Obituary of June Robertshaw
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our mother, June Robertshaw, beloved wife of the late James Robertshaw. June passed away on Friday, July 31, 2020 at Calgary Foothills Medical Centre at the age of 91.
June was born in Winnipeg, MB, to Valdimar and Margaret Bjarnarson, on August 17, 1928. June and her only sibling, Wally, were raised in Langruth, MB, growing up on their parents’ farm and attending the Langruth School.
June graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1949 with a degree in Home Economics. She married her high school sweetheart James (Jim) Robertshaw, in 1949. They lived in Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Calgary, Cold Lake Air Force Base, Grand Centre AB, and Kelowna BC. June moved back to Calgary for the final ten years of her life to be closer to family.
June’s family is her legacy. June and Jim always put family first and they had a loving and positive influence. Holidays and Christmas were cherished times of togetherness. June was the heart of the Robertshaw family, providing wisdom, humour, guidance, patience, an abundance of love and caring, and great nutrition to her six children, Leanne, Lauryn, Evan, Rob, Chris, and Shawn while supporting Jim in his business endeavours.
June enjoyed watching her children mature, succeed in their careers and start their own families. She attended birthdays, graduations, weddings, holiday dinners, the annual ALS walk, and enjoyed walks, drives in Glenmore Park, playing bridge with her friends in Kelowna and playing cribbage with her kids. Her family all enjoyed her famous oatmeal cookies and the mitts, scarves and sweaters she knitted for us.
June was very proud of the Icelandic heritage of her parents Valdimar Bjarnarson and Margaret Polson. She enjoyed reading the Icelandic newspaper Logberg Heimskringla, events at the Leif Eiriksson Club and making traditional dishes such as rullupylsa, vinarterta and brown bread to share with everyone.
June is survived by her two daughters Leanne Robertshaw and Lauryn Purych; four sons Evan and wife Jenny, Rob and wife Diane, Chris and wife Sue, Shawn and wife Angela. June’s legacy also includes eleven grandchildren, Danielle, Erin, Tanis, Maegan, Kelly, Karen, James, Kaitlyn, Brett, Alex, and Isabella and her eleven great-grandchildren.
She was predeceased by her husband Jim in 1991 brother Wally in 2005 and son-in-law Dean Purych in 2018.
We would like to extend our gratitude to the Doctors, Nurses and Staff at Foothills Medical Centre ICU who provided such excellent, professional care to our dear Mom.
A celebration of life will held in summer 2021 to celebrate our Mom.
If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the A.L.S. Society of Alberta (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), 7874 – 10th Street N.E., Calgary, AB T2E 8W1, www.alsab.ca .
It would have been Mom’s wish to find a cure for the disease that claimed her sweetheart’s life too early.