Obituary of Grace Edna SZABO (nee Levai)

December 9, 1928 - December 14, 2019

On Saturday, December 14, 2019 after 4 weeks in hospital, our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend, Grace Edna Szabo, passed away at the age of 91 years in Calgary, AB.

Grace was born in Langbank, SK on December 9, 1928 but grew up in Hamilton, ON, where she completed her high school. At the age of seventeen, Grace moved to Kipling, SK with her family and in January of 1951, married Joseph Szabo, and began her farming life.  She remained in Kipling until July of 2019, when she moved to Calgary. Grace was a brilliant seamstress, an amazing vegetable gardener and a very hard-working and dedicated farm wife and mother.  To help make ends meet she spent many years working at the local grocery store and then the hardware store.  Grace was the ultimate multi-tasker, raising children, farming, working, baking, gardening, crocheting, knitting, and sewing.  She made the most beautiful quilts for everyone, and delighted in making knitted sweaters for her grandchildren. She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and was happiest in the presence of her beloved family.

She is lovingly survived by her son Glenn (Helene Tremblay) Szabo of Vernon, BC, (Jason (RaeAnne Moss) Szabo, Alexandra Tremblay and Charles Tremblay-Lavigne); and by her son Harvey (Cindy) Szabo of St. Johns’, NL, (Nathan (Thet Thet Thinn) Szabo, and Angela Szabo); and by her daughter, Nancy Waterbury, of Calgary, AB, (Ian Waterbury, Jeff (April) Waterbury and Nick (Meaghan) Waterbury).  She also leaves behind the lights of her life, her nine beautiful great-grandchildren, Grayson, Kannya, Joseph, Gam, Emma, Levi, Brooklyn, Juliette and Natalie.  Grace is also survived by brother-in-law William Szabo of Victoria, BC, and by numerous nieces and nephews.

Grace was predeceased by her husband, Joe in 2010; as well as her parents, Bert and Barbara; brother, Charles, and sister, Mary.

A celebration of Grace’s life will be held at McINNIS & HOLLOWAY (Deerfoot South, 12281 – 40th Street SE, Calgary, AB) on Friday, December 27, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.  Reception to follow in the Hospitality Centre at the Funeral Home. Graveside Service at Bekevar Presbyterian Cemetery, in Kipling, SK at a later date. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed on Grace’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com.

If friends and family so desire, memorial tributes in memory of Grace, may be made directly to STARS Air Ambulance, 1441 Aviation Park  N.E., Calgary, AB T2E 8M7, Tel; 403-295-1811; www.stars.ca, 

A tree will be planted in living memory of Grace Szabo. McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Deerfoot South, 12281 – 40th STREET SE, Calgary, AB T2Z 4E6, Telephone: 403-203-0525.