LEILA MARGARET,
February 8, 1920 - April 29, 2014:
Leila Margaret Irwin passed away peacefully on Tuesday afternoon April 29, 2014 in Calgary, Alberta, with her family at her side, at the age of 94. She was born February 8, 1920 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to Mary Colloton (nee Russell) and Richard Ernest Colloton.
She is survived by her children, Albert Richard Irwin of Vancouver, Dr. Marsha Lee Anne Irwin (Alexander Laing) of Calgary, and Thomas Russell Irwin (Birgit) of Brisbane Australia; grandchildren Kelly Irwin, Jennifer, David (Olivia) and Rebecca (Adam Duron) Laing, and Adam Irwin; and great-grandchildren Hamish and Sabrina Laing. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Albert Keith Irwin in 2006 and also by her parents, seven sisters and two brothers.
She was born and went to school in Saskatoon, SK, followed by a move to Vancouver, BC where she met her husband, a decorated World War II navigator. They had a very happy life together for 57 years, in Princeton, Kamloops and Kelowna, BC. For the past four years she has resided in Calgary.
A woman of sparkling personality, she awed us with her piercing insights and independent spirit, amused us with her Irish wit, dazzled us with her beauty and embraced us with unqualified love. She will be greatly missed but her stories will live on forever.
A Celebration of Life will be held privately. Interment and Graveside Service will be held at Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery on Monday, May 12, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. Condolences may be forwarded through www.mcinnisandholloway.com. A special thank you to all those who cared for her in her last weeks and months. In living memory of Leila Irwin a tree will be planted in Fish Creek Provincial Park.