Obituary of Yvonne Ida Maude REID

Our beloved Mom passed away at the Rockyview Hospital in Calgary five days after celebrating her 76th birthday; surrounded by family members who were at her side until she drew her final breath. Her short but fierce battle with lung and brain cancer - an incredibly aggressive and cruel opponent - ended when after a brave, hard-fought battle she finally surrendered, and moved into a profound space of graceful acceptance. Mom leaves her earthly home and journeys to her heavenly one, to be welcomed by the love of her life, our dad Jim; and great-grandson Gordon Charlie James. Although Mom's last few weeks were some of her hardest, she faced the challenges with such indomitable spirit, and took great efforts to reach out to people who were important to her, a great number of whom flocked to her side to show their love and support in her final days. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ After her long career as a Cafeteria Manager with Calgary Co-op, Mom started a day-home for a select few fortunate children who were entrusted to her care, many of whom remained in contact with "Nana ‘Von" well into adulthood. Eventually Mom created a travelling cleaning service through which she made many more enduring friendships. When Dad ultimately became too ill to care for himself, Mom fulfilled her promise to not move him out of their home, and instead, gave up her business to become his primary caregiver for the last 18 months of his life. Mom was a woman who liked to take on new challenges - learning to drive at the age of 40; downhill ski at 50; curl at 60; golf at 70; and after Dad's death, conquering her fear of the water by signing up for swimming lessons at the age of 74. She was a private woman, and surprised everyone in December of 2016 when she announced out-of-the-blue that she was moving back to her childhood home of Newfoundland to care for her ailing brother and sister-in-law; and "to be closer to Dad", whose ashes she'd scattered in the Atlantic Ocean. In January of 2018 she made the difficult decision to move back to Calgary in the hopes of receiving better care for what she suspected was a serious illness. We are so grateful that she was able to spend her final five weeks back home with us. Our mom leaves behind an extended tribe of family (including devoted daughters Deneise and Denette, beloved grandchildren Chelsea and Aidan, and great-grandson Paul, as well as adored sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews and cousins); friends, neighbours, and clients - all of whom can draw on countless cherished memories to bring a smile - just the way she would have wanted it. A Memorial Service will be held at HERITAGE FUNERAL HOME, 1708 - 16th Avenue N.W. (across from the North Hill Shopping Centre, Calgary) on Tuesday, March, 06, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. If you feel so inclined, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mom's name to the Children's Health Foundation of Vancouver Island,the organization responsible for providing equipment and therapy for her two precious great-grandsons, 2390 Arbutus Road,Victoria, BC V8N 1V7 ,Phone: 250.519.6977,Fax: 250.519.6715, http://childrenshealthvi.org/