Mary Jean Freebury passed away on June 15, 2022, in the
presence of her loving family. She was born on January 26, 1931, in Grande Prairie, Alberta to Dr. Murray and Jean Carlisle. She is survived by her loving husband Jack Freebury, her children Jean, John and Lynn, and two grandchildren Vivienne and Juniper.

Mary Jean will be remembered for her many contributions throughout her life. She
attended the Royal Conservatory of Music for a year in 1951 before completing her studies in Education at the University of Alberta in 1953. She devoted much of her life to educating, caring for and inspiring children and youth. One of those youth, now grown up, shared that “she had a joyous loving spirit, filled with energy and creativity that she shared with so many.” Her vibrant stories of growing up in Grande Prairie were
particularly loved by her family and friends.

Mary Jean worked for 16 years with Initiatives of Change in Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo, and Mackinac Island, Michigan. During her 8 years at Mackinac Island she
established a 4H club for girls. She became a mentor to her 4H girls establishing friendships and connections that lasted a lifetime.

In 1966 Mary Jean married Jack Freebury, who she grew up with in Grande Prairie. In 1969 they settled in Edmonton, where she became a devoted mother of 3 children. She worked as a substitute teacher and served as the costume director for the Alberta Ballet School. Her home was a place of hospitality and relationship building where people felt loved and cared for. Mary Jean and her husband Jack were committed to inclusion and human rights. Together they volunteered for the National Day of Healing & Reconciliation events held in Edmonton.

She was a sister, wife, mother, mentor, teacher, seamstress, friend, and dearly loved by many.

7 August 1970 – 19 June 2022

The family of Jane McKinney Jones is saddened to announce her sudden passing on Sunday June 19, 2022.

Born in Belfast, Ireland, Jane grew up in Edmonton and attended schools in the west end. She is survived by her husband of almost 16 years, Darcy Jones; her much loved son, Braedan McKinney; her father Fred McKinney; brothers Kieran and John (Sandra); sister, Suzanne (James) Forrest; nephews and nieces, Kiera and Aidan Forrest, Kye (Leah and son, Theo), Kirstyn and Jenna McKinney; mother-in-law Laverne Jones; father in-law Phil (Mary) Jones; brother-in-law Stacy (Cindy) Jones; and numerous cousins, aunts and
uncles in Canada and Ireland.

Jane was predeceased by her mother, Marie (McDonnell) McKinney, and her daughter-in-law, Davina Carter McKinney.

Jane had extensive experience in the judicial system and worked quite often with
vulnerable Albertans. She was always willing to help a friend with any legal advice needed.

A viewing will be held from 1:30-3:30 on Sunday June 26th at Simply Cremations & Funeral Services, 5224-99 Street NW., Edmonton, with an informal gathering at Darcy and Jane’s afterwards. A celebration of life will be held on a later date.

Etholeen Cecile Ganong (nee Walker) born May 9th, 1947 in Preeceville, SK, daughter of George and Norah Walker (nee Davison), and sister to Beverly Strand (nee Walker) of Sturgis, SK. She is survived by her husband of 56 years Lawrence, and
daughters Nicole Phipps (Sydney, Australia) and Andrea White (Ashland, ME). She treasured her grandchildren Shae-lyn, Annaliese and Alexander, along with her extended family of nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and nephews.

Etholeen was a kind and generous friend who was a talented quilter, and loved to do many other crafts and socialize with her family and friends since her retirement. She had a love of travelling, especially to Australia to visit Nicole, her husband Peter and
daughters Shae-lyn and Annaliese, as well as Maine where Andrea, her husband Marshall and son Alex reside. She loved to putter in her flower beds and gardens around her
country home.

Etholeen was loved by everyone who had the pleasure to meet her. Her kindness and generosity will not be forgotten. Her unwavering love and support of her family is treasured.

“Moms: they are strength, wisdom and love personified. Where – WHO would we be without our mothers?”

Tara Dawn Kemble
November 11, 1977 – June 8, 2022

It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the death of our daughter. Tara Kemble passed away and entered the Kingdom of Heaven on June 8th, 2022, at 44 years of age, in Edmonton. She is predeceased by her Mother, Verna May Kemble (nee Baxter), and Grandmother Irene Baxter. Tara is survived by family members, her Father, Allan Kemble, his wife Carol Forrest, an older brother, Carl Kemble, and niece, Carmen Kemble, all of Calgary AB, as well as, a Sister, Siana Attwell, of Winnipeg MB. She is also survived by three cousins, Patrick, Walter, and Joseph Baxter of Calgary AB.

Tara faced a difficult childhood as she was diagnosed with FAS at the age of 3. Once we found this out, we got her the help that she needed. She was enrolled in the special needs program at school and graduated grade 12. Proud moment to watch her walk across the stage for her diploma.

When she felt safe with a person, she loved them with a fierce loyalty. She made an
instant impact on everyone who met her and on thousands who never will. Tara was a compassionate, caring woman who loved everyone. I will forever remember what she used to say to me, before she was 12 years old: whenever I was working on something, she would say, “What doing Dad?”

Along with her Mother and Grandmother, Tara had an unwavering trust in God and shared her faith with Church of Christ congregations in Calgary, Yellowknife, Winnipeg, and in Edmonton. Ever since moving to Edmonton in 2011 (special thanks to Margaret Johnson, Garth & Kris Johnson who took her “under their wing” after the passing of her Mother, then Grandmother), Tara experienced many successes and enjoyed countless
adventures thanks to the care, backing, and support of many in her church family,
designated ICE worker and staff from government agencies, and fellow workers (she was employed full-time at Goodwill, Westview since 2013). Tara flourished being able to live independently – responsible, reliable, clean-minded, and genuine. She humbly loved life to the fullest and taught us most fortunate, who got to know her, what true happiness looks like and what really matters.

God has you eternally in His care, we have you forever in our hearts.

The Celebration of Life for Tara Kemble will be held Sunday, June 26, 12 noon, at the Edmonton church of Christ, 13015 – 116 Avenue NW, Edmonton AB.

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Adèle Lucia Yukes aged 102 in Edmonton.

Adèle was predeceased by her husband (of nearly 60 years), Wilfred, and her daughters, Rita (Guy Surette) and Jacqueline (Hugh Naldrett, deceased). She is mourned by her children, Virginia, Douglas (Patricia), Joan (Robert Udell) and Neil, her sister Rollande (Paul Dubrule), her brothers Elphège Boulet and Paul Boulet, and her many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

Adèle was a member of St. Agnes and St. Anthony’s parishes for 70 years and was a lifelong member of the CWL. To supplement her Normal School training, she earned her Bachelor of Education after a challenging 8 years of night school and summer school, all while employed by the Edmonton Separate School Division, teaching at St. Agnes School and St. Margaret’s School. She also taught at St. Peter, Mount Carmel and St. Clement. Adèle taught a variety of subjects and eventually taught French as a second language at St. Mary’s Highschool until she took on a position with the school board, helping to shape the French curriculum. She enjoyed teaching much more than this position.

Upon her retirement, Adèle learned to quilt and created dozens of beautiful quilts for her children and grandchildren. In her 91st year, she took on a volunteer position of teaching immigrant women to make quilts. As always, her lesson plans were prepared with care. A few years later, she decided to give up bowling, because of the difficulty in getting to the bowling alley not her inability to bowl. She was always curious and loved reading,
because it was a way to learn new things, and a way to escape reality for a little while. She was very grateful for the e-reader that allowed her to increase the font size and continue to enjoy books, until a month prior to her passing, even with her failing eyesight.

Adèle had a wonderful sense of humour and a most amazing memory. Her ability to talk about geography, history, language usage or political shenanigans never ceased to
astonish us. Even in her final days, and under physical duress, she had enough humour to joke around with the medical staff.

We will all miss her kindness, her sternness, her sharp wit, her sense of fairness, her
curiosity about the activities of her descendants and of course, her fierce intelligence. But most of all, we will miss her love.

MacDonald, Nuala

Nuala MacDonald (nee Bell) of Beaumont, Alberta, passed away June 2, 2022 at the age of 63 years. She fought a courageous cancer battle with dignity, determination, and kindness toward those around her. She maintained her amazing sense of humor throughout and her family and friends have been touched with her ability to always think of others to the very end. Nuala leaves her loving sons Steven (Leah) and Blake, whom she adored, as they were always the light of her life. She is now free to join her beloved husband Lee, who passed away in March 2022, her best friend and husband of 40 years. She was predeceased by her loving parents, mother Sheila Bell and father Jack Bell, both originally from Ardee, Co Louth, Ireland.

Besides her 2 sons, Nuala leaves behind a loving family who adored her and valued her in so many ways: Tony (Diane), Jacquie, Julie (Seamus), Mike (Maria), John, Sheila, and Peter (Diane). Nuala also has many nieces, nephews, grandnieces & grandnephews who will forever miss her as she always kept in touch in some way despite the distance. It is hard to imagine she will no longer be the patriarch who kept us all connected. We will honor her at every gathering and remember the many stories she shared with so much gusto – nobody enjoyed the recollections of the Bell family as much as Nuala – it was a staple whenever the family came together.

Nuala will be fondly remembered by her in-laws and the many friends she made over the years. There was never a person that met Nuala who was not instantly captivated by her genuineness, loyalty, kindness, honesty, and most of all her humor which was infectious – it was hard not to be happy in her presence. Nuala was gifted in that she was a genuinely kind caring person who enjoyed the simpler things in life and loved her family above all else. She left an indelible mark on those who knew her and we will be forever grateful for the time we spent together.

As per Nuala’s wishes cremation has taken place and a private celebration of her life will be held by her family. Nuala loved flowers, and would appreciate that gesture, however her wish was that any expression of sympathy could be to help others, therefore donations to the Cross Cancer Clinic or a charity of one’s choice would be greatly appreciated by the family.

Rest in peace Nuala – you will be remembered and forever missed.

With heartfelt sorrow, we announce the death on Monday, 14 March 2022, of Margaret Kirker Kuefler—widow, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was predeceased by her parents, one brother, her husband, Norbert (Nik) Joseph Kuefler (at age 81), two stepsons and one step-granddaughter.

Margaret was survived by daughter Deborah Lawson and sons William Lawson and Donald Lawson, by step-sons Duane Kuefler (Tracy), although Duane has since passed away, and step-son Anthony Kuefler, and by step-daughter Debra Stenger (Pierre Bellini), as well as by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Margaret was born in 1932 in Edmonton, Alberta, of Scottish immigrant parents, John Hogg and Alice Kirker Hogg (née Griffin). Margaret married George Henry Lawson of South Rawdon, Hants County, Nova Scotia in June 1952 and they had three children together before divorcing in 1963. In 1964 she met Norbert “Nik” Kuefler and his family. Margaret and Nik married in 1984 and were true soulmates until Nik’s death in 2006. At first the family lived in Beverley district in Edmonton. In 1970 they bought a 40-acre property near the town of New Sarepta, where they lived for the next 33 years. The acreage was affectionately called “the stump ranch.” In 2003, due to declining health, Margaret and Nik moved back to Edmonton.

Margaret was widely known as a wonderful downhome cook. Her Christmas feasts, in particular, were legendary. At times, in addition to keeping the home fires burning, she worked as a waitress or cook in various diners or hotels and at the Belvedere Golf and Country Club. She held a security position at Edmonton International Airports for a time, and also did occasional community catering, where she served as many as 200 people. For some years on the acreage she raised and sold chickens. She was also famous for having a couple of well-stocked freezers and a basement cold-storage room. She made sure they would never be stranded in the country without enough food!

She was formally diagnosed with dementia in January 2016, a couple of years after she had begun displaying symptoms. On the day of Margaret’s passing, she slipped away quietly during her afternoon nap. Our deepest thanks go to the endlessly kind, patient and compassionate staff of Unit 10Y at the Edmonton General Continuing Care Centre, who looked after her so well in the last years of her life.

A Memorial Service, followed by a light lunch, will be held beginning at 2:00 pm on Saturday, June 25 at the Eastwood Community Hall, 11803 – 86 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta. If you wish to RSVP, you may do so via email to: deborah@thewordcircus.com

Alice was born on October 3, 1942, the third child of Arthur and Augusta Deer. She grew up on the family farm near Canora, Saskatchewan, where the home had a strong Seventh-day Adventist religious focus. A setting of nature started her lifelong interest in growing things as well as in rural things. She took her early education at Canora Public School. In elementary grades, she won several public speaking competitions. She focused on her studies, and was
valedictorian of her high school graduation class.

She went to Toronto to take her nursing education at North York Branson Hospital. There she met her husband, Dennis Allen, from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. They were married on June 21, 1970, and returned to Alberta to live. They spent 51 years of marriage on three acres of land 20 miles from Edmonton. Here they built their home and enjoyed gardening and developing their yard together. Flower gardens quickly popped up everywhere throughout their property.

Alice’s 34-year nursing career provided wonderful experiences. The 20 years she spent working with young patients in pediatrics at the Royal Alex Hospital was the highlight of her career.

Health issues for Alice began in 2000, curtailing many activities. Even though she
experienced so much illness for so long, she was always thoughtful, generous, and
concerned about others.

Alice is survived by her husband Dennis, sister Dorothy, brother Bob, nephews Troy Deer and Tyler Deer and their families. She was predeceased by her parents, Arthur and Augusta Deer, and a brother, Alvin.

A memorial service celebrating Alice’s life will be held on Tuesday, June 14, at 1 pm at the Sherwood Park Seventh-day Adventist Church, 120 Festival Way in Sherwood Park, AB T8A 5Z1

It is with great sadness that we share that Svend Aage Schmidt, 74, of Sherwood Park, Alberta, passed away suddenly on Monday June 6, 2022 at his home. As per Svend’s wishes there will be no funeral and a private small family celebration of life will be held.

Svend was born January 16th, 1948 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He graduated from the University of Alberta in 1972. Svend was employed first as a teacher and then a principal with Elk Island Public Schools for over 30 years. He was a leader in his profession and highly respected. He loved his job, his colleagues and the community he served. He was an advocate and mentor for all his students. They meant the world to him.

In his leisure time Svend enjoyed traveling the world, and especially visiting California with his family. He enjoyed talking politics and finances, playing games and spending time with his children and grandchildren. He was a master at chess and crib and was seldom beaten. Everyone tried but ultimately failed.

Svend is survived by his loving wife of over 50 years, Frances; daughters, Michelle Planden and Heather (Roger) Lockwood; and son Mark (Kathleen) Schmidt; grandchildren, Eric and Alex Planden, Ethan, Ashley and Joshua Lockwood, Harley, Eva and Molly Schmidt. Svend will be remembered fondly by his sister; Joanne (Paul) Godfrey, and his brother; Torben Schmidt.

He was predeceased by his parents, Emil and Tove Schmidt.

There is a sacredness in tears,
They are not the mark of weakness, but of power,
They speak more eloquently, than 10,000 tongues,
They are messengers of overwhelming grief,
Of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.

Condolences can be shared on the funeral home website under obituaries; simplycremations.com