Mireille Delesalle

It is with great sadness that the Delesalle family announces the peaceful passing away of Mireille Delesalle on January 10, 2025 in Canmore AB with her family by her side.

Mireille will be fondly remembered by her children, Nathalie, Bruno (Janet), Marco (Kelly), and her two grandchildren, Amélie and Nicolas.

Mireille was the eldest of 3 siblings and is survived by her brothers, Guy, (Alison) and Emile (Maria), nieces, Anna, Lily, and nephews, Richard, Pierre and grand-nieces and nephews.

Mireille was born on the Mediterranean coast, in St. Raphaël, France, in 1938. She grew up in a small town, Aurignac, not far from Toulouse. After the war, Pierre et Ginette LeBars relocated their family to Canada, Rimouski, Que. Mireille was 14 years old.

As a young woman, Mireille, worked for Quebec Air as a flight attendant. After a brief stint at university, Mireille met her charming French adventurer husband, Phillippe Delesalle, who was finishing off Architecture school at McGill. They married in 1960, then immediately took their turquoise VW Bug across Canada to Calgary, AB where their 3 children were born. Mireille’s life as a devoted mother and wife became very full with adventures of frequent international travel, hiking, climbing, skiing Lake Louise and later, as the children were older, international bike touring, backcountry ski trips, heli-skiing, Nordic skiing and many trips with close friends Hans and Margaret Gmoser. Mireille also received her pilot license in the 60’s and flew a small Cessna! Mireille and Phillippe later became very involved with national and World Masters Nordic Ski racing, with Mireille claiming numerous bronze and silver medals at the national level.

In 1960, Mireille and Phillippe acquired a small cabin on Policeman’s Creek in Canmore and permanently moved there in 1973. In 1970, they purchased Swansea Ranch in the Columbia Valley which was to become integral to their way of life as a family – raising horses, gardening, hiking and sharing their ranch life with close friends. It became the Delesalle summer camp for all their friend’s children for many years.

Mireille was a woman of many talents. Not only was she an amazing cook, gardener and seamstress, Mireille was very artistic. She studied drawing at the Allied Art Center in Calgary and ballet during the early years then became involved with ceramics at the Banff Center For The Arts. Mireille became involved with The Banff Mountain Film Festival as a translator for many years. She went on to become the translator for the French IOC Delegation before and during the ’88 Calgary Winter Olympics.

Mireille will be remembered as a woman of great elegance, grace, and poise, with such generosity of spirit. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. A celebration of life will be held later this summer.

Donations in memory of Mireille Delesalle may be made to the Mayo Clinic for Parkinson research or to the Canmore Hospital Foundation. The Delesalle family would like to extend a very special thank-you to the caring staff at Origins, Alberta Health Care and the Canmore hospital.