Leigh HARDY
Leigh HARDY
Leigh HARDY
Leigh HARDY
Leigh HARDY
Leigh HARDY

Obituary of Leigh HARDY

February 27, 1962 – Camrose, Alberta
November 21, 2020 – Calgary, Alberta

On the morning of Saturday, November, 21, 2020, our precious Leigh slipped away from cancer’s burden. She had carried it with astonishing grace for eleven years…yet, it never defined her. What did define her was her joyful spirit, her passionate embrace of family and friends, her love of music and the dancing that went with it.

Leigh was born in Camrose, AB on February 27, 1962. Maybe it was her rural beginning that charged her life with a love of the countryside, nature and a closeness to animals, especially her beloved dogs.

Eventually her family settled in Calgary where Leigh began her reluctant relationship with school, from kindergarten to the end of high school. School was the place where friends were the main draw and the most exciting things happened outside its walls. Leigh was, however, as well read as most university Literature grads by the time she was fifteen.

Leigh’s education was self-directed as was most of her original, decisive, headstrong approach to life.  When she finally settled down to formal study it was to be a nurse out of Langara College in Vancouver.

Nursing was a good choice for a young woman as passionate about caring for people as Leigh was. Fittingly, Leigh’s career began at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, caring for the souls suffering from the yet uncontrolled ravages of AIDS. Her pragmatic and fearless nature served both she and her patients well. Leigh loved the adjective “brilliant” for things that shone in her estimation. Leigh was a brilliant nurse for the rest of her life.

In 1988 Leigh’s life in Vancouver started down a fortunate road when she met Jeff Crane in the restaurant where they both worked. He was to become the love of her life, her brave husband and father to Ethan in 1995, and Emma in 1997.

Leigh and Jeff settled back in Calgary in 1996 after Ethan was born, with Leigh nursing at the Rocky View and Jeff working at the Calgary Board of Education, as a much admired teacher and guidance counselor. She had returned to be close to her beloved mother, Nana Bea, and the rest of the family who were so happy to have her home.

Leigh and Jeff raised Ethan and Emma in Signal Hill and Discovery Ridge, the neighbourhoods where their children’s pals and their parents became Leigh and Jeff’s closest friends. These relationships have endured the challenges of guiding children and the passage of time. Leigh was a brilliant friend in the loyalty and love for the people she embraced. No small part of this was because she was simply so fun to be with.

Leigh was predeceased by our beautiful sister Pam in 2014, by our father Rod Hardy in 2016, and her dear friend Keith Craig in 2013. Those who survived our precious Leigh are her many devoted friends, amongst the closest: Shelley and Derek, Yvonne and Steve, and Carolyn and Barry.

Leigh’s passing creates an unfillable space in the family she leaves behind. Leigh’s beloved husband Jeff has been a fierce champion of her wishes and her needs through many challenging years living with cancer, but mostly he has been her best friend from the day they were married. Being Leigh’s husband was not a job for the faint of heart. Jeff is our hero.

Leigh’s greatest sorrow was leaving her children, Ethan and Emma to find some of their greatest joys without her. These two young people, destined to be teachers like their father, carry her wisdom and passion for life inside them. We will do our best to fill the loss with love.

Bea Hardy, Leigh’s mom was Leigh’s adored rock through her whole life. She is the center of our family’s strength, the tie that binds. Auntie Di, Bea’s sister set a wonderful example for Leigh of what a great Auntie is. The nieces and nephews who shared Auntie Leigh’s fun are: Anna, her husband Matt and their children Frances Bea and River, Sach and her husband Colin and their baby daughter Emery, Jessie and Renee, Pam and Chuck’s daughters as well as Uncle Chuck himself and his wife Dorothy. Leigh’s brother Roddy was her side kick in the duo we called the “little guys” in the Hardy family. They fought hard as kids and were fast friends as adults. Zoe, Leigh’s eldest sister is one of her closest friends and most ardent admirer.

Jeff’s family who mourn Leigh’s passing are his mother Connie, his father Robert and his partner Margaret, as well as Jeff’s sister Fiann, her husband Terry and their son Julien.

Our whole family would like to thank Dr. Jan Henning, Leigh’s oncologist for his compassion and brilliant care from the beginning to the end. We would also like to thank the doctors and nurses at Chinook Hospice in Calgary for their tender and loving care of Leigh and her family through her last days with us.

Dear Leigh you’ve left the ground we walk on but you will be here in our hearts forever.

A celebration of Leigh’s life will be held when it is safe to do so in the coming summer. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed on Leigh’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com.

In living memory of Leigh Hardy, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.

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