Obituary of Shirley Anne Purves

 

April 21, 1950 – Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan

March 18, 2022 - Calgary, Alberta

 

Shirley Purves (nee Dyck), beloved wife of Orrion Purves, of Calgary, AB, passed away on Friday, March 18, 2022, at the age of 71 years.

 

Shirley was born in Meadow Lake, SK on April 21, 1950. She graduated high school in 1968, from Riverview Collegiate in Moose Jaw, SK. She then graduated from SIAST in Saskatoon 1971 with a Nursing Diploma. Shirley married Orrion in Yorkton, SK, in 1972. She went back to school and completed her Bachelor of Nursing degree from the U of C in 1997. She worked as a nurse in Flin Flon, MB, Thompson, MB, Castor, AB and Brooks, AB.

 

In Brooks she was promoted to an Evening Coordinator and was the Acting Executive Director by 1995. She managed the Brooks Ambulance Association until Orrion was transferred to Calgary. In 1997 she was hired as the Executive Director of a non-profit agency that provided family and community support services to the Calgary area. She spent the next 23 years growing the agency into one of the largest non-profit organizations in Calgary.

 

She was exceptionally humble, but her family is very proud of the many awards she received including, a Trail Blazer award from WXN Canada's Top 100 in 2009, being named one of 20 Compelling Calgarians in 2010, and receiving a white hat from the mayor of Calgary.

 

She also loved and was extremely proud of her six grandchildren. She loved the many family holidays, whether it was summer houseboat trips or winter ski vacations. Later in life she enjoyed traveling to Hawaii with friends and family, trips with her sisters to Mexico and Cuba, as well as trips to Australia and the Philippines with Orrion. She loved traveling and visiting family and friends, gardening, watching her Grandkids activities and sporting events. She had a real passion for cheering for the underdog. She loved helping others and supporting people and organizations that are improving family and community welfare.

 

She will be most remembered for being a tireless advocate for at-risk individuals and families and empowering people to make positive social changes in their own communities.

 

Besides her loving husband, Orrion, Shirley is survived by her two sons, Brian (Melanie) of Okotoks, AB, and Darren (Deidre) of Calgary, AB; her daughter Sherry (Harry) of Calgary, AB, and her six grandchildren, Hunter, Brynlee, Samuel, Graydon, Ophelia, and Hendrix, all of Calgary, AB.

 

Shirley is also survived by her brother Kenneth Dyck, of Calgary, AB and her four sisters, Patricia (Babak) Nouraee of Vancouver, BC, Francine Bohn of Toronto, ON, Sandra Spicer, of Yellowknife, NWT, and Julia (Victor) of Stettler, AB.

 

Shirley is predeceased by her mother Isabel Lingrell and her father Nicholas ‘Nick’ Dyck.

 

The family would like to thank the medical teams at the Peter Lougheed Center who supported Shirley through her battle with pulmonary hypertension and auto-immune diseases.

 

Funeral Services will be held at McInnis & Holloway (Deerfoot South, 12281 – 40th Street SE, Calgary, AB) on Thursday, March 24, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.  Graveside Service to follow at Mountain View Memorial Gardens. Reception to follow in the Hospitality Centre at the Funeral Home. Family and friends who are unable to attend in person are invited to join Mrs. Purves’s service streamed live (see below) on the day of the service. For those who are unable to view live, a recording of the service will be posted. Condolences, memories, and photos can also be shared and viewed here.

 

In living memory of Shirley Purves, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Deerfoot South, 12281 – 40th Street SE, Calgary, AB T2Z 4E6, Telephone: 403-203-0525.

 

 

Click Here to View Shirley Purves' Memorial Card

 

 

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