Obituary of Jennifer Anne Prest

February 18, 1941 - Bournemouth, Dorset, England

April 17, 2024 - Calgary, Alberta

Jennifer Prest, beloved wife of Martin Stocker, of Calgary, AB, passed away on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at the age of 83 years.

Jennifer Anne Prest was born on February 18, 1941, in Bournemouth, England. She is predeceased by her parents, Charles “Bill” Prest and Nora Prest (nee Thresher). She is survived by her husband Rupert “Martin” Stocker, Alison Hickman (Jon), and Caroline and Cameron Hickman of St. John’s, NL, and her sister Elisabeth Gascoigne-Lockwood (Peter) of Donhead St. Andrews, England.

Jennifer completed her secondary education in Poole, Dorset, in 1958. On her mother’s advice, she took a secretarial course and set out to explore the world. She went first to Geneva, Switzerland, where she worked as a clerk for the World Council of Churches. Her next move was to London for a job with the Information Service of the European Communities. This was at the time that Britain was requesting admission to the EU; providing an insight into the politics of the day. Anxious to take a look at the Commonwealth in 1963, she set sail for Canada, settling in Toronto. Looking for a way to cross the continent, she took a summer job at the CP Hotel, Chateau Lake Louise, which meant a free pass on the train. She continued on to Vancouver but a part of her heart stayed in the Rockies. The romance of Robert Service’s poetry drew her to Yukon where she stayed for almost a year. Her agenda took her to New Zealand and Australia’s Gold Coast before she returned to England in 1966.

Travelling around the world and meeting people of different races and nationalities led Jennifer to realising that she should pursue her education, and in 1968, she enrolled at the University of Calgary. Her studies in history and English fitted her for a career in teaching social studies but Jennifer soon realized that she had ten years of work experience and, after listening to many of her students, changed course and became a Business Education teacher. The 1970s was a time when personal computers were coming onto the market. Jennifer saw an opportunity to introduce students to programming as typewriters were replaced by computers in the classrooms. Jennifer obtained a Master of Education degree in Computers in Education from the University of Toronto, at a time when computer literacy was becoming a necessity for all education systems. Jennifer worked on several curriculum committees for Alberta Education and was President of the A.T.A. Business Education Council. In 1992, she was awarded the Charles deTro Award for Outstanding Contribution to Business Education.

In 1989, Jennifer took a position as an instructor in the Office Administration Department at SAIT. One of the most successful courses that she taught was called Project Management, in which the students organized a conference. The course later became known as Events Planning, which recognized the changes that were taking place in offices because of computers. Many of the more menial tasks were being absorbed into software, calling for office personnel to have decision-making and organizational skills. Jennifer retired from SAIT in 1998.

Jennifer married her soulmate, Martin Stocker, in 1987. They shared a love of travel and spent vacations in Mexico, the Galapagos Islands, Morocco, and France, not to mention England, Scotland, and Wales. Once retired, they discovered cruising and went further afield, including the Baltic, South China Sea, and South Africa. They were snowbirds in Arizona for 22 years with a second home in a park in Mesa. As the number of Eastern Canadians increased in the park, Jennifer saw an opportunity to organize a Canada Social that has become a regular event to this day.

Retirement also allowed Jennifer to pursue her passion for local history. She joined the Chinook Country Historical Society and worked on the organizing committee for Historic Calgary Week for many years. As a cruciverbalist, she also created history-themed giant crossword puzzles that appeared in the Calgary Herald. Jennifer personally solicited local businesses to provide prizes for people who successfully completed the puzzles. She was a self-confessed cryptic crossword addict.

Throughout her life, Jennifer had been blessed to have had many friends to whom she is indebted. Their friendship and support have added a richness to her life that provided a quality that can be summed up as “a life well lived”.

A Memorial Service will be held at McInnis & Holloway (Chapel of the Bells, 2720 Centre Street N, Calgary, AB) on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. Reception to follow in the Hospitality Centre at the Funeral Home.

Family and friends who are unable to attend in person are invited to join Jennifer’s service streamed live (link to follow) on the day of the service. For those who are unable to view live, a recording of the service will be posted.

In lieu of flowers, Jennifer would appreciate donations being made to the ALS Society of Alberta, at www.alsab.ca, and the "Jennifer Prest Bulbar ALS Fund" that has been set up jointly at the University of Calgary and The University of Toronto (Jennifer was an alumni of both universities) to further research into the diagnosis of Bulbar ALS.

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

In living memory of Jennifer Prest, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Chapel of the Bells, 2720 Centre Street North, Calgary, AB T2E 2V6, Telephone: 403-276-2296.

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!"

- Hunter S. Thompson

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