Obituary of Eleanor Elizabeth Nancy Fergusson

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April 11, 1932 - Kilmarnock, Scotland

March 30, 2023 - Calgary, Alberta

Eleanor Elizabeth Nancy Fergusson (nee Binnie) of Calgary, AB, passed away on Thursday, March 30, 2023 at the age of 90 years, surrounded by her family and their deep love for her.

Eleanor was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland on April 11, 1932. She travelled the world after marrying Alan in Symington, Scotland, going on to live in Kitwe, Zambia (where daughter Alex was born), Kitimat, Canada (where daughter Kim and son Ian were born), Derby and Harpenden, England, and finally immigrating back to Canada in 1977 to the frozen north of Thompson.  She made her last move from Thompson, to Calgary, in 1980, which would become her home for the next 43 years.  The size, and number, of the trees in their garden are a testament to the time she and Dad lived there and enjoyed their time in the garden.

After spending her childhood in Kilmarnock, Eleanor attended the Derby School of Occupational Therapy, one of the first cohorts to train there. It was her generation that laid the groundwork for modern occupational therapy, developing many of the techniques and practices that are still in use today.  They were pioneers and trailblazers of their time. She became a well respected Occupational Therapist, setting up and running the department in no time, before stepping away from her career in 1963 to bravely travel with her new husband to what was then Northern Rhodesia.  It was there that she began to raise her family.  She took the big step of returning to her profession, and all that entailed, in the mid 1980s as her children became teenagers. She was an accomplished Occupational Therapist at Sarcee Auxiliary Hospital, working there for many years, treating her patients with compassion, humanity, and skill while still managing to be an amazing Mum.  Eleanor was instrumental in starting the first wheelchair seating clinic in Calgary, which still runs today. She touched many lives over many years.

Eleanor accomplished much through her life and was particularly proud of the family she and Alan raised together through thick and thin. Eleanor’s most memorable times were being with her family, whether that was as a child with her parents and siblings on the Isle of Arran, or as a mother herself with her husband, children, and grandchildren, or taking up boxing at the age of 87!

She didn’t have a need to make herself the centre of attention and selflessly always put the needs of others ahead of her own.  She loved the simple pleasures in life; being by the sea, in the mountains, going for walks, tending and sitting in her garden, listening to the birds, watching a sunset and being with her family.

She will be most remembered for her practical and pragmatic Scottish approach to things, her phenomenal apple pies, that twinkle in her eye when she had a good laugh, her unwavering loyalty and her quiet but unshakable strength, resilience, tenacity and determination that drove her to “just get on with it” no matter what challenges came her way.

She will be missed profoundly by her family.

Eleanor is survived by her daughter Alex and son-in-law Colin Chisholm, son Ian and daughter-in-law Suzanna Fergusson, all in Calgary, daughter Kim and son-in-law John Narey in New Zealand, grandchildren Dirk, Ciara and Cassandra Chisholm and Justin Fergusson in Calgary, and her granddaughter Addisen Narey in New Zealand.   

She is also survived by her sister-in-law Eileen Binnie of Vancouver; nieces and nephews in Vancouver, Sheila, Kenneth, and Elaine Binnie, their spouses and children; nieces and nephews in the UK, John, Morag, Catherine, and Colin Warrack and their spouses and children; her cousin’s daughter in the UK Elizabeth Hanlon; and by many friends including Jack and June Davidson, Anne Amer, Trish Philp, and Mary Herring.

Eleanor was predeceased by her much loved husband Alan Fergusson in 2018, her parents Margaret and William Binnie, her brother Ken Binnie and sister Margaret (Bunty) Warrack.

A Celebration of Life will be held at McInnis & Holloway (Chapel of the Bells, 2720 Centre Street N, Calgary, AB T2E 2V6), on Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. Reception to follow in the Hospitality Center at the Funeral Home. Remote access to the service will be provided for family and friends who can not attend. Please contact the surviving family, or McInnis and Holloway for the access link.

In living memory of Eleanor Elizabeth Nancy Fergusson, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Crowfoot, 82 Crowfoot Circle NW, Calgary, AB T3G 2T3, Telephone: 403-241-0044.