Skip to content

Catherine Marjorie Calderwood

April 18, 2003

Passed away peacefully at the Bulkley Lodge Friday, April 18th, 2003 at the age of 86. She was pre-deceased by her husband Roy, her grand daughter Cathy, her brothers Roy, Jack and Godfrey and her sister Vivian. Marjorie will be lovingly remembered and missed by her five daughters, Mary Alice (Erv), Jean (Clare), Judy (Chuck), Lorraine (Vic), Jackie (Don). She is survived by five siblings, Albert, Lorraine, Ralph, Joan and Mary Anne.

Marjorie “Gram” leaves behind 19 grandchildren, Jeff, Ron, Rob, Karen, Kevin, Michael, Carl, Danny, Candice, David, Jenny, Jill, Darren, Mischa, Kylie, Sam, Luke, Toby, and Brian. She was also blessed with 17 great grandchildren who will long be graced with stories about their great grandmother.

Marjorie Calderwood was born on February 19th, 1917 in Virden, Manitoba. She has been a resident of Smithers, BC since 1941.

Marjorie left virden in 1937 to attend St. Joseph’s School of Nursing in Victoria, BC. She graduated as a nurse in 1940 and in 1941 moved to Smithers, BC to begin her nursing career. In Smithers, she met her future husband Roy Calderwood (a pioneer’s son) and the two were married in 1943. Marjorie gave birth to four daughters before being stricken with polio in 1948. In 1951 her fifth daughter was born.

Because of the effects of polio, Marjorie was unable to practice nursing but occasionally helped her husband run their business, R.W. Calderwood Agencies Ltd. In 1953, her husband Roy passed away and Marjorie was left to raise five young girls and run the family business on her own. In 1987, after a long and successful career, Marjorie retired from the family business. In her retirement she spent her time advocating for the elderly, traveling around the world and providing constant love and support for her family.

As a businesswoman and mother, Marjorie worked tirelessly, yet always had the time to share a laugh, tell a story or listen to a friend in need. Marjorie Calderwood was a lot of things to a lot of people. She was a mother, grandmother, great grandmother, mentor, businesswoman, nurse, advocate, friend and a constant source of joy and wisdom. She will be sadly missed and joyfully celebrated.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Canadian Hemophilia Society may be made at the Bulkley Valley Credit Union.

A funeral mass was celebrated on Tuesday, April 22 in St. Joseph’s at 11:00 in the morning with Fr. Frank officiating. Interment was in the Smithers Cemetery.

Arrangement were entrusted to the R.A. Schrader Funeral Home.



Your condolences will be approved within one business day. You will need a valid Facebook account. Please email us if you have any questions.