Obituary of Shirley Angela Yvonne Horsfall

January 16, 1950 – St. Helier, United Kingdom

March 22, 2024 – Calgary, Alberta

Shirley Angela Yvonne Horsfall, age 74, of Calgary, AB, passed away on Friday, March 22, 2024, from complications of a meningitis infection. Her loss is completely unexpected, and her friends and family are profoundly saddened.

Shirley was born on January 16, 1950, in St Helier, Jersey (Channel Islands - UK). Raised by her mother and stepfather, Yvonne and Alfred Roche, Shirley came to Canada at the age of 15. There she met and wedded her soulmate Malcolm “Mac” Horsfall in 1968 in Dundas, ON. Eventually settling in Calgary, Shirley and Mac raised two daughters and many dogs of all sizes. They also started, grew, and succeeded in many businesses, opting to make and control their own opportunities.

Through the ups and downs of Calgary in the 80s and 90s, Shirley could often be found at the Calgary Airport coordinating Customs clearances and freight movements for Trans Global Expediters. Through the 1990s until her passing, she also acted as the owner and manager of Calgary Rental Properties and its plethora of suites. Shirley and Mac were a passionate and devoted couple for 49 years until his death in 2017.

An avid flower gardener, a flowering orchid could almost always be found somewhere in her spaces. Shirley always found peace in hiking, exercising, travelling, and driving in Jaguars. She was a lover of socializing, good friends, a glass of Pinot Grigio, and she was a merciless ruler of the Scrabble board.

She is survived by her daughters Tanya Horsfall and Kira Spence, both of Calgary; her grandchildren, Asher Horsfall, Conor, and Ayla Spence; brother Les Roche and family in New Zealand, and sisters Carole Hunter and Suzanne Lapidus in the UK, their families, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She will be greatly missed.

A special thanks from Shirley’s family to all the staff and care providers at the Foothills Hospital Emergency, Intensive Care Unit, Units 64, 58, 42, and the Southwood Hospice. To all the wonderful friends who supported her during her final months, her family is too appreciative for words; thank you for honouring Shirley with your love and selflessness.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Shirley’s family here.

In living memory of Shirley Horsfall, 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.