final days.
Shirley continued to be as active as possible, walking outdoors daily or in the parkade of the complex she lived in. She loved to do her crossword puzzles and was an avid reader, whether it be the newspaper or the endless books she devoured and was always up for a lively political discussion. She thoroughly enjoyed a visit when family came to her door, and especially when an offer of an outing was presented to her. Good and interesting food, with as much garlic as possible, was a source of great pleasure and she could never get enough. She was always trying new recipes or revisiting favourite ones well into her ’90s.
To the end mom sustained her dignity, determination, and positive outlook. She died peacefully, and surrounded with love.
Left to mourn are her four daughters: Joan McQuitty (Brian Bechtel), Laura Davie (Stu) of Calgary, Lynn Lokos (Clayton) of Edmonton and Karen Gable (Dennis) of Red Deer. Shirley is also survived by her grandchildren Tyson; Erin, Janet and Claire; Taylor and Ben; and Michelle and Wade, as well as her three great-grandchildren Molly, Austyn and Henry.
Shirley was predeceased by her parents Alice and Louis Moser, her son David, her husband of 50 years, Stan, her granddaughter Jessie and her sister, Beverly Petrie.
Shirley is also survived by her three sisters-in-law: Dorothy Arac, Shirley Shannon and Jeannette Fletcher, many nieces and nephews. and a couple of dear old friends.
Thank you to the staff at Foyer Lacombe who treated Mom with care and compassion during her time there, with special mention to chaplain Matthieu. We cannot thank you enough.
A service will be held for Shirley on June 25, 2022 at Connelly-McKinley Funeral Home, 9 Muir Drive, St. Albert. Condolences may be forwarded through www.connelly-mckinley.com
At Shirley’s request, please consider making a memorial donation to Cystic Fibrosis Canada in lieu of flowers.
www.cysticfibrosis.ca/get-involved/donate-today
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Shirley Joan McQuitty 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Edmonton, Province: Alberta