Aileen Merne (Wilson) Pinder

We are saddened to announce the passing of Aileen Merne Pinder, nee Wilson, on November 10 at the age of 91.

Aileen had wide interests and enthusiastically pursued many.  She was born in Montreal and fondly remembered her early years in Baie Comeau, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence in Quebec (as one of the few anglophone members of the community).  As a teenager, Aileen moved with her family to Calgary, where she later trained as a teacher and started her career in a one-room school in Carbon, Alberta.  She also taught English in Ethiopia during a brief marriage to Bob Murphy, who died in a tragic accident in Ethiopia. Aileen returned to Alberta and a few years later married Tom Pinder, with whom she had a happy and productive life, combining raising her own two children and a teaching career at various schools around Calgary.

Her interests, apart from family, included reading and teaching English, fabric, Newfoundland dogs, designing and renovating houses, smallholder farming (after retiring) with Angora goats and other livestock, producing mohair from her goats (and spinning, using natural dyes, and making mohair rugs and clothes), gardening, travel, fabric, clothes, and persuading her husband Tom to join her in various projects.

Aileen is survived by her sister, two children, two grandchildren, niece, nephew, and four great-grandchildren, who will miss greatly her stories, insights, and unique take on life.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, please send donations to World Vision’s Books for Children program.