Linda HEFFER

HEFFER, Linda Muriel
(nee Lamontagne)
12 April 1944 - 16 November, 2012
Linda Heffer passed away peacefully on 16 November, 2012, at Foothills Country Hospice in Okotoks. Left to mourn her loss are her loving husband John, her brother Richard Lamontagne and his companion Ruth Tohm, and her niece Kimberly Lewis (Stan), all of Didsbury, nephew Robert Lamontagne (Sharon) of Fort McMurray and their families, her sister-in-law Kathryn Ihssen (Peter) of Aurora, Ontario, and her many friends. Linda grew up in Winnipeg, where as a young girl she was involved in figure skating, swimming and piano as extra-curricular activities. At the University of Manitoba, she spent a year in the Department of Interior Design learning about her limitations in that field, then switched to the General Arts program at St. John's College, where she met John Heffer, who put her academic pursuits on hold for several years. She moved to Toronto in 1964, where after training at Success Business School, she worked as stenographer and secretary at Dominion Securities and Noranda Mines. When Linda and John moved to Calgary in 1968, she worked for the magazine Golden West, the ski operator Village Lake Louise, and the investment firm Touche Vincent. In Denver from 1972-1974, Linda passed the time curling and caring for a friend's baby. A highlight of that period was her team's competition in White Plains, New York, as Colorado's representative at the National Women's Curling Bonspiel, at which they did 'not too badly'. Upon their return to Calgary, Linda resumed her studies, at age 32, in the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Engineering at Mount Royal College, earning a place on the President's Honour Roll, and receiving both the I.B.M. Scholarship for Computer Science, and the Department prize for Computer Science. Having found her niche, Linda spent the remainder of her career developing software, first as an employee of TransCanada Pipelines, then as a contractor, mostly with Shell Canada, but notably with the Olympics organization in 1987-1988. She retired in 1997 to pursue her lifelong interest in fun, including travel, curling, hiking, handicrafts, Rummoli, music, orchids, violets, and reading. And a bit of golf. John and Linda made travelling the world a major part of their lives, from the Soviet Union to the South Pacific, from Ushuaia to Uppsala. Linda was driven by a strong sense of justice, and was always engaged by the news of the day. She was often heard expressing her outrage at the radio or T.V. Her friends will miss her sense of humour, her grace, her generosity, her loyalty, and her winning smile. Linda's family would like to express their gratitude to the staff, both medical and non- medical, of the Foothills Country Hospice, for their compassionate care of both Linda and John during her stay there. Her remains have been cremated, and according to her wishes, there will be no funeral. In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to Foothills Country Hospice Society, PO Box 274, Okotoks, AB, or online at www.countryhospice.org.