Mrs. Patricia Mildred May Dalgetty

Patricia Dalgetty passed away peacefully after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s at Hillcrest Nursing Home in Calgary, Alberta on Friday, January 19, 2018 at the age of 80 years. Pat was born in Kenora, Ontario but moved back to Calgary in 1940 after her father became ill. Sadly he passed away 2 short years later from TB. Pat’s mother, Ebba, remarried a British RAF officer who shortly thereafter was ordered to return to the UK. So, in 1944 (post D-Day), when Pat was just 7-years old, Ebba toted her small family (which by then included Pat’s younger sister Joan) along on their first Atlantic crossing in a 50 ship convoy to start a new life in England. Once settled in the row housing of the time which had no central heating or refrigerator or bathtub, Pat was enrolled into a girl’s preparatory school where badminton was a favoured pastime. This period, however, was also one to be endured as post-war rations were prevalent throughout the country. Also during her time in England Pat joined the air cadets and through this connection, she was invited to attend the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II which occasion she spoke of often in the following years. However, not long after that event, Ebba made the decision to take she and her daughters back home to Calgary, so Pat endured her second trans Atlantic voyage (for which she long kept the boarding pass). The family settled into life in Calgary where Pat had many good friends to share good times with. During this time Pat met and married the father of her two children, George Dalgetty, and sometime thereafter moved to Ottawa to live with him and Shawn and Layne. Ottawa had its own challenges, such as record snowfalls that included certificates issued by the city and the never ending humidity. She made some wonderful friends in the May family - Anne and Arnie and their three boys. Unfortunately the union between Pat and George did not last and so back to Calgary she headed with the kids in tow. Pat made the important decision to settle near to her Mom, Ebba and her third husband, Joseph Blaskin. The nearness of this extended family was of course invaluable to both her and her children for years to come. Pat settled into single parenthood and being a working mother. She found work at an oil and gas company called Burse Data and later Pat joined the math department of the U of C where she worked as a secretary for many years. Pat's main focus was to provide for her two children, which she did so admirably with minimal help from their father. In order to ensure the children had what all the kids had at the time, Pat also worked at home typing math papers for the university faculty in the evenings and on weekends. Through all of this Pat always ensured that her life was centered around family: Sunday dinners were a family staple as were rousing game nights where scrabble and rumoli were played at length with vigor. There were camping trips with Grandparents and of course marathon movie nights which always included her infamous buttered popcorn. Because of Pat's open and caring disposition, the Dalgetty household was always the place to be for the neighbourhood kids. All fun and antics were welcomed by Pat, including but by no means limited to pet mice (who inevitably escaped and then had the run of the building), patios turned into tween hideaways and blanket forts that took over much of the living and dining room space for weeks on end. Pat nearly always tried to put her children first so when the son and daughter needed to have separate rooms, Pat took to making the couch her new sleeping quarters. Pat loved to bake and was well known for her chocolate chip cookies, her banana bread, her lemon meringue pies and of course the simply divine flapper pie. Once the kids were launched into adulthood, Pat decided a change in careers was in order and went to work for the Calgary Police Department. She worked first as a data typist where officers would call in their various reports and she would record the information and later in the pawn card department. Pat stayed with the CPS until her retirement at age 65. Through these last several years, Pat lived with and cared for aging mother. The two shared a special bond and were great a comfort to each other in their companionship. After Ebba's death in 2004, Pat moved into a little place again in Killarney. She continued to enjoy her love of movies and compiled quite an extensive collection. She loved reading throughout her life and was well known at the main branch of the library. Pat had always been a bit of a wordsmith and this trait assisted with her knack at completing crossword puzzles. Pat spent a great deal of time with Shawn's daughter Alorin and fell into the role of Grandmother with abandon. Alorin has fond memories of Pat's caring attention when she was ill and of her secret peanut butter cookie recipe. Layne's daughter Chloe came into the picture some time later, and while the wretched disease began to take over Pat’s mind not long afterwards the two, however, made the best of the time they had together and Chloe will always remember lady bug tea set parties, baking and spa days with Grandma. Pat's illness enveloped her life and eventually took it over. Chloe and Layne continued their weekly Grandma visits in this new world where they made the best of their time together up until the very end.

Pat will be lovingly remembered and forever missed by her daughter Layne, her son-in-law Martin, her granddaughters Chloe and Alorin and her son Shawn (Avril). She will be also be dearly missed by her niece Sherri (Kevin) Stevens and her nephew Mike (Raunda) Rothery. She was predeceased by her dear mother Ebba and the always remembered Joseph Blaskin, as well as her sister Joan Buckles and Layne and Martin's baby girl Victoria Grace Rouse.

A Memorial Service will be held at FOSTER’S GARDEN CHAPEL, 3220 – 4 Street N.W., Calgary (across from Queen’s Park Cemetery) on Friday, January 26, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family via the website www.fostersgardenchapel.ca.