Beatrice Annie Coulthard

Beatrice is survived by her four daughters and three sons-in-law, Jane (Gord) Strowbridge, Christine Rollick, Caroline (Rob) Gryba and Melanie (Kelly) Chambers; as well as seven grandchildren and their partners, Samantha Gryba (Dan Taylor), Daniel Strowbridge (Hope Buswell), Emily Gryba (Eric Antonchuk), Rebecca Strowbridge (Regan Thompson), Chelsea Chambers, Gracie Gryba and Larissa Chambers. Beatrice is also survived by her two sisters, Dorothy Levandoski and Shirley Wareham, her sister-in-law Evelyn Lewandoski, along with many nieces and nephews. Beatrice was predeceased by her husband, Harold Coulthard, on March 2, 1995, two sisters and three brothers.

Beatrice was born and raised in Clanwilliam / Polonia, Manitoba with her parents, John and Josephine Lewandoski (née Koziorowsi) along with her sisters, Ann, Mona and Dorothy, and her brother Roderick. After her father’s passing in 1942, her mother married Albert Swiscoski, and had three more children – Shirley, Henry and Donald; Bea’s youngest siblings. Beatrice loved to reminisce on her childhood and tell stories about her siblings and cousins and the fun they had growing up on their family farm, and of course, dancing down on Mountain Road. Bea had great love and admiration for all her siblings and protected them fiercely.

Bea moved to Winnipeg at a young age to work for a doctor and helped him care for his children and their farm. She later moved to Ninette, Manitoba where she worked at the Sanatorium and met her future husband, Harold, at a local dance and pie event. Beatrice worked in Lake Louise for a year before joining Harold in Calgary in 1961 and starting their new life together. Beatrice and Harold resided happily in Haysboro, a quaint neighborhood in Southwest Calgary, where their four girls grew up. Beatrice worked as a nanny and later as a banquet waitress, but chose to dedicate the majority of her time to raising her four daughters.

In the spring of 1993, Beatrice welcomed her first grandchild and earned the loving moniker, “Grandma Bea”. She was an amazing grandma to all seven of her grandchildren – cheering them on at various sporting events, school plays and dance concerts, attending birthday parties in Lethbridge, Red Deer and Okotoks and spoiling them with love and sherbert. Beatrice was lovingly referred to as “Grandma Bea” by family friends, relatives and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing her over the past 30 years.

Bea spent the majority of her last few years in Okotoks, living with her daughter Caroline and her husband Rob, and then at Tudor Manor, where she was cared for by their kind and attentive staff.

She will be greatly missed by all her family and friends, and lovingly remembered as a kind, strong and fierce mother and grandmother, who loved her family above all else.

A Celebration of Bea’s Life will be held at Fosters Garden Chapel, located at 3220 – 4 Street N.W., Calgary, Alberta (across from Queen’s Park Cemetery) on Tuesday, July 30, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.

The Celebration of Life will also be live streamed for those who wish to attend virtually, please click in the link in service area below the obituary.

If friends and family so desire, donations can be made in Bea’s honour to the Canadian Mental Health Association at their website https://cmha.ca/.