STEWART
Katharine Gerardine ("Gerry") Stewart was born in Newark, New Jersey on August 26, 1915 and died peacefully with her family at her side in Calgary, Alberta on February 27, 2011. She was the youngest of three daughters of George and Sarah Godfrey and part of an extended family from Limerick, Ireland who emigrated to America in search of a better life. George and his family emigrated again in the winter of 1918 - this time to the Homeglen district between Ponoka and Rimbey, Alberta to take up farming. Life was difficult in those days. The Godfrey family was fortunate in being able to supplement their meagre farm income with George continuing to teach school in the local community. The family persevered through those tough times, including the early years of the Great Depression. Gerry and her sisters, Frances and Deidre, were blessed with parents who stressed the importance of strong family values and a good education. Gerry went to Normal School in Edmonton and, like most of her classmates, began her teaching career in a one room school. This was the start of a life long vocation of helping kids learn and believe in themselves. Gerry was predeceased by her husband Don on April 15, 1989. Don and Gerry met in the Rimbey area and were married in Okotoks on September 1, 1944. They spent their entire married life in Okotoks and raised four children, Donna, Kathy, Michael and Aileen. In addition to her children and their spouses, Gerry is survived by ten grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and other relatives. She was a tremendous role model to her family and an extremely devoted wife, Mom and Grammy. She loved literature, especially poetry; was an accomplished artist and writer; and always enjoyed a good political debate. She detested war and cherished life right to the end. While she was a staunch Canadian, Gerry was extremely proud of her Irish heritage and maintained contact with her distant New York cousins her entire life. She will be dearly missed but is in a better place. The family sincerely thanks the staff of the Evergreen Unit, Beverly Care Centre Midnapore for their care of Gerry over the past four years and, especially, at the end.
Funeral arrangements to be announced.