Obituary of Betty Marie LOUDEN

February 12, 1925 – September 25, 2011 Betty Louden, beloved wife of Bob of Calgary, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 25, 2011 at the age of 86 years. Betty was born in Chancellor, AB in 1925, the youngest of five children of Ed and Marie Christensen. Her farm childhood gave her an enduring love of nature and the outdoors. She grew to love hiking and mountain climbing and was a founding member of the Canadian Youth Hostel Association and an active member of the Skyline Hikers of the Canadian Rockies. Betty graduated from the Calgary Normal School in 1944 and began her career as a teacher. She taught grades one to nine in one-room school houses for three years in rural communities surrounding Calgary. Then she moved into the city, and taught grade one before retiring from teaching in 1978. She taught the English component of the first English-French bilingual program in Calgary in the early seventies. Betty married Bob Louden in 1952. Betty and Bob and their family enjoyed countless picnics, hikes, and camping trips in the mountains. Betty always expressed a strong connection to the land, and she was thrilled to be able to get away “to the wilderness” in the years that she and Bob owned an acreage near Sundre and later a cabin in the Kananaskis. Betty’s family was important to her. She enjoyed good relationships with everyone in her extended family across the generations. She loved nothing more than family gatherings and staying in touch with everyone. Betty loved people and made many good friends through her involvement in numerous associations over the years. She was creative and artistic. Betty enjoyed watercolour painting and, in recent years, landscape quilting. She was a member of the Alberta Society of Artists and became a sought-after fibre arts instructor. Betty is survived by her husband Bob; daughter Colleen Lemire (Dave); granddaughters, Janet and Karen; son Blair (Carol Ann); grandsons, Austin and Evan; her brother Howard; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was in inspiration to all of us, and we will remember her as a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, tante (aunt), and friend. Friends and relatives are invited to a social gathering in Betty’s honour at MINNIS & HOLLOWAY’S Chapel of the Bells (2720 Centre Street North) on Saturday, October 1, 2011 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Condolences may be forwarded through www.mcinnisandholloway.com. In lieu of flowers and cards, a donation may be made to the charity of your choice. Arrangements in care of McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES Chapel of the Bells, 2720 CENTRE STREET NORTH. TELEPHONE: (403) 276-2296.