Obituary of Mary (Zel) Lazelle HARVIE (nee Sauder)

Mary Lazelle Harvie (nee Sauder) slipped away on Friday, May 14, 2021 in Calgary. Zel was the beloved wife of the late John Harvie (2018), proud mother of Betsy (Andrew Aziz) of Toronto, Alan of Calgary, Eric (Marian Johnston) of Banff and Will (Julia Rucklidge) of Christchurch, New Zealand. She was grandmother to Sian, John, Annie, Liah, Erin, Duncan, Kaitlyn, Toby and Matthew. Born in 1926 to the ‘Father of Irrigation Engineering’ PM Sauder, PhD (Hon) and to Florence Sauder, a nurse, she was doted on by much older brothers, Joe and Fred. Zel’s earliest years were itinerant as her family moved between major construction sites, research stations and ranches across southern Alberta. Educated mostly at boarding school, she earned a B.Sc. in Home Economics (1949) from the University of Alberta and completed post-graduate training in dietetics at Toronto General Hospital. After marrying in 1952, she worked as a hospital dietician in Edmonton while John attended law school.  Four children and several moves later, the family settled in Calgary in 1965 where John was a criminal court judge.

Zel was fun and sporty. When young, she swam and skated competitively. With her characteristic sense of humour, she recounted how as a demure bride she was given her own hip waders for fly fishing and a shotgun for duck hunting.  With single-minded determination, she took up skiing, canoeing, sailing, tennis and, later in life, cycling and golf. She was a proficient sportswoman but never an impressively skilled one mostly because she was just enjoying the moment and would frequently stop a play to chat. Zel was game for any adventure. In the mid-1950s, she and John drove and camped their way across Europe, an unusual adventure for young Canadians at the time. After John’s retirement, they were thrilled to visit more than fifty countries. Throughout the sixty-six years they were married, Zel and John cherished a long line of Chesapeake Bay retrievers. She was unable to pass a dog without stopping to admire and pat it.

Zel worked as a consulting dietician and volunteered with many good causes including the Junior League of Calgary, the Glenbow Museum, Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School, and the University Women’s Club. She threw great parties, and adored her many friends. Above all else, she was a loving wife and mother who will be dearly missed. In 2013, she and John moved to Staywell Manor in Calgary where their final years were spent amidst friends and devoted caregivers.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. Family and friends are invited to join Mrs. Harvie’s  service streamed live (see below) on the day of the service. Condolences, memories and photos can also be shared and viewed here.

In living memory of Mary Harvie, 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.