1938 — 2023
Elba May Packham of Fort Macleod, beloved wife of Irwin Packham, passed away surrounded by family on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, at the age of 85 years.
Elba is survived by her son Scot (daughter-in-law Coreen); daughter Joanne (Gordon Huff); son Gary; and daughter Jody (Grant) Dugan. She is also survived by her beloved grandchildren Jonathan, Nathaniel, Cassandra (Tim) Gifford, Chelsea (Mike) Lyle, Jordan, Kimberly (Trevor) Galla, and Travis; great grandchildren Macie Lyle, Cameron Lyle, Josh Galla, Emma-May Galla, and Olivia Galla; her brother George (Joan) Huddlestun; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and their families.
Mom was predeceased by our brother Darren Packham; our grandparents Fred and May Huddlestun, and Frank and Kathleen Packham; her sister Pamela Huddlestun; her brother William (Bill) Huddlestun; and sisters-in-law Joyce Huddlestun and Doreen Huddlestun.
Our mom was born in Pincher Creek and raised on a farm in the Twin Butte area. She married our father in 1958, and together they raised a family of five children. Our parents lived many years in the north working side-by-side in business spending 20 years as owners of the True Value Hardware store in High Level, Alberta.
In 2001, our parents retired to Fort Macleod which is exactly where our mom wanted to be — closer to friends and family. Our mom loved gardening, dancing, socializing, and was always up for a good party. Over the years our parents hosted many staff parties, special holiday events, and family gatherings.
She touched the lives of many people and will be dearly missed and lovingly remembered.
We would like to extend a very special thank you to the surgeons, doctors, nurses, and support staff at Chinook Regional Hospital, as well as the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College nursing and LPN students and instructors who provided excellent, efficient, and compassionate care to Mom “the headmaster” during her time there.
A celebration of Mom’s life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honour Elba’s memory are invited to donate to the Salvation Army, 2 Overlea Blvd. Toronto, Ont., M4H 1P4, https://donate.salvationarmy.ca.
To send a condolence, visit www.edensfuneralhome.com.