Mary Lenora Calder

Mary Lenora Calder, late of Saskatchewan Beach, Saskatchewan, went to be with the Lord on Sunday, August 9th, at the age of 89 years.

Mary Lenora Calder, late of Saskatchewan Beach, SK, went to be with the Lord on Sunday, August 9th, at the age of 89 years. She was predeceased by her husband, John Calder, parents, Archie and Helena Holley, her stepmother, Madeleine Holley, sister, Marjorie Beattie, brother, Wayne Holley, and step sister, Audrey Olsen. Mary is survived by her sister Helen Seitz (Rick), step brother Bruce Malcolm; sister-in-law Jean Chapman, children Dave (Tonya) Calder and Holley (Cam) Leonard, grandchildren Mitchell (Kim) Calder, Jake Calder, Camille (Camden) Wade, Jesse Leonard, and Alysha (Steven) Macera, great-grandchildren Oliver, Eliana, and Aaliyah Wade, as well as several other nieces and nephews.

Mary was born in Bienfait, SK on August 5th, 1937. For much of her childhood, Mary's family lived in a small apartment above their gas station. Her father Archie was a stern and protective man, not wanting his daughter to participate in sports. One day when she came home with a black eye from playing softball, he was furious. He also instilled into Mary the importance of living a Godly life from a young age, and she carried her faith her entire life. When Mary was 16, she attended the Anglican all-girls Qu'Appelle Diocesan School on College Avenue in Regina. After graduation, she attended college in Regina to become a secretary, and it was at a dance in college that she would meet the love of her life, John Calder, who was studying Education. The two married and Mary worked as a secretary at a local insurance company until her children came along. In 1968, her niece Arren came to live with the family. During these years, Mary devoted her time to taking care of her family and home, cooking, baking, knitting, sewing, and selling crystal and china to supplement their income. She would also regularly host John's coworkers for barbecues and other get-togethers. Everyone loved the meals she would make and the desserts she prepared for them for afterwards, as well as the memorable outfits she put together for herself and the kids. When the kids were done school, Mary went back to work as a courier and worked many long hours until she and John moved from Regina to their final home in Saskatchewan Beach.

Mary was a passionate gardener whose favourite flower was a rose, which John regularly bought for her. Her whole life, she was incredibly athletic, participating in basketball, softball, swimming, and curling. She curled well into her 70s, and when she could curl no longer, she still loved watching the sport with her daughter Holley. She learned, at a young age and from her step-mother, to be a ruthless card-shark and surprised everyone she played cards with for the rest of her life.

Mary loved deeply. She and her husband John spent many summers travelling with their family all over Canada and the United States, with a preference for mountainous regions. They loved dancing together, and their family will always remember how much they cared for each other. Mary's grandchildren have fond memories of her teaching them about sewing, knitting, and swimming, and picking saskatoon berries with them to use in baking. She and John regularly took care of their grandchildren, and Mary became like a second mother to them. She was a kind and generous woman who would do anything for anyone. She was heavily involved in the community. She was incredibly social, able to talk to anyone and tell endless stories about the life she had shared with the family she loved.

Graveside memorial service will take place Sunday, September 6th at Silton Cemetery at 1:00pm with a luncheon to follow.