Obituary of Shirley Forrest

December 4, 1933 – Morton, Manitoba

December 27, 2022 - Calgary, Alberta

We regret to announce the passing of Anne Shirley Forrest on Tuesday, December 27, 2022, at the Hillcrest Assisted Living Home in Calgary, AB.

Shirley was born December 4, 1933, to Charles and Ethel Forrest in Morden, MB, and was raised on a farm near Kaleida, MB. As the oldest and only daughter, she helped her mother raise her four siblings, while Dad had to wait until the boys grew a little more. Obviously, being a nursemaid to four kids during her younger days didn’t throw her off, as after graduating from Manitou High School, she entered the Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing and received her RN in 1956. She worked in hospitals in Galveston TX, Toronto, and Calgary. During her long career in Alberta, she attended the University of Alberta and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Shirley was always an avid reader, starting with the L.M. Montgomery books which were obviously her mother’s favourites given that she named her daughter after the heroine. During the long cold Calgary winters, she loved to curl, and played in a competitive league. Shirley’s most fulfilling hobby, was painting, which gave her an outlet to give keepsake paintings to family members. Watercolours were her favourite media, and she had a gift for it. She was always asking for photographs to be sent to her to make into paintings. Several examples of her work can be seen on the walls of the Chartwell Colonel Belcher Retirement Residence where she spent much of her retirement years.

Shirley is survived by two brothers, Larry, of Westbank, BC, and Fraser, of Dundas, ON; and she was also the proud and generous aunt (including great and great-great) to forty-one children. She was predeceased by her brother Keith of Pleasant Valley, MB, and Ron of Fort St. John, BC.

Shirley’s ashes will be interred alongside her mother and father in the Manitou Cemetery. Condolences, memories, and photos can also be shared and viewed here.

In living memory of Shirley Forrest, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Heritage, 1708 – 16th Avenue NW, Calgary, AB, T2M 0L7, Telephone: 403-243-8200.