September 3, 1919
Saint John’s, Newfoundland -
December 13, 2017
Calgary, Alberta
Mabel Cavell Hanebury (nee Hann) of Calgary, Alberta, passed away on December 13, 2017 at the grand age of 98, but her joyful outlook and her loving spirit will live on in her family and friends. Mabel was born in Saint John’s, Newfoundland, in 1919, or as her children prefer to call it “the Dark Ages”. After graduating from Bishop Spencer College, she began her working life as a stenographer, earning $4.50 a week. Despite the meager wages, she managed to pay off the years of her schooling that her parents had been unable to afford at the time. When unions came to St. John’s, her wages went up, and she was able to buy a 1936 Willy’s car, which she gassed up fifty cents at a time. She and her girlfriends went for many trips “around the bay” in the car, and they swam often in the Atlantic Ocean even as an occasional iceberg drifted past. Hungry for a taste of the big city life on the Mainland, she and two girlfriends moved to Toronto in 1942, followed by stints in Halifax and Montreal, before she settled in London, Ontario, in 1951 with her husband Ralph Hanebury (1916-1993). She was a devoted wife and mother who resisted the stay-at-home norm working full time in various secretarial capacities, most notably as secretary to the vice-president of Marconi Company before her marriage, and in medical records at St. Joseph’s Hospital after her marriage. Post-retirement, she and Ralph enjoyed many winters in Florida. After moving to Calgary in 1982, they shifted their overwintering grounds to Scottsdale, Arizona, where they made many friends. While she took her working life seriously, family was the source of her greatest joy. When computers came along, she signed up for an introductory course at the University of Calgary and began to compile a family genealogy. In 2000 she organized a family reunion in St. John’s that saw Haneburys come from all over North America. At 98, she was still staying connected with some of those people through Facebook. She is survived by her three children: Judith (Peter), Peter (Jean), and Derek (Jocelan); her grandchildren, Derek, Neal, Christopher, Bradley, Liam, Sean, and Evani; and her great-grandchildren, Natalie, Jasmine and Benjamin and her former son-in-law Doug and his wife Tina. The family would like to thank the staff at the Fountains of Mission, including Inderjit, Naseem and Elsie, and as well Hannah, audiologist extraordinaire, all of whom helped her maintain her independence. Her request was for no service, but a private celebration of her life will take place with family at a later date. Condolences may be forwarded through www.mcinnisandholloway.com. In living memory of Mabel Hanebury, a tree will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Chapel of the Bells, 2720 CENTRE STREET NORTH, Telephone: 403-276-2296.