Karen Iola McGregor

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Karen McGregor, who passed away at the age of 82 years on June 3, 2021.

Karen Iola McGregor was born to Harold and Opal Nicholson on August 22, 1938, in Whitehorse, Yukon, she was proud to be a “bonnified” sourdough.  She was an only child and her parents lived in the Yukon, then in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and then Dimsdale, Alberta,  finally settling back in the Fairview area where she lived most of her life.  During her high school years, she was a member of the drama club, and she fully intended upon making her way to Hollywood at some point to see her acting dreams fulfilled.  Her parents thought she better have something a bit more practical to fall back on and so she spent time in Edmonton getting training at Alberta College.  She then went to work for PWA airlines and while in Edmonton, she met the love of her life Wm. James McGregor, who was apprenticing to become a pharmacist.  A business opportunity came up in Fairview at the Fairview Hospital and they came home and were married at St. Paul’s United Church on December 27, 1958. 

Karen was a creative soul all her life, and an accomplished artist and actress extraordinaire.  Karen continued with her acting and was an avid member of the Fairview Drama Club with many plays performed throughout the years, including Life with Father, The Miracle Worker, the story of Helen Keller, and Harvey as well as many more.  She both acted and directed, was costume designer, seamstress, makeup artist, and set designer.  She was always meticulous in ensuring the accuracy of the historical period for costumes and her sets were extremely detailed.  She felt it important to pass the torch on to those younger than her, and taught Drama to students at school for a time. 

Throughout the years there were many arts and crafts that she turned her hands to, but painting in oil, acrylics and watercolours as well as being self-taught in the art of china painting were her specialties.  She also made beautiful petite-point needle work pictures and there was no work that was to fine for her sharp eyes, nor any pattern too complicated for her to discern.  She was a member of the Fairview Fine Arts and served as their secretary Treasurer for a time.  IN later years she became an avid reader and loved nothing more than curling up with a good book.  She was an accomplished seamstress and won awards for her costumes that she made for several occasions.  She was an active member of the St. Paul’s United Church in her younger years and a member of their choir, taught Sunday School and led CGIT and Explorers groups for several years. 

Karen had a lifelong love of animals and always had a dog.  Our family joke was that we all wanted to come back as one of mom’s dogs because she spoiled them so.  She had many pets throughout the years including a pet moose at the River place, and she loved horses, and was always trying to get her son-in-law to get a donkey or some pet goats.

She was a source of comfort and strength to her family and always was able to bring order and calm to all situations.  She suffered from ill health for several years, but always bore all afflictions with quiet determination and grace and dignity.

She was predeceased by her parents and leaves to mourn her loving husband of 62 years Jim McGregor, her daughter Tammy (Neil) McKeachnie, her son Richard (Ellena) McGregor, her grandsons James McKeachnie (Taryn Hanson) and Scott (Marcie) McKeachnie and her great granddaughters Callie and Sydney McKeachnie-Patterson and Kaylee Hanson, as well as her Aunt Leone, cousins and friends and neighbours.

Karen’s ashes will be interred at the Waterhole cemetery in a private family ceremony.  If you wish, memorial donations can be made to the Fairview & Area Palliative Care Society.

AFTERGLOW

I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one.

Id like to leave an after-glow of smiles when life is done.

I’d like to leave an echo, whispering softly down the ways, of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days.

I’d like the tears of those who grieve, to dry before the sun, of happy memories that I leave when life is done.

A QUIET PRAYER

A loving nature, a heart of gold

The very best this world could hold.

Never selfish, always kind. 

These are the memories you leave behind.

Care entrusted to Peace Valley Funeral Home

780-835-3306

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Karen Iola McGregor, please visit our floral store.