Obituary of Cynthia-Jean McKay

MILLER , Cynthia Jean McKay September 4, 1924 - June 23, 2009 Cynthia passed gently into that good night on June 23 at the Canmore Hospital with her family at her bedside. She was predeceased by her parents, Arthur and Hilda McKay, and her older brother Gordon. She is survived by brother Duncan (Joan) in England, son Chris (Janet), daughter Sue, and grandson Rhys (Selena). Cynthia was born and raised near Leeds in Yorkshire, England. She served in the Royal Air Force during WWII as a radio operator for Fighter Command and was later promoted to Sergeant. She was also a Physical Training Instructor with the WAAF and was named Sportswoman of the Year. Cynthia married John Miller in England in 1950. John went to work as an Engineer in the Alberta oil patch in 1952 and Cynthia followed in 1953 with baby Christopher in arms, arriving by ship at Pier 21 in Halifax and travelling on by train to Edmonton. Susan was born in 1956 and soon after the family moved to Calgary. Cynthia was a wonderful mother to Chris and Sue, and a hit amongst the neighbourhood children with her lively imagination and sense of fun. In 1978 she became "Gran" to Sue's son Rhys and enriched his life with love, books, and perhaps just a few too many sweets. Cynthia spent several years in Victoria, B.C., before settling in Canmore to be near her son and daughter-in-law. Cynthia was a woman of many talents. She worked in post-war England as a runway model, and was a gifted amateur actress in England and Canada. She volunteered as a docent with the Glenbow Museum and worked for several years at the Memorial Park Library in Calgary until poor health forced an early retirement. She was a keen traveller, and in 1971, after her marriage ended, embarked with her teenage daughter on an amazing nine-month adventure, exploring Europe, Turkey, Israel, Morocco, and Egypt. Cynthia had a great passion for books and a fascination with Ancient Egypt. Her flair for fashion and distinctive style brought colour and brightness to all those around her. For all her many accomplishments, Cynthia will be remembered most as a wonderful mother and Gran. She will be missed by her family and friends in Canada and England. Cynthia's ashes will be spread in the Bow Valley in a private family ceremony. We, her family, would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to the staff and residents at the Bow River Seniors Lodge in Canmore for all their care and kindnesses over the years. We are very grateful to the folks at Canmore Community Care for their good work and compassion. Finally, we extend our gratitude to Dr. Joanne Mitchell and all of the staff at the Canmore Hospital who gave our Mum such good care. Published in the Calgary Herald on 7/3/2009