Dr. Wendy Louise Anderson (Ovaris)

Wendy began her life as a Landers, born to Margaret and Bill on October 29th, 1951. Joined by younger siblings Patty (Lakevold) and Billy, she spent her early years in Edmonton until travelling to Calgary to attend university. While there she met a young gentleman named Jim, and soon after she relinquished the name Landers and became a McConnell.

In 1974 they had a son named Travis, a truly fortunate boy who reciprocated the endless love given to him by his parents, and Wendy’s life as a mother began. This was a role she cherished and valued immensely, and both loved her time with her son as well as understood her responsibility in raising him to be a young man. She openly viewed parenting as a collaborative effort between the parent and child, and saw herself learning as much from her son as he did from her.

Time can change people and situations, and in 1988 Wendy ended her time as a McConnell and became Wendy Ovaris. This was a name she created herself, perhaps inspired by a dream, and was representative of her belief that an individual has within them the power to dictate their own identity.

There is likely little coincidence that around this time was when she chose to dedicate herself to helping others, and began her career as a psychotherapist. While working full-time in social work, Wendy began to further her education and eventually earned her PhD in 1989. She was a voracious student even upon completion of her doctorate, and was a member of a number of respected professional organizations, including The American Society of Experts in Traumatic Stress. She worked passionately as a therapist for the rest of her life, and saw her role as a sacred one. She viewed the relationship between therapist and client as one primarily of trust and respect, and felt truly honored to be entrusted with the opportunity to help others. She would describe her approach as “Humanist,” but not in the strictly academic use of the term; she saw herself more as an advocate for humans, a believer in the possibilities and goodness within people. A guiding light within her, both personally and professionally, was empathy. She believed that people are inherently good, and that the importance of truly trying to understand the points of views of others was paramount on both an individual and societal level. It was her view that the world, with all its faults, was a good and worthwhile place, and that through understanding one another we could all find our place within it. Wendy’s work was a true calling, never regarded as a “job,” and was very much part of her identity.

In 2004, Wendy became an Anderson, when she married Jack (J.C.) in Santa Fe, NM. While continuing to use the name Ovaris professionally, she lived with Jack in Springbank, Alberta the rest of her days. Nestled between the Bow River and the Rocky Mountains, their home was a quiet one shared with their animals and surrounded by majestic Alberta vistas.

In 2010, Wendy spent a long night in a Toronto hospital with Travis and his wife Christian welcoming her first grandchild into the world, Lily. In 2014, Wendy and Lily spent a long morning in the same hospital while her second grandchild, Parker, was born. Her love for these two children was immeasurable; to her they were miraculous creatures who were fully worthy of the wonder and respect she had for them. She’d visit Toronto regularly and often, with visits from Grandma Wendy being something the whole family would look forward to. She had a remarkable personal connection with both Lily and Parker, and cherished those relationships above all others. Many of Wendy’s greatest traits, if not all of them, are strongly evident in both Lily and Parker; to spend time with either child is to experience Wendy’s empathy, kindness, and understanding through them. Her legacy and teachings live on in them, her intuition and inspiration have been passed down without dilution, and her influence continues.

On April 28th 2022, we lost Wendy after a brief illness. With her son and grandchildren at her side, she was surrounded with love as she passed. Her family is left with sadness, of course, but also gratitude for the time that they had with her; a thankfulness for not only time spent within each other’s company, but also for the lessons she would impart. Wendy’s impact on our world was deep and resonating, and our loss with her passing is profound. Her memory is a gift, however, and she will continue to inspire all who knew her.