Obituary of Anne Backman

February 25, 1951 – Lethbridge, Alberta

September 18, 2021 – Calgary, Alberta

Anne Backman, beloved wife of Phil Backman, of Calgary, AB, passed away peacefully in Rosedale Hospice on Saturday, September 18, 2021 at the age of 70 years.

The unforgettable Annie was the first of her family to be born in Canada and was grateful for a wonderful life in Alberta that was sadly cut short by cancer. Her parents Peter and Olga came to Alberta as refugees following World War II after years in a German prisoner of war and forced labour camps followed by refugee camps. As a first generation Canadian, Anne embraced all the opportunities Alberta provided. She spent much of her childhood in the Canmore-Exshaw area, loved the outdoors (especially on a golf course) and had lifelong friends in the Bow Valley. Anne was a sparkling soul with stunning turquoise eyes. She was full of energy (enhanced by a generous dose of ADHD), a competitive spirit and was never the first to leave a party. She had countless friends from her childhood, her neighbourhood including the Final Chapter book club, her meditation group, the Glencoe Golf Club, and many new friends at the La Quinta Golf Club. She had many adventures travelling in Canada and Europe with family and friends, in South America (including visiting her favourite city Buenos Aires and an unexpected stranding in the Falklands) and in Australia (including visiting another favourite place, the Daintree Rainforest). After surviving ovarian cancer in 2011, Anne had many more memorable adventures including a cycling trip in Tuscany with an incredible group of Canadians listening to Jim Cuddy and Barney Bentall under the Tuscan sun, to South Africa and Botswana (surviving scorpion bites), to Torrey Pines to watch PGA tournaments and to Ireland for golf and visits with her son-in-law Niall's Irish family. During the five months she battled an unbeatable cancer, Anne was fortunate to have her dear friends Val and Margaret support her and Phil every step of the way.

Anne is survived by her husband Phil (who married up), her sons, Cody (Janelle) and Rob who both inherited her athletic ability, and her daughter Barbara (Niall) who inherited her inner beauty and the inclination to always root for the underdog. Anne was a mother bear who would do anything for her three children and adored her four grandchildren, Caiden, Georgia, Tova and Austin. She loved watching her grandchildren play in her beautiful backyard. She is also survived by brothers-in-law, Al Backman (Diana) and Bruce Samson; her uncles, Peter, John and Max, Aunt Val, her nephew Randy Shiman (Allison) and numerous other much-loved relatives and friends.

In view of COVID, a private Graveside Service will be held at Canmore Cemetery (100 Glacier Dr, Canmore, AB, T1W 1K8) on Monday, September 27, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. A more appropriate celebration of Anne's life will be held at a future date. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed here. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Mustard Seed Street Ministry, 102 – 11 Avenue S.E., Calgary, AB T2G 0X5 Telephone: (403) 269-1319, www.theseed.ca or to The Calgary Humane Society, 4455 – 110th Avenue S.E., Calgary, AB  T2C 2T7, Telephone: (403) 205-4455, www.calgaryhumane.ca or any cancer organization.

Special thanks to all the doctors and nurses at Foothills Medical Centre who, in spite of the stress of the last eighteen months dealing with COVID, gave Anne such compassionate and at times life-saving care including Dean England and Drs. Adamova, Colgan, David, Galloway and Murray from the Palliative Care team, all the doctors and nurses in IPCU Unit 47, the Tom Baker oncology team (including Drs. Pabani and Zhang) and numerous dedicated ER/Urgent Care doctors and nurses. Also special thanks to all the nurses, staff and volunteers at Rosedale Hospice including Drs. Finvers and Pickering who helped Anne on her journey to the next life.

In living memory of Anne Backman, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area