Evelyn May Grabowecky

Evelyn May Grabowecky, age 79 died on November 22, 2011 in Canmore, Alberta, after a courageous battle with brain cancer.

Evelyn was born in April 1932 in Winnipeg, Manitoba to Ernest and Edith (nee Oakes) Joseph, a younger sister to Frances. Evelyn was proud of her maternal grandparents James Oakes and MaryAnn Rowlance, who left lives as a coal miner and mill-worker for the challenge of homesteading on the Canadian prairie near Gladstone, Manitoba. She was also fiercely proud of her clever and creative father, Ernie who had emigrated from England, eventually bringing his entire family to Canada. Evelyn's profoundly individual spirituality came from Ernie, her coloring and feistiness from her grandmother MaryAnn, and her devotion to the Anglican Church from Edith.

She attended Queen Elizabeth School and Norwood Collegiate in Winnipeg for high school. The great Winnipeg flood of 1950 occurred during her grade 12 year. Her family was evacuated and her school was taken over by the army to fight the flood. Evelyn and a friend used a classroom, the only one that had been cleaned out after the flood, and they studied together every day. Evelyn was the only student from her class who passed her grade 12 exams. She went on to the University of Manitoba for a Bachelor's degree.

After finishing University, Evelyn worked for Manitoba Hydro where she saw her first microwave oven in action (buying one as soon as they were readily available). She married John Grabowecky in 1954, and in 1962, moved to Regina. John and Evelyn decided to participate in a foreign aid project in Ghana, and moved to Accra in 1966 with their 2 young children, just in time to witness a revolution first-hand. The adventure continued with a two-month leave visit to Europe, which produced a life-long fondness for Rome.

Shortly after returning from Ghana, John and Evelyn moved to Calgary where she worked as an Avon Lady to gain sales experience. She then worked for Birks in downtown Calgary, where she became manager first of the China and Crystal department and then of the store at Market Mall. When John retired she realized her dream of living in the mountains when they built their house in Canmore.

Evelyn spent 77 of her summers at her beloved Victoria Beach in Manitoba, enjoying sitting on the beach with a good book, eating bread and goodies from the bakery, paddling in the canoe, and watching sunsets over Lake Winnipeg.

She was intellectually engaged and curious her whole life. She read continuously, both fiction and non-fiction, and was particularly interested in psychology, religion and science. While her daughter was in University, she often read her psychology and religion textbooks just for fun. She also enjoyed literature and popular science, passing her love of learning on to her children and grandchildren.

Evelyn was the family historian and archivist. She was a repository of family stories, and was delighted to travel to England and Wales in 2001 to explore her family origins. She loved to travel, spend good times with friends, cook fabulous meals for friends and family, meditate, and go for coffee after church with her friends. While she was a member of the Calgary Winter Club, she played badminton, curled, was a really good bowler and made some great friends.

Evelyn spent a good part of her life engaged in service to others. While at the University of Manitoba, she regularly took a long bus ride to Selkirk to volunteer at the Provincial Mental Hospital. She continued volunteer work at Sarcee Hospital in Calgary and at Canmore Hospital Extended Care. She also was a life-long and active member of the Anglican Church Women, most recently at St. Michael's Church in Canmore.

Evelyn is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, John, of Canmore, her daughter, Marcia (Ken Paller) of Evanston, Illinois, her son, Chris (Cindy) of Calgary, her grandchildren Devin, Cheryl, Jackson, and Michael, and her sister, Frances Steele (Bill) of Toronto.

A celebration of Evelyn's life was held at St. Michael's Anglican Church in Canmore on Monday December 5, 2011, followed by a reception in the Church hall.

Evelyn supported World Vision (www.worldvision.ca) and the Mountain Grannies (www.stephenlewisfoundation.org). Her family also suggests donations to Palliative Care at Canmore Hospital, to Brain Tumour Research (www.braintumour.ca) or to a charity of your choice.

Her family also wishes to thank the staff and volunteers of the Tom Baker Centre (Calgary) and all of the staff at Canmore Hospital (the nurses, the doctors, the cafeteria staff, and the cleaning staff) all of whom made her final days as comfortable as humanly possible.

And remember, as Evelyn was fond of saying: "It's 5 o'clock somewhere!"

Services provided by Russ Reynolds and Bow River Funeral Service.