Rose Marie MacPhail

Our mom, passed away peacefully on September 2, 2026, just short of her 100th birthday.  She will be lovingly remembered and truly missed by her children, Sandy (Peter Bull): Edmonton, Jim (Shelly): Medicine Hat, Bob (Wendy): Lethbridge, Bruce (Amal): Calgary, Stu (Jocelyn): Red Deer, and Jackie (Jeremy) Reynolds: Calgary. She is also survived by seven grandchildren, Michael (Shirley Walker), Jill (Justin Boksteyn), Stephen, Jamie, Yassine El Fassi, Emilie (George) Drew & Mary MacPhail; as well as 8 great-grandchildren, Jocelyn MacPhail, Rylan MacPhail, Mackenzie Walker (Himank Poddar), Taigan Walker, Jaymes Boksteyn, Nixon Boksteyn, Violette Drew, and Delphine Drew. She will also be remembered by many nephews and nieces. 

Mom was predeceased by our dad, Clint (1980); daughter-in-law, Cathy (1991) and son, Clinton (2017). Also predeceasing her were her parents, Anton and Eva Metz; sisters, Ida Peters, Kathryn Metz, Ann Hayes, Hilda Lawlor, Elsie Stein, Dorothy Exelby and her only brother, Frank Metz.

She was born in the Fox Valley, Saskatchewan area but was raised and educated in Richmound, Sask.  Following completion of grade 11, she attended “Normal School” to obtain a teaching certificate.  Dad & mom married in 1949 in St Patrick’s Church, Medicine Hat. After spending their first 3 years teaching in Hilda, AB, dad left the teaching profession to work with Sun Life Assurance and they moved to Medicine Hat. Mom completed grade 12 by correspondence once her kids were grown - just to have it! 

A woman of faith, mom lived her Catholic values with quiet strength.  Her priorities were motherhood and homemaking and like everything else she did, she did them well. Once her children were all in school, she did substitute teaching until Clint’s passing. She then worked as a teacher’s aide at Mother Theresa School, work she found hugely rewarding.  Mom also took pleasure in her children’s achievements well into their adulthood. She was a great listener.

After living in the Medicine Hat Community of Kensington for 53 years, mom, always a forward thinker, left that cherished neighbourhood to move into Chinook Seniors Village. This move was a positive one as she made many friends there. However, as she began to require more assistance, she moved to River Ridge Seniors Village where she received kind & compassionate care until a hip fracture necessitated a move to River View Long Term Care.  Even while suffering memory loss, she remained a gracious woman, always “pulled together” with an ever-present smile.  We would like to thank the many care givers who made mom’s last years more comfortable.

A funeral mass will be held for Rose at 11:00am at St. Patrick’s Church, Medicine Hat on Friday, September 18, 2026, with a reception to follow. For those unable to attend, the recording of the service will be available to view on Rose’s obituary by visiting www.gracememorial.com.  In lieu of food or flowers, please consider donations to the Canadian Cancer Society, Foodbank, Alzheimer’s Society or a charity of your choice.

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