Obituary of Margaret Ellen Wall

It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of Margaret Ellen Wall. Margaret was born on January 12, 1912 near Castor Alberta to William & Mary (nee Forrest) Mather. Margaret passed away peacefully on December 30, 2010 at the Provost Health Center at the age of 98. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. Left to cherish her memory are her children, David (Louise) Wall, Joan (Tom) Connelly, Patricia (Tom) Mackie and Kathleen (Paul) Wall; grandchildren, Michael (Melanie) Wall, Christopher Wall, Ryan (Michelle) Connelly, Patrick Connelly, Kathleen Connelly, Gillian Mackie (Ryan), Pamela Mackie (Phi), Blair (Alicia) Mackie and Mary Bunner; great grandchildren, Chase, Karson, Peirson, Nola and William; as well as numerous other relatives and friends. Margaret was born in Bulwark, near Castor, Alberta, to Mary Ellen & William Mather on January 12, 1912. She grew up in the Neutral Hills north of Consort attended Neutral Hills School with her sister Lily and brother Matt traveling by saddle horse, buggy or cutter, according to the conditions of the road or the season. The Mathers were a very musical family and as a child Margaret began to play the piano, which was to be her passion for the rest of her life At a very early age Margaret made the decision to become a teacher and actually began her teaching career at the age of 17 at the Neutral Hills school in the fall of 1929. After teaching at several country schools around Alberta, Margaret began teaching in the early 1940s in the four-room school in Hughenden. In 1946 she married George Wall from Consort, who had returned from overseas after serving with the Canadian Army in World War ll. They purchased the store and the home of Dave Coutts, a retiring businessman, and settled in the town of Hughenden. Margaret retired from teaching to raise a family but she never stopped giving music lessons to children from the district. Margaret and George had five children beginning with David in 1947, Joan in 1948, Patricia in 1950, Kathleen in 1952 and Judy who died at birth in 1954. In the late 1950s Margaret was happy to return to teaching, which for her was more of a calling than a job, and continued at Central High, in Hughenden, until her retirement in 1977. Margaret continued to give music lessons well into her eighties. Our family, to this day, continues to receive testimonies from her former students as to her devotion to her teaching and how she was an inspiration to them all. Margaret was an enthusiastic participant of many sports. She curled, skated, skied (she took alpine lessons at the age of 68 and was water skiing at the age of 78), rode horses, played ball, loved to hike and if picking saskatoons was an official sport she would have been a pro. Margaret loved more than almost anything to gather friends and family together for an evening of playing music, singing and dancing until everyone but her was too tired to continue. Margaret and George were enthusiastic travelers and visited every continent, with the exception of Antarctica, in the word. Margaret was a marvelous hostess and everyone who was acquainted with her knew they were welcome to drop by at any time for a visit or a stay. Margaret loved her family, friends and community and often remarked how thankful she was to have enjoyed such a wonderful and fulfilling life. The last years of Margaret's life were spent at the Provost Lodge and the extended care facility at the Provost hospital. She continued, until very recently, to play her beloved piano and graciously enjoy the company of guests who came to visit. Margaret touched the lives of so many people in such a positive way and will always be remembered as a wonderful woman who cared so dearly for everyone she knew. Margaret passed away, peacefully, in the night of December 30, 2010.