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Former mayor loved her community

The Turner Valley community is mourning the loss of one of its great volunteers and mentors.
Marjorie Straub, former Turner Valley mayor and town councillor, is being remembered for her dedication to her community and as a tireless volunteer. She passed away on March
Marjorie Straub, former Turner Valley mayor and town councillor, is being remembered for her dedication to her community and as a tireless volunteer. She passed away on March 23.

The Turner Valley community is mourning the loss of one of its great volunteers and mentors.

Marjorie Straub, former Turner Valley mayor, councillor and avid volunteer, passed away at the age of 84 in the South Calgary Health Campus on March 23 due to complications from an undiagnosed infection.

“She was part of the fabric of life in Turner Valley, she was really involved in a lot of different things,” said daughter Sharon Wilson.

Straub was Turner Valley’s mayor from 2004 to 2007, following three terms as a town councillor.

She was also one of the founders of the Turner Valley Oilfield Society and assisted with the 100th anniversary in 2014 of the discovery of oil and gas at the Turner Valley Gas Plant.

As well, she served as a volunteer on numerous boards and committees.

To Mayor Kelly Tuck, Straub was a mentor.

“She was very strong-willed when it came to her community,” she said. “She would move mountains to make sure anything she wanted in Turner Valley was done.”

Tuck said Straub was quite outspoken.

“She was always upfront and honest,” she said. “When Marj wanted to make her point she made her point. I have that kind of strong personality, so I appreciate that in people.”

Straub’s involvement in the community was also something Tuck admired. It’s something she attributed to her love of people.

“Wherever you were in town you would always see Marj right there from teas to community events,” she said. “Marj was everywhere.”

Tuck recalls Straub being involved in many aspects of the community including being one of the first board members for the former Oilfields Health Board, her involvement in starting up the Sheep River Health Trust and her ongoing support for the Turner Valley Oilfield Society.

“She brought lots of good aspects to the Oilfields society,” she said. “She worked really hard to advocate on behalf of the town with the gas plant on many levels. It’s very sad for the community just knowing all the work that she’s done. She’s left a huge legacy behind.”

Wilson said her mom was a kind, loving and supportive person.

“She was my favourite person to talk to,” she said. “That’s what I’m really going to miss. We always had really lively conversations where we were encouraged to have our own opinion on things.”

A family-oriented woman, Straub was proud of her family and loved her grandchildren, said Wilson.

One of the biggest challenges she faced was losing her husband when he was 49 years old.

“That left her with a lot to handle,” said Wilson. “She had a great attitude and wanted to make sure that we were going to be alright, my brother (Terry Straub) and I. She was a very giving person.”

Another love of Straub’s was music. Wilson recalls her mom playing the piano with great gusto whenever she could.

“She was self taught,” she said. “She played by ear her entire life. She would volunteer at the Rising Sun Long Term Care in Black Diamond and at the (High Country) Lodge.”

Wilson said her mother spent several years in the High Country Lodge before moving to Calgary for long-term care a year ago.

Straub spent three weeks at the South Calgary Health Campus before passing on, she said.

“We are really grateful for the kindness and compassion of the people there,” Wilson said. “We did have lots of time with her as a family at the end. We were really grateful for that. Just the way that we were all cared for at the hospital was really incredible.”

A celebration of life in Straub’s honour will be held at the United Church in the Valley in Turner Valley on March 31 at 1:30 p.m.

“I want to make sure we give her a great send-off,” said Wilson. “She deserved it. She was a great mother and friend and advocate for her community and she will be greatly missed. Lots of people have expressed their condolences and are sad to see her go.”

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Sheep River Health Trust in favour of the Oilfields Hospital or the Oilfields Food Bank.

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