Obituary for Shirley Mae Reeve
Reeve, Shirley
1931 – 2019
Shirley Reeve was born in Crossfield, Alberta in 1931. She was the daughter of a grain buyer during the depression. From her early years, she learned the values of thriftiness, honesty, and independence. She moved with her family to Vancouver in the 1940's, where she raised two children and maintained the books for her husband's business. She divorced her husband John Pelech in 1967.
She then traveled to London UK and worked at Canada House for several years, later returning to the lower mainland of BC, where she resided until 2012. In the 1980's, she applied to the courts for a variance to her alimony, which eventually resulted in her appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. While she lost this court case, this case (Pelech vs Pelech) continues to be one of the first cases studied in family law courses in Canada. In 2001, her daughter Sandi passed away, leaving her ex-husband John Pelech, who had been ill for several years, without a caregiver. So, after over 30 years of divorce and a precedent-setting, acrimonious legal battle, Shirley returned to care for her husband John during the last year of his life.
Years later, in declining health, Shirley returned to Alberta to be closer to her family. She had a love of cats, which she always had with her until she was too ill to care for them. She passed away peacefully in Calgary at age 87. She will be remembered for her independence, courage, compassion and love by all those who knew her. Shirley passed into the spirit world on May 31, 2019, at age 87 after a short illness. She will be remembered by her son, William (and Sharon) Pelech and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was greeted upon her arrival by her husband, John Pelech; daughter, Sandi and her beloved cat, Chloe.
A Memorial Service will be held at Calgary First Spiritualist Church, 1603 6th Ave NW, Calgary, AB on Sunday, June 30, 2019 at 2:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Shirley’s memory to Calgary Humane Society.
To view and share photos, condolences and stories of Shirley, please visit www.choicememorial.com.
1931 – 2019
Shirley Reeve was born in Crossfield, Alberta in 1931. She was the daughter of a grain buyer during the depression. From her early years, she learned the values of thriftiness, honesty, and independence. She moved with her family to Vancouver in the 1940's, where she raised two children and maintained the books for her husband's business. She divorced her husband John Pelech in 1967.
She then traveled to London UK and worked at Canada House for several years, later returning to the lower mainland of BC, where she resided until 2012. In the 1980's, she applied to the courts for a variance to her alimony, which eventually resulted in her appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. While she lost this court case, this case (Pelech vs Pelech) continues to be one of the first cases studied in family law courses in Canada. In 2001, her daughter Sandi passed away, leaving her ex-husband John Pelech, who had been ill for several years, without a caregiver. So, after over 30 years of divorce and a precedent-setting, acrimonious legal battle, Shirley returned to care for her husband John during the last year of his life.
Years later, in declining health, Shirley returned to Alberta to be closer to her family. She had a love of cats, which she always had with her until she was too ill to care for them. She passed away peacefully in Calgary at age 87. She will be remembered for her independence, courage, compassion and love by all those who knew her. Shirley passed into the spirit world on May 31, 2019, at age 87 after a short illness. She will be remembered by her son, William (and Sharon) Pelech and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was greeted upon her arrival by her husband, John Pelech; daughter, Sandi and her beloved cat, Chloe.
A Memorial Service will be held at Calgary First Spiritualist Church, 1603 6th Ave NW, Calgary, AB on Sunday, June 30, 2019 at 2:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Shirley’s memory to Calgary Humane Society.
To view and share photos, condolences and stories of Shirley, please visit www.choicememorial.com.