Doris June Endre, age 100, of Calgary, Alberta, passed away peacefully and without pain, of natural causes, on April 3, 2023, at the Foothills Hospital.  She was able to age in place in her own apartment at Columbus Manor in Bridgeland thanks to the ongoing supports of home care services, her neighbours – especially Liz and Robert, and her daughter, Heather.  She was home; happy and alert, right up until she fell asleep in her chair while watching TV on the evening of April 2nd.  She was discovered unconscious in her chair the following morning by her friend, Robert, who called the paramedics, who came and took her to the Foothills Hospital.  She lived her life on her own terms right up until the end.

There will not be a traditional memorial service held for Doris.  She was cremated on April 10th with her ashes being divided up into three separate portions.  One portion will be scattered in a special place in Calgary, another will be scattered on the beach at English Bay in Vancouver, and the remainder will be scattered at the family cemetery in the Laurentians in Quebec where there is a gravestone honoring her.  These scatterings are in keeping with placing her near her living family and in the special places where she lived during important periods of her life.  Each scattering will be attended by her close family members in those regions.  This memorial website is our tribute to Doris, and we are happy to be able to share a part of her life story with you.  We welcome your comments and tributes, share in the grief of her passing, celebrate her life, and feel richer for having known her.

Doris was born in South Vancouver, BC, to Ethel Simpson and Oliver Price.  She was the second youngest child of their six children, and the last one to pass away in the family.  She spent her childhood in Vancouver, where she developed a love for animals and nature, and has many fond memories of enjoying the fruit from the trees and visiting the beach in English Bay.  When she was seven, she began her schooling and finished grade one; however, the family moved to Quebec shortly thereafter putting an end to her education due to the lack of English schools.  Thankfully, in grade one there had been an emphasize on teaching phonetics and she was eventually able to teach herself how to read and write.

Her father worked as a caretaker for the Molson family and lived on-site on Molson's Mountain in St. Sauveur, Quebec.  Her Mother was living in Montreal with Doris and her two other sisters.  Her brother and older sisters stayed in Vancouver, as they had jobs.  At some point, Doris was sent to the Molson property to live with her father and to work in the Molson home as a domestic.  She was a hard worker and was given a small wage.  Having been brought up during hard times she developed an appreciation of the security that having money could bring and was a good saver.

It was on this Mountain at 15 years of age, where she first met Rolf Endre, and where they began their courtship.  Conditions weren't ideal for her, living with her father, and she was eventually taken in by Rolf's Norwegian parents, Lilla and Leif Endre, who ran a boarding house called Norway House, which catered to the skiers from Montreal and the U.S.  She was treated as one of the family and helped to run the boarding house and learned how to Nordic ski.  Leif had built a log cabin in the bush, which they called Loup Garou, and they would take their guests on Nordic skiing excursions up to the cabin.  Doris helped with carrying the supplies and attending to the guests on these ski trips.  Her memories during this phase of life with the Endre family are one of inclusion, acceptance, and happiness.

Rolf and Doris married in December 1942 and moved into their own home on St. Denis Street.  During this time Rolf worked in construction and whatever seasonal jobs were available, and then joined the war effort enlisting with the U.S. Navy where he was trained as a mechanic.  In August of 1943, motherhood began with the birth of June, who was named after the ship that Rolf was stationed on.  In December 1946 Rolf Junior was born and in October 1949 Chris (predeceased) was born.  These were busy years for Doris, spent raising the children and working odd jobs as a domestic to bring in money to get by.

It was during this period that Doris discovered and developed a love for oil painting, that stayed with her throughout her lifetime.  She was a creative person, and the culture and beauty of the Laurentians were her inspiration.  As the years passed, her talent developed, and she was able to sell some of her paintings to bring in extra income.  She also created hand-sewn quilts and wrote short stories and poems.  In 1994, with the help of Perri Bamberger, Heather's childhood friend, she created and self-published a book of her works called "Little Steps, Big Steps".  Doris also had a friendship with Perri's grandmother, Mrs. Wilkins.  They shared an artistic kindred spirit.

Doris had two more daughters, Wendy (Shanti), who was born in January 1951, and Heather, who was born in November 1960.  Due to unfortunate circumstances during a time of marital separation, Doris had to put Shanti up for adoption as she was not Rolf's child, and he would not accept her when they reconciled their marriage.  This was a difficult period for Doris.  She always wondered about the well being and development of this child.  Eventually, they were able to connect and in February 1987 Doris travelled to Florida to meet with her for the first time.  The visit went well; she also met with Shanti's husband (Naresh - predeceased) and two small children (Leelah and Aaron), and they embarked upon the journey of getting to know one another and towards healing from the wounding of their separation.

Eventually Doris divorced from Rolf and in the late 60's and early 70's while she was in Calgary, she began to attend the Parent's Without Partner's dances where she met and married Stuart McNeil.  It was a brief marriage, ending in a divorce within a year.  She moved to Quebec for a period and bought a little house in Morin Heights where she met Bill Hair.  They were married in May 1983 and lived together in his home for a period of time.  Eventually they separated and she moved back to Calgary.  They remained friends until his passing, leaving her with widow status.

June moved from St. Sauveur, Quebec to Calgary, Alberta with her husband (Lothar - predeceased) and two boys (Bill and Richard) in 1965.  This marked the beginning of Doris' moving back and forth between Calgary and St. Sauveur in her little red Volkswagen Beetle.  She was moving constantly (it seemed) and lived in Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, St. Sauveur, and Morin Heights.  She was also moving from place to place within these locals too.  And if she wasn't moving, she was visiting her adult children, their spouses, and her grandchildren in these places; travelling in her Volkswagen, by train, or by the Greyhound bus.

She had a mutual affection with all her children's spouses, who were all very kind to her – Lothar (June), Micheline (Rolf), big Heather (Chris), Naresh (Shanti), and Ken (little Heather).  She was especially close with Micheline (Flynn) and they often enjoyed sharing wine and laughter while sitting out on the porch in St. Sauveur, Morin Heights, or Ottawa.  The Flynn family had lived across the street from Norway House, so the family connection went back a long way.

She also enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and helping to ease the burden of parenthood on her children by taking the kids so the parents could 'get a break'.  She had a zoo pass in Calgary and took Bill, Richard, and Heather to the zoo often throughout their childhoods.  And when Kevin came along, decades later, she did the same with him.  There are lots of fond memories of "special" days spent with Grandma/Mom at the Calgary Zoo.

In her later years, she eventually settled down and made Calgary her home.  Her final move, in October 2021, was to her apartment at Columbus Manor in the Bridgeland area of Calgary.  A wonderful seniors independent living facility where she developed many friendships and was made to feel like an important part of the building's community.  On December 13, 2022, she turned 100 and the people in the building put on a celebratory tea, with fine china, a big slab of cake, a visit from the fire department, and lots of cards, flowers, gifts, and speeches.  She was in her glory and proud to have met her goal of living to one hundred!

Doris was a character.  She was a very positive person who liked to lift up the spirits of others with a joke and a smile.  She wasn't a wall flower, loved to be the center of attention, and stood out wherever she went.  She loved the color blue, and often wore denim clothes and silver and turquoise jewelry.  She believed in moving and was always very active throughout her life; swimming, biking, skiing, and walking everywhere.  She used to say, "if you aren't happy, get out and take a walk, it'll help to change your mind."  She loved ice cream and a glass or two of wine; but believe in moderation.  She saw everyone and acknowledged them as having worth, a trait that made her endearing to a lot of people.  She loved to go to the thrift stores and flea markets and was always looking for an undiscovered treasure that she could sell to someone at a profit.  She had an industrious and opportunistic spirit.  She was a generous person and enjoyed giving to others.

Doris had five children; twelve grandchildren: Bill, Richard, Kim, Thea (predeceased), Aaron, Leelah, Leif, Tanya, Chantal, Kevin, Christopher, and Forest; as well as numerous great-grandchildren; and probably some great-great-grandchildren!?  She loved animals and had many beloved pets during her lifetime and had a special place in her heart for red cats!  She also developed many friendships, although outlived most of her friends having made it to one hundred years of age.  Her lifelong special friends were Tom (predeceased) and Doreen Smyth, who were also the Godparents to her daughter, Heather.

Her life was a life well lived on her own terms, with the usual ups and downs that we all suffer.  She was a survivor, and despite the trials and tribulations that life presented she kept a positive outlook and was active and creative right up until the end of her life.  She was a good role model for us all on how to live life well and to age gracefully.  She had an impact on everyone she met, was liked, and loved, and will not be forgotten. God bless and rest in peace dear Doris, Mom, and Grandma….

Please note that the sole official memorial website for Doris has been placed with www.simplycremations.ca.  The family does not wish to receive flowers or have donations made on Doris' behalf.  Any other website postings have not been authorized by the family.  On this platform we welcome you to share your comments, stories, and photos of Doris.  God bless.