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Obituary of Shirley Annabelle Walker
July 21, 1936 - Regina, Saskatchewan
September 22, 2024 - Calgary, Alberta
Shirley Annabelle Walker (nee Murray) of Calgary, AB, passed away on Sunday, September 22, 2024, at the age of 88 years. After a brief medical episode where she was admitted into the Foothills Medical Centre, she passed peacefully in the presence of her daughter Karen, and sons, Gregg and Neil.
Shirley was born July 21, 1936, in Regina, SK, to parents, Agnes Eve Murray and Carl Murray. She grew up in the Southern Saskatchewan towns of Hardy, Radville, and Bengough before the family settled in Ceylon where her father ran the local general store.
Shirley graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics, earning great distinction. After graduating, she began a practicum program to become a dietitian which involved residency assignments in London, UK, Vancouver, BC, Swift Current, SK, where she met Bob, and some smaller cities in Saskatchewan.
Shirley relocated to Calgary, AB, in 1963 and moved into a duplex in the southwest part of the city. She married Robert Douglas Walker in September of 1964 and the two were married until his passing in 2020.
Shirley was particularly career driven and worked at the Rockyview Surgical Hospital as the director of the food and nutrition department when it opened in the late 1960s.
Once her children were born, she worked part-time as a dietitian at the Rockyview General Hospital conducting weight management clinics and continued this as her kids were in grade school. When her kids were older, she worked at the Rockyview General Hospital as a diabetes educator until her retirement in 2001.
Shirley enjoyed gardening, sewing, quilting, entertaining, and cooking. She also participated in lots of outdoor pursuits like hiking and alpine skiing. Shirley kept active with hiking and skiing into her retirement years and joined a local club of seniors who organized regular hikes into the areas surrounding Calgary.
Shirley had a major sense of wanderlust and did some extended trips to far-away destinations including Africa, Peru, the Middle East, and multiple trips to Europe, Cuba, and Mexico. While most of these trips were done by airplane travel, her first trip to Europe was by ship and she was also persuaded to drive from Calgary to Alaska on an epic late 1960s road trip. She was also a connoisseur of live music and for decades she and Bob had season subscriptions to both the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Calgary Symphony Orchestra.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Shirley was active in doing volunteer work with the Calgary Junior Chamber of Commerce in a group called the Jaycettes. This volunteer work had a large focus on the fundraising done at the Calgary Stampede so the time leading up to the Stampede was always hectic. Shirley made lots of lifelong friends doing this volunteer work.
Shirley was also a long-term member of Grace Presbyterian Church. She started attending this church soon after she arrived in Calgary and she and Bob were married in the chapel. Shirley held their ministry in high regard and was grateful for the fellowship she enjoyed at the church for the six decades that she attended.
Shirley is survived by:
Son: Neil Murray Walker and his wife Lisa Anne Walker.
Son: Gregg Robert Walker and his wife Jeannette Christine Theberge and their son Hayden Theberge Walker.
Daughter: Karen Marie Walker.
Brother: Nevin Murray and his wife Jayne Berube and their children Drew Murray & Portia Murray.
Nephew: Garth Murray and his wife Tomoko Murray.
Shirley is predeceased by:
Husband: Robert Douglas Walker (2020).
Sister: Florence Dianne Murray (2022).
Memorial Service will be held at Grace Presbyterian Church - Chapel (1009 – 15th Avenue S.W., Calgary, AB) on Friday, October 4, 2024, at 11:00 A.M. Reception to follow at the church. Graveside Service will be held at Eden Brook Cemetery (24223 Township Rd 242, Calgary, AB) on Friday, October 4, 2024, at 3:00 P.M. Attendees, please meet at the front gate.
Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Shirley’s family here.
In living memory of Shirley Walker, 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.
