In Memory of

Mary

Edwards

Obituary for Mary Edwards

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our mother, Mary Edwards (nee Urkevich), on May 12th, 2020. Mary was born in Rocky Rapids, Alberta on July 22nd, 1935. She talked fondly of her early years on the farm. Once all the chores were done, she enjoyed playing games with her brothers and sisters, swimming in a nearby creek, and skating on their homemade rink. Mary eventually moved to Edmonton and worked for the Royal Canadian Air Force. During an Air Force function, Mary was introduced to her future husband Ted Edwards, a meeting that was arranged by Ted’s sister Kay. Ted and Mary were married in 1957 and had three children: Laurie, Roxane, and Ted Jr. Life raising the children was challenging but Mary was masterful at managing their many activities, as well as taking care of the home while still continuing to work. The family spent most of their weekends fishing and camping in the great outdoors where many memories were made. Mary also enjoyed traveling beyond the campsite including many trips around Canada, the United States, and a dream vacation to Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Mary and Ted enjoyed going to sporting events and both were lifelong Edmonton Eskimos and Oilers fans. In 2001, Mary and Ted moved from their Edmonton home of 40 years to start a new chapter in Olds. Life became slower as they enjoyed long drives in the country, playing bingo, golfing and spending more time with their expanding number of grandchildren over delicious family dinners. After Ted’s passing, Mary volunteered more of her time with the United Church where she met many friends. She liked trying new things, and attended yoga and art classes. Mary always looked forward to her yearly trip to Kamloops in July to celebrate her birthday. She was always up for a new adventure from riding the ski lift at Sun Peaks to taking a ride on the old steam locomotive or visiting a local winery for a glass of wine. Mary is survived by daughters Laurie (Wally) from Kamloops, Roxane (Wes) from Olds, and son Ted (Jennifer) from Edmonton. Mary will be deeply missed by her grandchildren Lindsay, Kaitlyn, Eric, Teddy, Kathleen, Cooper, Beckett, and Jasper along with her many nieces, nephews, her sister-in-law Kay Cormack and brother-in-law Frank Lang. Mary was predeceased by her husband Ted, parents John and Helena; brothers Billy, Mike and Nick; sisters Anne (Cherrington), Lena (Kobylka) and Violet (Lang); Brothers-in-law Les and Ed; and sisters-in-law Louise and Lynne. Our mother was very courageous during her battle with cancer, an inspiration to us all. She was a very special lady, dedicated to her family and her memory will live on forever in our hearts.