Irene Mary Myrah

Our mom Irene Mary Myrah, surrounded by her loving, extended family, passed away peacefully at age 89 and of her own time and choosing, on Thursday, January 2nd, 2025 in Kelowna, BC. Five months ago, she was hiking in Newfoundland with her 2 daughters, her last adventure in a life marked by so many.

Irene was born on August 12, 1935 in Wynard, Saskatchewan, the 10th of 11th children of George and Mary Melnechuk, Ukrainian immigrants. Her parents never learned to read English, so it often fell to Irene to translate important documents and, thereby, make some important decisions for the family, as she was growing up. It's widely understood that this is where her commander-in-chief disposition firmly took root.

Mom went on to earn her nursing degree at the University of Saskatchewan, and so began an illustrious and remarkable career in health care. Upon graduation, and with 2 close friends (Pearl and Gwen) in stride, they set out aboard the Queen of England to backpack around Europe. Apparently the three 21-year-olds made quite an impression on the ship's crew, for that first night they were invited to dine at the captain's table. The first toast was barely given when mom, seasick beyond belief, bolted for the head (toilet), and spent much of her voyage clinging to the porcelain prince. She begged, and offered to pay with her first born, to be rescued by helicopter.

In Ireland, their desire to hitchhike across the country failed miserably when driver after driver refused to pick up women who had the audacity to be out in public in …pants. She was always ahead of the curve.

Returning to Canada (upon her departure, her dad was convinced he would never see her again), Mom began work in Saskatoon, where, driving around town in her friend's convertible, she caught the eye of a sharply dressed man who eventually found out her name and called her. Bob and she were married shortly thereafter, and they moved to Regina, where Stacey and Marisa were born. Joining the westward migration from the prairies to the coast, the family of 4 settled on the North Shore in Vancouver where, in 1968, Kyleen was born.

Professionally, our mom focused on mental health; she also played an integral role in the development of psychiatric emergency services and maintenance of the mobile response team in Alberta and British Columbia. Staff quickly learned Irene’s belief was the patient is always the primary focus, and this led to the creation of strong multidisciplinary teams committed to providing patient centred care. In her leadership roles, she was always learning about her staff and their families. In turn, this interest added to her team’s commitment and caring.

A legacy of that influence on others upon her return to British Columbia in the early 90’s, was a scholarship created in her name through the Alberta Association of Registered Nurses. The scholarship supported nursing students pursuing further education related to mental health. Ongoing learning and formal education were very important to Irene and she was immensely proud of that gift from others.

Although Irene had a substantial and meaningful career in mental health, our house was always a welcoming place of refuge and acceptance, and throughout our childhood it was not unusual to have friends and relatives stay with us for extended periods of time. It was just what we knew. During some of the house parties we occasionally threw while our parents were home, mom could always be found holding court in the kitchen, dispensing this nugget of wisdom, offering this piece of advice or that but, above all, listening without judgment in a way that connected with so many of our friends and family. Our dad, equally as generous, would never hesitate to open our home to those in need, and the two of them had a robust social circle, which we enjoyed getting to know.

Retirement (at age 73!) did not mean retiring from caring about her profession or the many people she met over her 50 plus career. When she moved to Kelowna to be close to family, she was excellent at maintaining contact with people she had worked with as many became close friends. She was always interested in their lives and what was happening with their families, travels etc. In many ways she was the glue that joined us all before and after retirement especially when her and our father parted ways.

For the last 15 years in Kelowna, Irene volunteered in the local community, became fast friends with those at the Mission dog park, and remained deeply connected to her wide network of family, friends and colleagues who were so important to her. But her keenest focus became her grandchildren who she loved so dearly. Irene could be found in the passenger seat helping them to drive, picking up sick kids during school, attending sports and music events, hosting them and their friends, taking them on special trips, and being a dependable, sage and, above all, trusted confidant.

Irene is survived by her brothers Pete (Jean) & Terry (Maryann); son Stacey (Stacey); daughters Marisa (Rob) & Kyleen (Dean); grandchildren Teagan, Jack, Tanner, Angus, Sienna & Spencer and countless nieces & nephews. She was predeceased by her parents George and Mary, 3 sisters & 5 brothers, and her ex-husband Bob Myrah.

She wanted to thank the care she received at the Central Okanagan Hospice House in Kelowna, and from her family physician Dr. Alpert.

A celebration of life will be held in Kelowna on June 21, 2025. If you would like to attend, please send an email to [email protected] for details.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Central Okanagan Hospice Association or the Salvation Army.

Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.firstmemorialfuneralkelowna.com

Arrangements entrusted with First Memorial Funeral Services (Dignity Memorial) Kelowna, BC 250-762-2299