Puvanaspary "Pixie" (Naidoo) Parsons

Pixie (Puvanaspary) (Naidoo) Parsons, born in Durban, South Africa in 1930, passed away in Calgary, Alberta, at the Dulcina Hospice, on Saturday, September 16th, 2023, after a brief but terrible illness at the age of 93 years.

Pixie took her adopted name from the daring, bright, and spirited heroine of the Norman Conquest novels popular in her youth, which also spawned a radio series and movie. She couldn’t have chosen better. Both Pixies were remarkable for their vitality, their resilience, and their great beauty.

Pixie was a beloved mother to three accomplished children, a doting grandmother to six adoring grandchildren, a bighearted mother-in-law, a caring aunt, a warm friend, an indelible mentor, and a gifted teacher to generations of students on two continents.

Eager to make her way in the world, Pixie began teacher training at age 13 and was already teaching the next year, knocking down barriers for women at a time, and in a place, when few women, and even fewer women of colour, were educated and working. The young girls she taught called her “Miss” and said they wanted to be “just like Miss” when they grew up – educated trailblazers.

She married and started raising a family in her twenties, but she and Larry did not want to bring them up in South Africa, under the discriminatory system of apartheid. They immigrated to Canada in 1967, where Pixie continued her calling as a teacher and where she had the opportunity to earn her Bachelor of Education, of which she was very proud.

Often referred to as a "natural teacher" by colleagues and administrators, Pixie was recognized by the University of Calgary's Faculty of Education as a top educator "celebrating 100 years of teaching excellence". She was named one of Alberta’s most “Memorable Teachers”.

Pixie wasn't just a teacher; she was a force of kindness, compassion and joy in the classroom and beyond. She instilled more than academic knowledge in her students, emphasizing the importance of empathy and ethical values. Her zest for life often found her laughing loudly and sometimes even dancing on tables.

She was renowned for spontaneous acts of kindness: comforting strangers in need, giving to the homeless, and inviting lonely neighbours over for holiday dinners.

A culinary artist, she left her grandchildren marveling at her skills in the kitchen. Whether it was folding samosas, whipping up a tasty curry or rolling out rotis, grandma knew how to do it! And she would often do all those things simultaneously and effortlessly while singing and joking and telling them how much she loved them, how much faith she had in them, and how confident she was they would make an impression on the world.

She leaves behind her three children, their spouses, her grandchildren: Indira (Randy) and their children Galen (Brenna) and Oriana; Nirmala (Jeff) and their children Jaidon and Hudson; Logendra (Alexia) and their children Zöe and Tristan.

She is survived by her ex-husband Pursaya (Larry) Naidoo.

She is predeceased by her late husband, Barrie Harold Parsons.

Pixie’s legacy is one of indomitable spirit and unyielding love, imprinted on countless hearts across two continents. Pixie departs not as a fading ember but as a brilliant comet, leaving an irreplaceable void for those who loved her.