Catherine Elvira Gregg

Catherine Elvira Gregg, (nee MacPhail), known by all as Elvira, or more likely, just Grandma, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on Feb. 19,1928, and passed away peacefully on May 17, 2021 in Edmonton, Alberta at the age of 93.

She will be deeply missed by her sister Corinne and the Montford family; her five children, Allan, Mark, Gina, Stuart and Jamie; her daughters-in-law Rajni, Christine and Sharon; her grandchildren, Christian, Jade, Allanah, Connor, Austin and Justin; and her great grandchildren Kingston, Samuel, Sebastien and Lander, all of whom wish they could have had more time with her. She was predeceased by her husband of 43 years, Raymond, and daughter-in-law, Marjorie.

Raised in the shadow of war and the midst of the Great Depression, Elvira, like many of her generation, was stoic, resilient and fiercely independent - right up to, and including her final days. Having lost her own mother at the age of six, family became the focus of her entire life. Anyone raised in her household grew up never questioning that women were powerful, resourceful and formidable. Elvira ruled the roost including years during which she fostered as many as 19 children, providing them safe refuge.

As an active member of McDougall United Church for 70 years, Elvira became a fixture among a tight-knit community where many life lessons were learned. She believed in the values of treating people the way that you wish to be treated; that we owe a duty of care to our fellow humans; and that no one is above or below another – we are all in this human family together. These are the values she lived by and will be her legacy throughout the generations.

Unless of course, there were card games concerned. In her weekly games with family and friends, Elvira played to win – and she mostly did. Any Rummy-based game you could dream up – and often they were, right on the spot, Elvira would happily take your money which could amount to a whole 50 cents on a bad night.

She spent many years traveling with friends, enjoying annual cruises, taking up weekly line-dancing classes, and maintaining an active social life. But she was most at home in her own yard growing vegetables in the summer, and shoveling mountains of snow in the winter, which she did right up until the last years of her life. Friends and family were always welcome in that home – the heartbeat of the Gregg family. With a ready smile, a warm heart, a welcoming kitchen and especially, her famous homemade buns, the prize of any visit, we all made the pilgrimage to Grandma’s house as often as we could.

A memorial to celebrate Elvira’s life will be held when social gathering permits.