Obituary
Eileen Rosina Mary Ross passed away peacefully on January 29, 2022 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Eileen is survived by her children: Michael (Kathie), Linda-Mae, Colleen, Mary-Anne (John), Jennifer (David), Patrick (Sherry), Margot (Mick), D’Arcy (Patti) and many, many amazing grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Mom was born in England and attended college to obtain a teaching degree. She loved teaching and, one way or another, she continued to teach throughout her life. She immigrated to Canada with her first husband, Wilfred Oakes and their daughter, Jennifer, with their initial home being Ottawa, then moving to Edmonton.
Mom was an amateur actress in her younger days and belonged to a theatre group in the U.K. and a group in Ottawa who put on a play which won the Ontario Amateur Drama Festival and then went on to compete in the Canadian Drama Festival in Newfoundland.
Some years after Wilfred’s death, Mom met Walter Ross on The Royal Glenora tennis courts and after a relatively short courtship, they were married. They remained married for over 40 years until Walter’s death a year ago.
Mom was very active in her community and involved in many charities. She volunteered with the United Way, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Meals on Wheels and the Canadian Cancer Society, just to name a few.
She and Walter were lucky to have shared many interests. They loved tennis, dancing, playing bridge and travelling. They had many lovely trips to Europe and to Hawaii but in particular, they enjoyed going by train to Jasper to stay at the Jasper Park Lodge or out to Vancouver and Victoria loving the actual trip as much as the destination. And they always returned with stories of the interesting people they had met along the way.
More than anything else, Mom loved to be around children, actually she loved to be surrounded by children, especially any that were part of her extended family. She loved to read to them and to give them books to explore on their own. Throughout her life, Mom volunteered to assist with school projects, student activities and student exchanges.
We are very grateful for the amazing care given to her by Dr. Thomas Ranieri and her primary caregivers, Jenny Espejon and Ilora Catacutan. We are also very grateful to the other numerous people and programs that helped our family keep her safe and sound in the family home.
There will be no service at this time. A Celebration of her life will be held at a later date. If you wish, a memorial donation in her name may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
