Maureen Claire Brown (nee Tucker) passed away peacefully,
surrounded by her family, on February 26, 2024. She was born on February 22, 1938, and raised in Ste Rose du Lac, Manitoba. Maureen is predeceased by her husband, Gordon, and siblings, Joey and Ella. She is survived by her sisters, Janice and Phyllis.

Maureen and Gord were married on September 15, 1962. During their 60 years
together, they created a wonderful life. Maureen was an amazing Mom to their four
children – Trevor (Deanna), Leslie (Dan), Darrin (Lisa), and Carleen (Dean) and a
fun-loving Nana to their 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Maureen was an eager host and loved to have her family and friends gathered, eating, laughing and playing games. She was a competitive partner in golf, bridge and many games always trying to recruit new partners or opponents right up until her last days.

Maureen led a vibrant lifestyle with a wide social circle including people from Edmonton’s Derrick Golf & Winter Club, Edmonton Bridge Centre, Duggan Senior Bridge Club and Waterstone Condos.

Mom was always up for a new adventure. From family camping and ski trips, to travelling the globe with Dad and later with her daughters, and hosting her family in Palm Springs. Nana always took a keen interest in her grandchildren’s lives by spending time building gingerbread houses, having sleepovers and driver training lessons. She was always
creating family traditions and making memories in spades.

The family would like to thank the staff at the UofA Hospital for their care. There will be a Celebration of Life for both Maureen and Gordon Brown in the spring. In place of
flowers, donations are welcome at the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

May 8, 1945- February 21, 2024

It is with bittersweet sorrow that we announce the passing of Bill Smith into the presence of his Heavenly Father on February 21, 2024, at the age of 78. He passed peacefully with his wife Jan (nee Ferrey) by his side.

Bill and Jan enjoyed many memorable traveling adventures with their family. Their favourites places being Australia, Sicamous, and Mexico. They retired in Mazatlán and have enjoyed being apart of the community and making friends along the way. He loved fishing, and whenever the grandkids came to visit, you can bet they were out there
learning how to fish! When they weren’t fishing, they would spend hours learning how to drive the boat, waterski and go tubing.

He is lovingly remembered by his wife Jan of 50 years and their daughters Laurie (Erik) Wikman, Jody (Shane) Braithwaite, and his son Brett Smith; his grandchildren; Edyn & Saige Wikman, Jacob & Alexander Braithwaite, Dylan & Kali Smith. He leaves to mourn his brothers; Ernie Smith of England, Allen Smith of Edmonton, and his sister Linda Aske of Nanaimo; sister-in-law Bev (Al) Webber of Sherwood Park, brother-in-law Ron (Gwen) Ferrey of Vernon, BC, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Bill walked with the Lord and shared his faith with everyone. He will be missed and those who share his faith in Jesus’ salvation have the assurance that they all will meet again in Heaven.

As per Bill’s request, there will be no funeral service. He only asks everyone, to please
reflect on your own afterlife.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. –Romans 10: 9-10

In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s memory can be made to the Hope Mission.

Arrangements by: Simply Cremations Sherwood Park

Rita Lillian Hazlehurst (nee Fizzell)
April 7, 1930 – February 21, 2024

It is with great sadness that we announce that Rita passed away peacefully at Capital Care Strathcona in Sherwood Park, AB. She will be lovingly remembered by son Garth (Sandra), foster daughter Janey (Morris), grandchildren, Kami(Ryan), Terri (Sean), Darci (Greg), Kyle, Dahlys(John), Scott (Deanna), Kelly and 10 great grandchildren. She was the oldest of 10 children and is survived by sisters, Evelyn (Stan), Shirley (David), brother Richard (Judy), sister-in-law Donna and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.

She was predeceased by her loving husband Stanley, daughter Judy Harrison, great-grandson Liam Crerar, parents Noble and Ina Fizzell, identical twin sisters Lola and Lila, sister Sharon and brothers Bob, Leonard and Bert.

Rita was born near Blucher, SK. in 1930 and eventually settled in Saskatoon and attended Saskatoon Technical Institute. She married Stanley in 1949 and was a stay at home mom raising her children and a babysitter for others. She was a baker, gardener, contractor, loving mother and grandmother. She was often noted for her bountiful garden. Her hobbies were sewing and going to the Stock Car races with the family throughout western Canada with the family racing team. In her later years in Saskatoon she volunteered at the Western Development Museum where she had many friends. Rita moved to Edmonton in 2006 to be closer to family.

She will be missed and is forever in our hearts.

Internment will take place at a later date in Saskatoon.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Heritage House Recreation, Capital Care Strathcona, 12 Brower Drive, Sherwood Park, AB.

“Perspective”
I am standing on the seashore. A ship spreads her sails to the morning breeze and starts for the ocean. I stand watching her until she fades on the horizon, and someone at my side says, “She is gone!”. Gone where? The loss of sight is in ME, not in HER. Just at that moment when someone says, ‘She is gone’, there are others who are watching her coming. Other voices take up the glad shout, ‘Here she comes!’ “And that is dying” – source unknown.
It is with heavy hearts that we bid farewell to Sailor Joan. She passed away peacefully on February 17, 2024 at the age of 95.
Joan Louise Rebnord (McColl) was born in Edmonton, Alberta on April 15, 1928, to her parents, Marjorie, and Mac McColl. She had an older brother, Don, and a younger brother, Stuart. Both have pre-deceased her.

In her early twenties, Joan moved to Vancouver and one day decided to go to the docks with a friend to see if any of the merchant marine ships needed any help. One ship did need someone, but they were leaving the next day. Joan took the job and that is how she started her career as a Merchant Marine. She travelled to many ports such as Hong Kong, Japan, and Philippines often, and loved the travel and the life at sea. She often recounted this time as the best part of her life. During her married life she was for the most part a ‘stay at home mom’ but ventured out into the working world on occasion. She enjoyed immensely being the manager of Pocahontas Bungalows in Jasper for two years and worked for about 15 years for Below the Belt clothing store in their accounting department until she retired at 72 years of age. Once retired, she had gardening to keep her busy in the spring and summer but needed something to keep her mind busy during the winter, so she took to volunteering at CRA doing tax returns for those with limited means and ability to file the returns on their own. Every year she anxiously waited for ‘Tax Season’ so she could teach herself the new tax software, and the opportunity to meet and talk to an endless line of new and interesting people.

Joan’s husband, Arthur, was born and raised in Norway, and he too had joined the Merchant Marines, where they crossed paths and fell in love. They married in Vancouver and travelled to Hong Kong for their honeymoon, afterwards settling in Norway for a few years. They soon returned and settled in Canada ending up in Joan’s hometown of Edmonton, where they raised their four children, Siri, Lisa, Erik, and Fraser. Joan became a widow at the age of 55 in 1983 when Arthur passed away and remained on her own in the family home ever since, demonstrating the strong and independent person that she was.

Joan is survived by Siri (Bob), Lisa, Erik (Sandie), and Fraser (Lynn); grandchildren Carlin, Lexii (Zakry), Torey (A.J.), Brandon, and Cierra; and four great grandchildren, Aurora, Jayden, Ryder, and Ava.

A celebration of life will be held at a future date.
Sail on Sailor J.

It is with deep sadness that the family of Sheryl Ann Leonard (nee Stephens) announce she was called home to her be with her Heavenly Father February 14, 2024.

Sheryl began her lifelong relationship with God in her mid teens when she met Christian missionaries while living with her family in Santiago, Chile.

After her family’s return from South America, Sheryl attended nurses training and upon graduating as a Registered Nurse, she traveled from the Queen Charlotte Islands (now known as Haida Gwaii) to Montreal and then back to the west coast.

Sheryl’s quest for a deeper connection with God led her to a self-proclaimed group called The Movement of God, or “the Move”. The group’s communal life was established from the ground up as a working farm, located in remote Northern BC. This small
society focused heavily on flawed teachings preparing for them for the end times.

As one of the few formally trained medical personnel in The Move, Sheryl was the
community’s official Midwife and played a vital role in delivering babies and providing postpartum care to the mothers and children. Sheryl’s lesser known talents included singing, playing guitar and writing. She composed a beautifully written, self published personal memoir about her time in The Move, called “To the Wilderness and Back”.

Although the teachings of The Move proved to be false, there is where Sheryl met and married Art. Sheryl gave birth to 2 daughters before leaving The Move for good and
relocating to Northern California where their son was born.

After 6 years in California and the dissolution of her marriage, Sheryl moved back to Canada with her children. Reunited with her parents and sister, Sheryl settled in, ready to continue her nursing and pursue a writing career.

She did not immediately return to nursing, but spent nearly 20 years working at an ob/gyn office. Without the shift work of nursing, she was able to be home every evening to care for her children while they were little.

Her sacrifice and efforts were rewarded, when at nearly the end of her career, she got a position on the postpartum care unit unit at the Grey Nuns hospital. She would later
describe this as her favorite place to work and felt blessed that she got to retire from a lifelong nursing career on such a high note.

When her kids were grown, Sheryl and her sister Gail lived together where she
continued to write and care for their mother until her passing. When they decided to
retire, Gail relocated to England to be near her only child and 3 grandchildren, while Sheryl moved to Lacombe to live with her middle child, Catherine. Even enjoying her life of leisure, she was still hard at work finishing several manuscripts and publishing two novels that were sold on Amazon.

When asked what her retirement plans were, she replied, “I just want to keep house and not have to go anywhere”. Knowing her fondest wish was to stay home, her family and friends honored that wish by bringing the parties and gatherings to her – and she
enjoyed every one of them! She would often say that she got to live the life she had
always wanted during her retirement.

Sheryl felt a kinship with animals, especially dogs and found what she described as the “best dog anyone could ever have” during her golden years. Though the short, but stout terrier cross named Thor started out as Catherine’s dog, he decided that Sheryl would be his person. Without discretion, Thor started moving his dog toys into her room and
despite Sheryl’s resistance because he was, after all, someone else’s pet, she was won over completely. She never missed an opportunity to soak up all the love he would give to her and vice versa! They were inseparable to the end.

Sheryl is predeceased by her parents, Thomas and Kathleen Stephens and her eldest brother Tommy (Joanne). She is survived by her children, Esther (Jeff), Catherine, and Richard (Jenn), her grandchildren, Rory (Destiny), Naomi, Kalem, Avery, and Tiana and her great grandchildren Marcus, and Elyza. She is also survived by her sister Gail, and brother John (Norma), as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The family kindly request that, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Red Deer Hospice Society in Sheryl’s name. Any cards of sympathy can be sent to:
PO Box 579
Delburne, AB
T0M0V0

There will be a private family gathering to celebrate her life but to honor Sheryl’s wishes, there will not be a public funeral or memorial service.

Mar 28, 1936 – Feb 1, 2024
The Cammarata family is heartbroken to announce the death of our dear mother, Gisela Margaret Helene Cammarata (nee Waberski), who passed away peacefully on February 1st.

Gisela was born in Mannheim, Germany. She is survived by her three younger brothers Horst (Hannelore), Herbert (Christa) and Manfred (Ursula) whom she helped raise with her single parent mom in Berlin during WWII. Her brothers along with their spouses still reside in Germany.

Gisela was a hard working, wonderful woman who was beloved and respected by all who knew her. She was also a fun-loving person, with a quick wit and loved to play show and tell after going grocery shopping.

Gisela was trained as a paediatric nurse but left Germany to follow the love of her life Rosario who emigrated to Canada in 1963. She arrived the following year and they were married on April 24, 1965. Gisela is survived by her loving husband of 58 years who is currently in a long term care facility.

Her passion for life long learning coupled with her resilience and fortitude is the legacy she leaves behind for her family. Gisela leaves behind many Canadian family members.
Daughter Claudia Gordon (Lou); Son Markus (Priscilla) Daughter Assunta Whitworth (Farron) and Son Salvatore (Marie Line). Grandchildren: Zack, Gabrielle, Kaleb, Benjamin, Domenic, Francesca (Sam), Rosario, Chantal (Ryan), Jonathan (Yvette) and Robert (Erika). Her Great Grandchildren: Sophia, Kayden, Quinn and Nolan.

Gisela loved timeless classical theatre such as I Love Lucy, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, The Carol Burnett Show, The Lawrence Welk Show, Three’s Company, Keeping Up Appearances (“Mrs. Bucket”), AGT, Dancing with the Stars and, Friends. Her musical favourites were large orchestras, choirs and symphonies which included Andre Rieu and any performances by Andrea Boccelli of Luciano Pavarotti.

Gisela leaves us with a verse from one of her favourite songs by The Platters: Only You

“Only you can make all this world seem right,
Only you can make the darkness bright,
Only you and you alone can make my dreams come true,
And fill my heart with love for only you.”

Announcements for prayer and funeral services will be made at a later date. In lieu of flowers and donations please consider being kind and generous to one another. This is in the true spirit and to honour our mom who exemplified kindness and generosity.

James Mooney Denison, Ph.D. of Edmonton, formerly of Larchmont, New York, passed away on Tuesday, February 13th, 2024. He was 60 years old.

Jim was the loving and devoted husband of Pirkko Markula-Denison as well as a dedicated educator and athletics coach
brimming with a vibrancy for life that radiated out to everyone he met. There was a
special place in his heart for Sakyla, Finland, the home of his beloved wife Pirkko, where summers and holidays were treasured for the saunas, swims and cycling excursions that were a large part of the natural flow of life he shared with her.

As Professor of Coaching Studies in Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation (2007-2024) at the University of Alberta he will be remembered fondly as a passionate advocate for
advancing the study of coaching from a socio-cultural perspective. His informal
conversations, formal lectures, presentations and numerous academic publications
provided keen insights that inspired his colleagues, and his many devoted graduate students.

An avid sportsman and runner his whole life, he competed successfully in middle-
distance races notching many podium finishes including an impressive personal best of 3:43:50 in the 1500 meters as a NCAA Division I runner for Fordham University in the Bronx, New York. Teammates loved him, competitors respected him and they all could count on him for camaraderie and enduring friendships. He also coached and counseled so many young athletes, including his nieces and nephews—improving their running
techniques while helping them navigate a young person’s life challenges with compassion and understanding.

With the wider world, Jim shared his enthusiasm for athletics and running in his popular and critically acclaimed books about famed Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie (The Greatest: The Haile Gebrselassie story. New York: Breakaway Books), and the athletes who were among the first to break the four minute mile. (Bannister and Beyond: The mystique of the four-minute mile. New York: Breakaway Books).

Before Jim arrived at the University of Alberta, he taught at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, and the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. He earned his Ph.D. in sport sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. He maintained longterm relationships, professional and personal, with many colleagues from those and other academic institutions. His devoted family (sister Mary Ellen, brothers David and Andy, and many nieces and nephews), neighbors and friends from his many stops along the way to Edmonton will dearly miss his ever present smile, bonhomie and unflagging optimism.

Funeral services will be private.

Born: 26 April 1956
Died: 03 January 2024
Place of death: Westlock Hospital, Westlock AB

It is with great sadness and love that we announce the passing of Mike Sears, on Wed morning, January 3, 2024. He powered through the great discomfort and pain of cancer until he just couldn’t. He was loving,
caring and brave, right to his last breath. Mike cared deeply for his wife, Maggie, and his only concern was that she would be okay when it was all done.

He leaves his wife Maggie, sons Geoffrey, Jacob (AJ) Sears, Nicholas (Courtney) Sikora, and Stephen (Calli) Sikora. Our family is a blended one, and he loved all four boys as his own. He leaves behind his grandchildren Kaiya and Seth Sikora, and Corinne, Nikki and Cody Sears.

Mike served in the CAF for 38 years. He loved the army and his country greatly. He was always a soldier first, and served with distinction all over the world. He had a great
understanding of what was happening in the world, and could be heard grumbling at the TV, when he didnt agree with what was being said. There were many “F” bombs being dropped like punctuation.

He loved to golf and to have a beer with the guys from “The Wolf Pak” in Florida, and at the golf course in Namao. He loved a good joke and loved to tell one even more. His chuckles would get louder as he approached the punchline. He was an honest and
authentic man. You always new where you stood, and if he was your friend, it was for life.

We know he loved our family, and we loved him. We miss him so much.

There will be a service and placing of his ashes at the RCASC memorial, (Wagoners park) in Borden Ontario.. Details will follow.

04 August 1942 – 11 February 2024

The Ross family sadly announces the passing of Peter on Sunday, February 11, 2024, at the Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton. For months, Peter wanted to leave his earthly tent and go on to his spiritual dwelling. The weakness of his body was frustrating to him and he is happy to be free of it. Peter will be missed but we know that he is a much better place, free from what bound him.

Peter had a full life of serving others. He worked at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital as a practical nurse and as an orthopedic technician. At the University of Alberta Hospital and Karl Hager Limb and Brace he served amputees and those with knee
injuries. Before retiring, he owned a deli in Kenora, Ontario and a sausage shop in the Allendale community in Edmonton.

Peter served God by service to others. He loved people and was willing to listen and
encourage. He did mission work in Cambodia and loved the Khmer people.

Peter is survived his wife of 60 years, Linda; son Michael (Colleen), their children Jessica, Owen & Evan; daughter Miranda (Bernie Weidemann), her children Jackson (Lindsey Wilson), Olivia & Deborah Crone; and great-grandchildren Cohen & Elyse. He leaves his brother Doug, sisters Susan, Deborah & Bonnie; his brothers-in-law Harold, Arnold (Kathy) & Harvey (Joan) Johnson and Graham (Helen) McIvor; his sisters-in-law Myra (Danny) & Raili (Howard) Dodd. He also leaves numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces & great-nephews as well as extensive his church family.

Peter’s memorial will be at 1:00 pm on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the Edmonton Church of Christ, 13015 116 Avenue NW, Edmonton. Please click here to view the service online.

Internment will follow at a later date in Finland, Ontario.

Memorial donations may be directed to the Edmonton Central Church of Christ marked for the “Cambodia Mission Fund”.

We are sad to announce the passing of John (Jack) Clarke of Edmonton. Jack passed away peacefully in his sleep at age 87 on February 11, 2024 after a battle with lymphoma.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 64 years, Jean; his children Jim and Joanne (Garry); and grandchildren Madison (Jesse), Mackenzie, and Mikayla.

Jack was surrounded by his family and friends during his last few weeks. He lived a full and inspiring life, and his death is a major loss to all who knew him. A celebration of life will be held this spring with close family and friends.