Eveline Goodall

After navigating the daily challenges of Parkinson’s disease for many years, our mom made the courageous decision to seek medical assistance in dying, which occurred on July 30, 2026.

Eveline was born in Banff in 1940 to Oren and Frank Wheatley. Her mom was raised in Banff, and her dad in Bankhead. Her dad opened a seam in an abandoned coal mine close to Banff where he worked with his brother and later, his father. From 1926-1954, they used a horse drawn cart to pull coal from the mine before being loaded onto a truck for delivery in Banff. Coal was vital for heat and light at this time. Eveline loved growing up in Banff and said, ‘when one is raised amongst mountains, they remain forever the landscape of the soul’. She always remembered her roots as a coal miner’s daughter.

Eveline met Bruce when she was a teenager preparing to go to university. He was a first-year engineering student who was lucky enough to get a summer job in Banff. He spotted her walking on Banff Avenue one day and asked her to a dance at the Cascade Dance Hall. She shyly replied, ‘No, my father is expecting me home from choir practice’. Bruce liked to say, ‘the sale begins when the client says no’. Ten years later, they were married and a sign in our house read, ‘A fisherman lives here with the best catch of his life’. They were wonderful companions for each other and were happily married for 59 years.

Eveline was a clever and determined woman; she completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of Alberta and later a master’s degree in social work at McGill. She initially practiced privately as a social worker, where she touched the lives of many clients by incorporating transactional analysis into her practice. Looking for a new parenting model, she discovered, Self-Esteem: A Family Affair, by Jean Illsley-Clark, which she used as a training model. Jean became her mentor and a very good friend. Later, she taught sexual and reproductive health at the University of Calgary. She volunteered her time and expertise to many worthwhile causes, including sitting on the board of governors of Shawnigan Lake School, becoming a longtime member of Ujamaa Grandmas (Stephen Lewis Foundation), and being part of the Senate for the University of Alberta. In honour of her mother (who she regarded as her first librarian), she created "The Mother’s Staircase" at the Calgary Central Library- a tribute to the cupboard in the childhood home in Banff that contained a treasure-trove of books.

Travel was a passion throughout her life. In her 60s, she and two university friends reunited to revisit and explore new countries in Europe where they had traveled when they were in their 20s. At 74, Eveline went to Rwanda with the Calgary-based Inspire! Africa program to once again teach sexual health. Here, she met two young men who were genocide survivors. She formed close relationships with the ‘boys’- William and JP- and provided parental advice and support towards their studies. In 2016, Chris and his family travelled to Rwanda with Eveline to meet ‘her African sons’ and they learned that the boys also called her ‘mom’.

Eveline had many hobbies. She was an avid reader and was rarely without a book club meeting or Word-fest event on the horizon. She shared her love of reading with many friends and family, especially her 4 grandsons, who received countless books from Nana. The art of baking, cooking good food, and interior design combined to create a warm and comfortable household for the Goodalls and all who visited. Eveline loved art and had a wonderful eye for what made a house into a home.

Her love of mountains and hiking undoubtably started when she gazed out her bedroom window as a child and viewed the majesty of Mount Bourgeau. Eveline loved returning to the mountains, describing them as her spiritual home. She and Bruce hiked most of the trails in Banff and Yoho National Parks, and she became an enthusiastic birder. She also developed a keen interest in wildflowers. It was not surprising that Eveline was a terrific gardener and had a fabulous garden at the family home in Calgary.

Eveline will be remembered for her passion, dedication, and determination for things she believed in such as global literacy, ‘Days for Girls,’ and wilderness conservation. She was blessed with a bus load of friends- a bus that has made many stops to make room for a charming, talented and fun group of people.

Eveline is survived by her sons, Christopher and Michael, and their wives, Janet and Cindy. She was a fantastic and loving grandmother to Lauchlann, Kai, River and Micah. The family would like to thank those who were so caring for Eveline in the final months of her life.

A Memorial Service with be held for Eveline on Saturday, August 8th at Hillhurst United Church (1227 Kensington Close, NW) at 11am.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, a donation be considered for the Calgary Public Library, Wordfest, or Inspire! Africa.