Obituary of Kirsteen Aston

March 24, 1935 – Dumfries, Scotland

March 25, 2024 – Calgary, Alberta

Kirsteen passed away peacefully on Monday, March 25, 2024, one day after celebrating her 89th birthday, where she was surrounded by her closest friends and family.

Kirsteen was born and raised in Dumfries, Scotland, where her lifelong love for the outdoors and her playful nature first emerged. Throughout her life, she relished nothing more than being with people and going on adventures. Kirsteen’s beautiful smile was contagious and memorable, lighting up any room she entered.

In her early 20s, Kirsteen worked at a posh hotel in Edinburgh before moving to London, where one of her happiest memories was riding her scooter all over town. She then embarked on a long journey to South Africa, where she spent many happy years working, travelling, exploring, and, of course, hiking. Climbing Mount Kenya remained one of the most memorable experiences of her life.

In 1965, Kirsteen immigrated to Canada and immediately fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. Finding work at the Banff Springs hotel enabled her to pursue her passion for outdoor adventures; she became a member of the Rocky Mountain Ramblers hiking group, honing her skills as an avid hiker, backpacker, and cross-country skier. Kirsteen spent her time joyfully exploring and climbing many peaks and trails in the backcountry with her friends.

Calgary became her home for almost 60 years, here she created and became an active member of the Elbow Park expat community, as well as joining the Christ Church and local tennis club.

Kirsteen was fortunate to have a career as a travel agent, which allowed her to further her appetite for travel. She absolutely loved seeing the world and experiencing beautiful places and cultures, regularly tracking her travels on an atlas pinboard and journaling about her adventures in her many notebooks. A career change in her 50s led Kirsteen to enroll full-time at Mount Royal College, where she received a Diploma in Recreation Therapy. Subsequently, she began working with seniors to bring movement, recreation, and joy to their lives.

While Kirsteen had a deep appreciation for people, animals (especially cats), and nature, she also loved the cinema, reading a good story, self-reflection, writing about her life, listening to classical music, and Saturday opera. In later years, she enjoyed yoga, meditation, and going for walks and coffee with friends.

Kirsteen was a loving mother and was adored by all who knew her. She will be deeply missed and is survived by her children, James, Jennifer, and Mark (Lesley); her grandchildren, Alex (Liz), Kate (Greg), and Will (Kim); and her great-grandchildren, Emily, Tilly, Louie, and Oscar.

The family would like to express gratitude to those who surrounded Kirsteen and showed their heartfelt support in her last days.

She is now home.

A Celebration of Kirsteen’s Life will be held at McInnis & Holloway (Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB) on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at 2:00 p.m.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Kirsteen’s family here.

If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made in Kirsteen's name to a charity of your choice.

In living memory of Kirsteen Aston, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.