Ilene Edna Roberts

She was born on April 29, 1929 in Taber AB, to parents Julia and Robert Marsh. While her early years were spent in Taber, the family moved to Trail, BC, in 1942, when her father took a new job with the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company Ltd. (now TECK Canada)

Ilene attended school in Trail where she excelled in sports, especially track and field. On graduation in 1948, she went to Victoria BC to attend the St. Joseph’s School of Nursing, graduating in 1951. She began her nursing career in 1956 at the Mater Misericordiae hospital in Rossland BC, where she continued to November 1963. Her favourite leisure activities included skiing (Red Mountain), gardening (raspberries), sports car racing (as a navigator) and reading.

On her marriage to James Fowlie in December of 1963, Ilene moved to Calgary and travelled frequently to New York with her husband on oil company business. Ilene returned to nursing as well, serving as an Industrial Nurse on construction projects in the Calgary area. On August 3, 1965, she helped rescue and attended to injured workers at a cave-in on the building site of the Westcan Co-op Fertilizer plant. For this she was awarded an honorary membership in the Calgary Building Trades Council (now the Trades Labour Corporation).

After the death of her husband James in December of 1970, Ilene again returned to nursing.

Ilene married Norman Roberts August 22, 1980 and continued to reside with him in Calgary (Dalhousie) until his death on October 20, 1999.

Ilene was also predeceased by her father Robert Marsh (June 9, 1979), her mother Julia (May 12, 1994), and her sister Irene (January 6, 2006).

She leaves her nephew Robert Barton (Debbie) of Waterdown, ON; two great-nieces and nephew; six great-great-nieces and nephews, all of Whitby, ON; and step-sons Bill Weeks (Dianne) and Norman W. Roberts of Vancouver, BC.

A Memorial Service will be held at FOSTER’S GARDEN CHAPEL, 3220 – 4 Street N.W., Calgary, AB (across from Queen’s Park Cemetery) on Monday, October 17, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made directly to the Calgary Zoo, 1300 Zoo Rd N.E., Calgary, AB T2E 7V6 or the Calgary Humane Society, 4455 - 110 Ave S.E., Calgary, AB T2C 2T7 are suggested. Support for animals was always a priority for Ilene. Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family via the website www.fostersgardenchapel.ca.