Obituary of Margaret Tait Westrup

Margaret Westrup died peacefully at the age of 101 on October 18, 2023 in the Cranbrook hospital after a brief illness.

Margaret was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, the daughter of Dr. Wilfred and Edith Wilson. After graduating from high school, she went to work in the bookkeeping department at Canadian National Railways and took advantage of her employment there to enjoy train travel across the country. In 1951, she married Oliver Westrup and the two of them moved to Drumheller, Alberta, where he set up his first dental practice. Seven years later, they relocated again, this time to a small East Kootenay town that had enchanted Oliver when he worked there for the Bank of Commerce.

In addition to the role she filled as a homemaker, Margaret was highly active in the community. An accomplished keyboardist and lover of classical music, she served as a piano accompanist for the Cranbrook Community Choir and Job’s Daughters and as an organist at the United Church and put in countless hours as an executive for the Cranbrook Musical Festival. She belonged to the Eastern Star, the Daughters of the Nile, and was a long-serving treasurer for the Cranbrook Health Care Auxiliary.

In 1962, Oliver and Margaret purchased a cottage at Monroe Lake and summered there for many years.  They were avid curlers and skiers and travelled to Hawaii, the Caribbean, and Europe. In her 60s, Margaret took up bridge and played well into her 90s. Several years after Oliver’s death, Margaret moved into a suite in Joseph Creek Village. Her family is exceedingly grateful to its staff for the expert care they provided, which enabled her to live independently throughout her residency there. Grateful thanks are also extended to her GP, Dr. Kevin McIver, and to Dr. Sarah Chesney and the staff at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital.

Margaret was preceded by her parents and her four brothers: Donald, Gordon, Allan, and Wilfred. She will be deeply missed by her son Hugh, of New York City, and daughter Susan, son-in-law Mal Finch, and their daughter Lian, all of Vancouver. As close as family to Margaret were the women who rounded out her weekly bridge table: the late Isobel Bradford, Margaret Jakobsen, and long-time dear friend and fellow centenarian Edith Rose.

A memorial service will be held at McPherson Funeral Home at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 30. Donations in Margaret’s name can be made to the Cranbrook Health Care Auxiliary.