Dorothy Jarvis McCurdy Keeler

Dorothy Jarvis McCurdy Keeler died February 18th, 2025 -- She done good.

Born in Toronto in 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression, Dorothy grew up during wartime rationing and came of age in the optimism of the post-war boom. Her father, Jarvis McCurdy, was a professor at the University of Toronto, and her mother, Avis, fostered her strong sense of curiosity and compassion. Dorothy’s love of learning took her to the University of British Columbia and later Antioch College.

She met her husband to be, Bernard Keeler, when she was a young teenager but a real romance didn’t bloom until mid-college and then that was mostly through letters. In 1956, they tied the knot.

Bernie and Dorothy’s start was in rural Nova Scotia, where Bernie had a teaching job and Dorothy got her teacher’s certificate, but they were barely there long enough to have their first child Heidi. In a brief residence in Edmonton and then another in Toronto where they had their second child Glenn a couple years later, they return to Edmonton again where they would live out the rest of their days and complete the family with their next two children, Scott and Megan.

Dorothy’s first Edmonton job was at the Alberta School for the Deaf and then there were a number of years as a substitute teacher. Rio Terrace Elementary was where she found her work home as a teacher and librarian, until her retirement in the early 90s.

In her later years, she and Bernie moved into Lewis Estates Retirement Residence, where she loved and cared for him through his Alzheimer’s until his death a decade before hers.

Active with community groups, progressive politics, and her beloved Unitarian Church of Edmonton, but her greatest joy was travel. From backpacking through Europe in 1954 with girlfriends, to cross-country road trips with her young family, to a year spent living in France, to pilgrimages to Hawaii, cruises in Alaska, polar bears in Churchill, and safaris across Africa—Dorothy sought out wonder, beauty, and connection everywhere she went. And she found them.

Dorothy died after a brief stay in Sturgeon Hospital where family were by her side until the end.

Living on in her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, they will carry her memory with love and gratitude.

Celebration of Life
Friday, May 30, 2025, at 3 p.m.
Unitarian Church of Edmonton
10804 119 St NW, Edmonton, AB