Obituary of Olwyn Parr

August 30, 1930 - Liverpool, England

May 27, 2024 - Calgary, Alberta

Our family is saddened by the loss of our mother and grandmother, Olwyn Parr. As a tribute to Mum, (yes, the British spelling) we will remember the good times, not the difficult days near the end of her life when she struggled with dementia. She provided so much support to us all during our lives that we owe her a dignified recounting of her strength, not her struggles.

When our family moved to Canada from England in 1966, Mum and Dad had decided to take a massive risk and try to establish themselves in Calgary. Mum’s first impressions of our new home were not favorable, and she wept as we drove northeast to Kathyrn, Alberta to live temporarily with relatives. She decided at that point to begin saving enough money to buy a return ticket to England. Ironically, it was a family holiday to Britain a few years later that convinced her that Canada was now her home.

After she retired from the Calgary Board of Education where she held a variety of secretarial positions, Mum immersed herself in the local golf scene and played more golf in a season than most people in their lifetime. She was competitive and thoroughly enjoyed meeting the membership at Valley Ridge before joining Elbow Springs Golf Club where she made more lifelong friends and had many successes at the club level as well as while playing in local competitions. Winning trophies and prizes brought her a lot of pleasure and rivalled sitting on a patio in Palm Springs sipping a gin and tonic or a glass of white wine (preferably Pinot Grigio).

We were lucky to have shared many of those victories with her and celebrate (enviously) her three holes-in-one. Her husband of sixty-six years, Harold, who passed away in 2021, daughter Jane Burke (Ron), son Stephen (Diane), grandson Ethan, are all still without that rarest of feats.

A small family service will be held in the coming days. As a family we want to acknowledge the compassionate care Mum received at Bow View Manor in Calgary. We are also grateful for the kindness of Mum’s sister-in-law Katherine, who spent countless hours with Mum under difficult circumstances. If people feel inclined, please consider donating to the Brenda Strafford Foundation in lieu of flowers.