Beatrice Harder

Beatrice Lemire was born in Cornwall, Ontario, to Rosario and Marguerite Lemire. She grew up with many aunts, uncles and cousins and described there always being a party in someone’s house. She always spoke very fondly of her relatives and friends in Cornwall. She enjoyed spending summers at the family cabin in Combermere, ON, starting a lifelong love of the outdoors. At the age of 24 she left Cornwall to begin a series of adventures across Canada. She started by working at the Canadian Pacific Hotel in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea in New Brunswick. She then decided to head west and took the train to the Rockies finding employment at the Chateau Lake Louise as a switchboard operator, where they were happy to have a French speaking employee on-hand. She worked there for five seasons (at that time the Chateau was only open during the summer season). Each winter, she would travel back home to Cornwall to work in her father’s convenience store. On one adventure, she and her friend Mary Bullard, hitchhiked across Canada, getting as far as Whitehorse in the Yukon.

In 1968 she married Ron Harder whom she met while working at the Chateau where he was an electrician. They moved briefly to Calgary before taking up residence in Pincher Creek in 1970. In the late 70’s they found a place at Wasa Lake, BC, where the family would spend countless summers. In most recent years, she would spend months at the cabin enjoying the natural surroundings and speaking with lifelong friends and neighbors on their street.

In 2018, Ron and Beatrice moved from Pincher Creek to Red Deer taking up residence at the Timberstone Mews complex. She gained many friends and companions there and truly enjoyed speaking with and visiting with them as well as the staff who were always amazing and thoughtful.

A lifelong Montreal Canadiens fan, she had the privilege of watching Les Habitants at the Forum in the 50’s and was also able to make a trip in 1996 to watch a game the year the Forum closed. Her favorite player was Jean Béliveau, although Brett Hull was a close second. If you were to call her on a Saturday night, she would ask for you to call back during the intermission of Hockey Night in Canada. During Christmas she always made Tourtière for the family to enjoy. She always enjoyed a game of cribbage and was always sure to have a deck of cards and cribbage board on hand.

Beatrice was an unconditional supporter of her two sons’ activities whether it be in academics, sports or any endeavour when they needed advice or a cheerleader.

She was pre-deceased by her parents, Rosario and Marguerite; her husband, Ron; and is lovingly remembered by her two sons, Ronald (Dianne) and Russell (Tara); grandsons, Boughen and Jet, as well as a number of nieces and nephews.

The family would like to express gratitude to the staff and residents of the Mews, the Action Bus employees who were so helpful in being her mode of transportation, Dr. Odendaal, Dr. Barnsdale, Dr. Rudolph, Pastor Andrew Rilling and Pastor Stuart Fraser.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, November 10^th, 2023 at Deer Park Alliance Church, 2960 39^th Street, Red Deer, AB at 2:00 PM.