Kathleen Fern Hilborn

With saddened hearts, the family of Kathy Hilborn announce her peaceful passing on March 16, 2026, with her family in attendance up to the end. She is survived by her three children, Carrie (Dreger), Jason and Jim, daughter-in-law Brooke Hilborn, son-in-law Ted Dyck, seven grandchildren, Dillon Kluthe, Halen Dreger, Cassie Dreger, Olivia Hilborn, Fynn Hilborn, Hadley Hilborn and Wyatt Hilborn and a great grandchild, Athena Kluthe.

Shortly after graduating as a Physiotherapist and starting work at Medical Arts Physiotherapy, she purchased the clinic from the retiring owner. She successfully operated the clinic, with a staff of up to 8 Physiotherapists, for twenty years before selling it and establishing a new endeavour that she called “Backs Unlimited”. This business was another huge success providing injury reduction training and seminars for business and industry. She wrote several training manuals and developed and marketed exercise cards providing back injury reduction information for the job site. The last few years of activity in this business concentrated mainly on office ergonomics, providing reports on improvements to workstations of employees from businesses as varied as law offices, the courts, business and government offices. For over a year after retiring she continued to receive phone calls requesting her services.

She also had many varied hobbies and interests. She was a yoga aficionado long before that was fashionable. On several occasions, she travelled to the Greek Island of Lesvos with her yoga teacher and classmates for two-week yoga and meditation sessions. From that experience she so fell in love with Greece and Turkey, that she bought a vacation home in Turkey on the spur of the moment. And, in keeping with that adventurous spirit, she later bought a house in Merida, Mexico allowing her family to escape the Alberta winters. She had a flare for house design, designing the renovations for both vacation homes. For a few years she also took up sculpting and there are a number of her works on display in her house. She was also a skilled cook, always eager to try a new recipe. Her beef stroganoff was unparalleled.

A Celebration of Kathy’s life will be held in late Spring or early summer

The family is grateful for the care and compassion of her oncologist Dr. Zorniak and all the doctors and nurses on Unit 42 of the Grey Nuns Hospital

In lieu of other tributes, please donate to the Cross Cancer Institute, the Doctors and nurses of which provided such wonderful care and treatment of Kathy.