February 11, 2021 - Calgary, AB
With much sadness, we say good-bye to a beloved mother, grandmother (Gramma), great-grandmother (GG), sister, aunt, and cherished friend to many. Margaret Elizabeth Clarke was predeceased by her parents Laura and Joseph Feyrer, her sister Ann Feyrer, and two husbands, Robert Paugh and Malcolm Clarke.
As there was no hospital in the area then, Margaret was born in the doctor’s office in the town of Brooks, near the family farm. She was just a tyke when difficulty breathing and leg weakness brought a diagnosis of polio. The four-year-old was rushed to Medicine Hat General Hospital, which had just acquired an Iron Lung. Thankfully, her illness was considered mild; after nine hours in the noisy machine, she was sent home to recuperate, and eventually started lessons at home before doctors declared her strong enough to join older sister Ann at public school. There were no school buses then and, like other farm kids, the two girls rode their ponies to and from school. Margaret’s pony Mickey was a trickster and found ways daily to dump his rider, albeit only on the trip home from school! The family lived on two other farms during Margaret’s growing up years, one north of Calgary near the town of Carstairs and the other south of High River, near Cayley.
Margaret earned her Registered Nursing degree at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton and went on for her degree as Public Health Nurse at the University of Alberta, where she met engineering student Robert Paugh. She went to work in and around the southeastern Alberta hamlet of New Brigden for a time, and in 1956, she and Bobby were married. Margaret was employed in Calgary with the Victorian Order of Nurses and retired from nursing when their first baby arrived. Sadly, Bobby became ill and died after their third son was born, leaving Margaret to raise the boys alone. To honour his memory, she set up two annual bursaries for engineering students at the University of Calgary, one for a second-year student and one for a graduate student. One of Canada’s top business leaders, Gwyn Morgan of Encana Corp. fame, was one of those financially-strapped students and has lauded her generosity (the bursary program continues to this day). The young widow was acquainted with one of Bobby’s Calgary Power colleagues who was also widowed with children; a romance blossomed, and “Margie” married Malcolm Clarke in 1965, blending a family of seven children!
Margaret was very loved and will be sorely missed; she had an infectious smile and was positive and cheerful; she gave solid and practical advice when asked, and was always on the go, whether off on overseas trips with Malcolm, coffee with friends or exercising at the pool, walking paths or in chair-fit classes. Her friends at Northmount Baptist Church were very dear to her; she had a strong faith in God and loved to help wherever she could. Margaret and Malcolm were very generous with their resources and helped their grandchildren with tuition when it came time for post-secondary education.
An avid hiker, world traveler and life-long volunteer at Alberta Children’s Hospital, Margaret loved nature and could identify nearly any wildflower east of the Rockies! Family was very important to her; she was truly our matriarch - Canada Day picnics, the famous Clarke Family Christmas Party, New Year’s Day dinners, regular grandkid sleepovers with ice cream, gingersnap baking and visits to the zoo, etc. - we are left with many happy memories.
Margaret is survived by her brother Bill (Joan) Feyrer, with Laura Feyrer (Liam Edwards) and their daughter Ione Edwards, and Julia Feyrer. Margaret leaves her seven children: Brent (Patty) and their children Katherine (Will) Biggart, Elisabeth (Matieu) Petit, and David; Blair (Valerie Bosse); Cordell (Candayce) and son Jason; Alan (Donna) and sons Adrian and Nigel; David (Julia) and children Daniel (Lauren Vanderuytblock), Sarah (Jeff) Hachey, Andrew, Joshua, Raymond, Thomas, James, Melena and Lavelle; Nicole Miller and sons Shawn (Laura) and Ryan; Larry (Eileen) and children Justin (Dasha), Tayla (Kris) Wonitowy, Erik (Jessica) and Shania. Margaret’s great-grandchildren are Ben and about-to-be-born baby Biggart; Lucas, Quinn, Zoey and Harlow Hachey; Lacey, Jadyn and Liam; Malcolm, Peter and Benedict Miller; Jaxon and Elle Wonitowy; Norah and Emily Clarke. Margaret also leaves behind cherished friend and niece Mary (Brian) Cummins and dear friends Ruth Hurst, Jacci MacLeod and Norma Lendrum.
Margaret asked that any memorial donations can be made to Doctors Without Borders at https://www.doctorswithoutborders.ca, The Salvation Army at https://salvationarmy.ca or the Canadian Cancer Society at https://www.cancer.ca.
A Private Funeral Service will be held on Friday, February 19, 2021 at 1:00 PM at Northmount Baptist Church. All others are invited to join the service virtually at Funeral For Margaret Clarke - YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-_lAQpx-DI
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