Obituary of Patricia Hurst

July 13, 1938 - Woodridge, Manitoba

June 23, 2023 - Calgary, Alberta

On Friday, June 23, 2023, our mom Patricia Hurst said her final goodbye, with her loving family by her side.

She goes to join her grandson Cody and husband David, and leaves behind her daughters, Tammy, Nancy, and Shauna, close family friends, Susan Storm and Erin Jessup, as well as her grandchildren, Courtney, Summer, Senna, and Jordan.

As a girl, Mom enjoyed baseball and sports of all kinds. She was an ‘A’ student and had ambitions to enter the medical field, but as was so common in those days, she was limited to one choice of career: secretary. She excelled at her profession however, and was an outstanding bookkeeper, secretary, scheduler and organizer. Mom moved to Calgary from her hometown of Winnipeg in the 1950s and spent many years of her working life at the Calgary Board of Education, ending her career at Ernest Manning, the high school from which Nancy, Tammy, and grandson Jordan graduated.

After separating from her first husband, the father of Tammy and Shauna, she and her two daughters were welcomed into the home of close friends, Holger and Marianne Storm, where they found refuge and love for the next four years. The Storms were instrumental in helping this newly single mother get back on her feet financially and emotionally in a time when divorce was taboo and married women were expected to quit their jobs and become homemakers.

At the Storms, Tammy and Shauna joined Storm kids, Kay, Keith, Susan, and Scott. Needless to say, the kids loved it! It was while living there that she met David. In March 1972, Shauna invited Nancy, the new kid in the class, to her seventh birthday party, and Nancy’s dad David met Patricia for the first time. It wasn’t long before David and Patricia were dating, and the two families united and moved to Westover Drive.

Mom and Dad enjoyed many years of hiking and camping in the Rocky Mountains with the family. David and the girls were avid skiers, but mom preferred hot chocolate and her book in the lodge. The family spent many summers at David's family cottage at Victoria Beach on Lake Winnipeg, where mom, using kitchen appliances that are today only found in museums, managed to put out fantastic three-course, made-from-scratch meals in her mother-in-law's turn-of-the-century "kitchen" complete with zero hot water. Mom was known for putting on a great spread at either the picnic table, the beach, or the Christmas table. She was a top-notch cook and an even better baker; her recipes have been handed down and cherished.

Mom had a great love of animals, in particular her three dogs and her backyard birds. The bird sanctuary she created in the backyard was even sanctioned by the city of Calgary. She was a lifelong donor to animal charities and Shauna and Nancy fondly remember the anticipation of the monthly delivery of "Owl" magazine. Dad's Zoology Master and mom's compassion for wildlife fostered a love of nature that persists in their daughters to this day.

When mom learned that grammar and old-style arithmetic would no longer be taught in school, she lost no time printing off extra worksheets for the girls and teaching those subjects to us herself. Mom's extra homework was not appreciated at the time by young teen girls but now we all credit her for our ability to string together a coherent sentence. She and Dad also insisted we write a thank you letter to each sender from whom we received a birthday or Christmas present. Those letters were to be long and detailed with both a draft and a good copy. They were excruciating at the time, but we chuckle now knowing that we learned gratitude, penmanship, and English grammar by writing those lengthy missives.

Once Mom and Dad became empty nesters and Mom retired from the School Board, she began a new adventure and opened a home-based childcare for young children. It was then that Erin Jessup, a bubbly baby, who mom child-minded for several years, entered her life. Erin was a joy, remained close to Mom, and was cherished till the end. During these years Mom took care to exercise and eat well and could be seen daily on her brisk walk around the neighbourhood.

Mom spent her final days in the loving care of the staff at Amica Britannia, where she was known as the ‘pink princess’. She loved her best friend Dot, crafts, outings, and Rockin' with Roman. She also encouraged visitors to smuggle in chocolate, even though it was not part of her doctors' diet plan. It was fitting that her last treat was a piece of Dairy Milk bar. Go well, mom. You are loved.

Condolences, memories, and photos can also be shared and viewed here.

In living memory of Patricia Hurst, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.