Obituary of Margaret Elsie REA

November 9, 1940 - Saltcoats, Saskatchewan
February 19, 2021 - Calgary, Alberta

On Friday, February 19, 2021, at 80 young years of age, we lost our ray of sunshine, Margaret Elsie Rea. Her kind and generous heart gave out. Left to remember her are her grandson Curtis, siblings, Grace, Emmy, Arvella, Elaine, and John (Betty); and many other family and friends. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband Bert, sons, Terry and Darcy; and siblings, Ida, Ethel, and Bob.

Margaret was born on the family farm in 1940 near Saltcoats, Sask. She moved to Calgary in 1957 at the age of nineteen, where she met her love, Bert Rea. They married in 1959 and moved to Forest Lawn, where they raised their two boys, Terry and Darcy, and their beloved little chihuahua named Chico.

As the boys grew, Margaret and Bert moved to their first acreage north of Calgary. Here, the boys grew up with horses, cows, chickens, and dogs. There were many great times and meals for all the kids and their friends on the acreage.

After several years on the acreage, they knew they loved the lifestyle and moved to a new location. While living on their Prairie Royale Estates acreage, Margaret found happiness through gardening and maintaining her greenhouses year-round. She was always an outdoor person and usually had a pet to accompany her during chores and on adventures.

Tragedy struck the Rea family far too many times with their sons’ passing (Terry in 1996 and Darcy in 2007) and again in 2012 when Bert passed away after fifty-three years of marriage. Losing one’s family is a burden that no person should carry alone, but Margaret was cut from a mold like no other. She rallied and strengthened her bonds with her siblings, grandson, nieces, and nephews and ventured on a new journey of firsts and personal pursuits that brought her more joy than she imagined.

When she wasn’t zip-lining down Freemont Street in Las Vegas (at age seventy-eight), she and her sisters and nieces, Shannon and Lana, took on many exciting adventures with excursions to Hawaii, Las Vegas, Nashville, and many cruises around the world. Elaine and Margaret also fulfilled a life-long dream of travelling to Europe, visiting England, France, Scotland, and Ireland - where she hung upside down to kiss the Blarney stone in torrential rainstorm no less. Another first was an upgrade to first class on their flight to London, where they got to experience travelling like movie stars, sitting in a luxurious pod seat. She especially enjoyed the complimentary champagne.

Bowling was a favourite pastime of Margaret’s. She played in a league for fourteen years and looked forward to it every week. Margaret was so devoted that she once played with a broken wrist because nothing was going to keep her down. Her independence and desire to persevere were especially noted when she accidentally locked her patio door. Instead of troubling the neighbours, she jumped off her two-storey balcony (she was then referred to as the “balcony ballerina”).

Her mischievous smile and hearty laugh were contagious, and when Margaret laughed - we all did. She had a youthful sense of humour and unexpected wit that was endearing to all ages. Margaret was small but mighty in all her endeavours. She will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by so many.

She now joins her husband Bert and sons, Terry and Darcy, to continue their journey together in Heaven.

To honour Margaret’s wishes, there will be no Funeral Services. She will feel your love and sympathy wherever you are. However, condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed on Margaret’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com. To continue her sons’ wishes, in lieu of flowers, if friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to The Calgary Humane Society, 4455 – 110th Avenue S.E., Calgary, AB T2C 2T7, Telephone: (403)205-4455, www.calgaryhumane.ca.

In living memory of Margaret Rea, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Chapel of the Bells, 2720 CENTRE STREET NORTH, CALGARY, AB T2E 2V6, Telephone: 403-243-8200.