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Note: A note written by Sam Aylesworth in 2009:
Our 'Aunt Rosemary' was a lovely petite vivacious playful and gracious woman. My memories of her stretch back to my childhood, when I first remember her at the home of my grandmother, Olga (Simonson) Nickle at 3306 Glencoe Road, Calgary Alberta. Rosemary died on June 3, 2009. Her obituary in the Calgary Herald on June 6th, 2009, reads as follows:
"Rosemary June Victoria (nee Ellison), "Grandy", passed away quietly in the presence of family members on June 3rd 2009, just short of her 88th birthday. Rosemary was predeceased by her beloved husband Sam C. Nickle in 1994, her daughter Suzanne in 2000, and her elder siblings Virginia Hesketh in 1984 and Albert Ellison in 2008. She is survived by her grandchildren Holliday Patriquin and Troy Patriquin and great-grandchildren Joseph, Tyler and Devin, her sister-in-law Margaret Ellison and numerous nieces and nephews. Her early years were spent pursuing a career in dance, and later her talents extended to millinery work, fashion and dressmaking. After being left a young widow and mother in the early years of WWII, she met and married Sam Nickle with whom she shared an active and fulfilling life involving philately, travel, support and promotion of Canadian artists and involvement with the Calgary Highlanders Regiment. Together, Rosemary and Sam were gracious hosts who welcomed hundreds of people into their home over the years. Rosemary's easy elegance and grace will be missed by all who knew her. A Memorial Service to celebrate a life that touched many will be held on Thursday, June 11, 2009, 1:30 pm, at St. Stephen's Anglican Church [where she and Sam Nickle were married], 1121 - 14 Avenue S.W., Calgary. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada or your local SPCA. FOSTER'S GARDEN CHAPEL FUNDERAL HOME and CREMATORIUM. Telephone: 403-297-0888. Honored Provider of Dignity Memorial."
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Following is the eulogy was was spoken about Rosemary by her Nephew Darcy Ellison and his wife Paula Harris:
ROSEMARY JUNE NICKLE (n'e9e Ellison) EULOGY
Darcy Ellison & Paula Harris
Born: June 10, 1921, Calgary
Parents: Albert Henry Ellison Sr. & Hazel Irene (n'e9e Kendall)
Siblings: Albert Jr. (1916), Virginia (1917)
Childhood: Calgary´s Bridgeland, 1036 Murdock Road (Centre Avenue)
High School: Western Canada High School
Married/widowed: early WWII. Mother to Suzanne McLean
Remarried: 1945 Samuel C. Nickle Jr. No additional children
Father Albert Sr. passes: 1949
Grandmother: Troy and Holliday, children to Wayne and Suzanne Patriquin
Great grandmother: Joseph, Tyler, Devin, children to Holly Patriquin
Sister Virginia passes: 1984
Mother Hazel passes: 1990
Husband Sam passes: 1994
Daughter Suzanne passes: 2000
Brother Albert Jr. passes: 2008
Rosemary passes: June 3, 2009
Rosemary was the youngest of three children born to Albert Henry and Hazel Irene Ellison after their 1914 marriage and move to Calgary from the Midwestern United States. Rosemary was the Ellison baby, considerably younger than older brother Albert and big-sister Virginia. She was loved by her parents and siblings and enjoyed the special attention that a family `Baby´ sometimes will.
Albert Ellison Sr. had steady employment as a purchaser at Calgary´s General Hospital. During the Depression, when many of the Ellisons´ friends were forced to make-do, the Ellison family was able to embark on vacations to Sylvan Lake, Banff and even as far as Seattle, all accomplished in an open Ford `T´ or Star touring car, canvas tent strapped to the running board. Baby Rosemary got a taste of the outdoor life at a young age, and later was to feel at home on horseback trips through the foothills.
Rosemary was gracious and charming even as a child. She was accomplished at ballet and show dance, appearing in musical theatre performances throughout her childhood and high school years. In the photographs of Rosemary dancing, her hands are delicate and her poise obvious. Mother Hazel and another dance-mom, convinced that their daughters had promising careers ahead in the moving pictures, drove the girls all the way to Hollywood in the mid-1930´s to be `discovered.´
To say that Rosemary was attractive is an understatement. Early after her return from Los Angeles, she must have attracted a young man who had ranching connections in the foothills of Alberta. Rosemary and a young Bob McLean rode horseback, even had the buckskin cowboy duds. It must have been a happy period, although short-lived. It led to their marriage and parenthood, before Bob enlisted in WWII forces and was killed in action overseas.
Rosemary found herself a young widow with a baby daughter, Suzanne. She moved back home with her parents. Baby Suzanne became the pet of her grandparents, and Rosemary turned her interest in fashion and clothing design into a job in a ladies´ millinery store. Life-after-Bob carried on.
At various times throughout the War, even Virginia and Albert and their new spouses would bunk-out at the Ellison ancestral home on Murdoch Road, always welcomed by the senior Ellisons. Rosemary had always loved her big sister Virginia, and now she was able to become close to her new sister-in-law Margaret, Albert´s new wife. The two young women shared a love of fashion design and haute couture. Margaret would eventually sew Rosemary´s wedding outfit in a later year, but the two girls `did-their-bit´ by keeping Calgary fashionable during the War years. They not only knew what a flat-fell seam was, they knew how to make one.
Rosemary told a great story. Everyone in Rosemary´s stories was treated fairly and with respect, even if they didn´t deserve it'85 but they were usually portrayed with a view to getting the most humour-mileage from the tale itself. Nieces and nephews, grand and great-grandchildren grew up on Rosemary´s stories. The best ones, though, involved her own mother, Pobby!
Then the War was over. At a friend´s wedding, a handsome young, recently-returned soldier, Sam C. Nickle, dressed in the kilt of the Calgary Highlanders, espied the beautiful bridesmaid across a crowded room'85 or so the family lore has it'85 and couldn´t take his eyes off her. Most people couldn´t: anyone could see that Rosemary was as elegant and fashionable in young womanhood as she had been in her youthful dancing years.
Sam Jr. had distinguished himself overseas in intelligence operations with the Calgary Highlanders. The Regiment and its Association would play a significant role in the lives of Col. Sam and his new bride, Rosemary.
The two were wed in a story-book evening ceremony ``in the glow of candle light´´, as the newspaper would describe it, in this very church, St. Stephen´s Anglican. December 7, 1945. Reception at Calgary´s prestigious Palliser Hotel. Sam is in his regimental kilt. Rosemary stunningly beautiful in a floor-length blue suit with matching hat, tipped elegantly. She and her maid of honour in shocking pink must have appeared as a splash of spring colour in the depths of a Calgary winter. Rosemary appears as royalty'85a princess at her handsome prince´s side as they pose in St. Stephen´s aisle for the press cameras. It´s magic.
It was magic. Sam and Rosemary´s marriage, and their place in Calgary and Canadian social and professional circles would remain magic for the next 60 years. `SamandRosemary´, `RosemaryandSam´'85 it became one word'85 would play host to both the famous and the infamous. They were the perfect team. He had the professional and social contacts through the Nickle family legacy; she had the grace and elegance to charm the most prestigious of guests.
Sam and Rosemary started married life living with his parents in their substantial sandstone house in Elbow Park. They lived upstairs in an impossibly romantic `attic´ suite. There was a conical turret, painted with stars in a night sky. There was a collection of eclectic music'85 Billy Holiday, Gershwin, Edith Piaf'85 stuff none of us nieces and nephews had ever heard of.
Rosemary held her own, along with Sam, in Canada´s top-level philatelic circles. Even when Sam went head-to-royal-head with HRH Queen Elizabeth with their prized Confederation stamps, Rosemary played the gracious hostess. But she had her own collection to wow Her Highness. Wow!
Then came the move to BelAir'85 the `BelAir Shack´ as Sam-and-Rosemary called the smallest house on Belavista Drive. Flat-roofed, split-level'85 pure `60´s-Moderne. Sam and Rosemary proceeded to fill it with art'85original Canadian art and rare historic prints, historic maps and funky modern sculpture. Their home could be just a little intimidating and overwhelming for those of us introduced to the Ellison/Nickle family for the first time, but Rosemary graciously made everyone feel at home.
Sam had by this time opened Canadiana House Art Gallery and acted as patron to many upcoming Canadian artists. Rosemary proved the ever-gracious hostess to artists, dealers, collectors and promoters alike, in addition to her role as co-manager of the gallery.
Honorary Colonel Sam and Rosemary continued to support the Calgary Highlanders. Part of the duties was an annual `Sherry-Party´ fundraiser. The Nickles generously offered the garden of their BelAir home each June for a garden party. Complete with Highlander pipers. And sherry'85 al fresco.
Rosemary and Sam´s generosity knew no bounds. On Christmas Eve, they would visit all the family members´ homes laden with gifts. I have a picture in my mind of a front door opening, a stylish couple standing in swirling snow carrying beautifully wrapped boxes, reminding me of the opening scene of ``The Nutcracker´´. Nieces and nephews remember that even though they loved their own parents, the gifts from Rosemary and Sam were extra special.
After a house-filled Christmas Day family dinner, Boxing-Day-Open-House was another annual ritual for Rosemary and Sam. Numerous beef tenderloins and baked hams were served as hundreds of guests `dropped in´ to the Nickles´. The Open House festivities often ran to the wee hours'85 2 or 3 or even 4 AM was not uncommon as musical-theatre show-tunes were hammered out on the BelAir Shack´s living room baby grand.
Rosemary loved her show-tunes. She was a prominent supporter of musical theatre in Calgary. She served on the Board of Calgary Theatre Singers, helping to produce such musicals as Mame and The King and I. Rosemary also served on the Board of the early Lunchbox Theatre.
The BelAir Shack also had an impressive back garden, complete with small water fall, rock garden and subtle wind chimes. It was a special place adored by both Sam and Rosemary. Many a garden party'85 even family marriages'85 were held in the gardens of Belavista.
After Sam´s passing, Rosemary bravely continued on for awhile with her stamp collecting. She even resumed travelling but this time with a group of her gal-pals. There is a photo of Rosemary on a trip down the Amazon River. She is holding a Piranha she has just caught. It summarizes the true Rosemary to me. She has a bemused look on her face. Her nails are perfect, her clothes classic and lovely. However, the piranha looks worried.
Her innate grace and charm were never compromised. Her great -grand children came to call her ´´Grandy´´, and GRAND she was. She possessed an easy elegance with no pretense, no artifice. Her style was inimitable.
There is a corner in heaven where the tinkling of wind chimes is heard in a garden on a summer afternoon, where sherry is served on silver trays, where the dresses are just a little d'e9collet'e9, and where you can wear high heels even though you´re 87, and that is where our Rosemary is - returned at last to the arm of her Sam, ever gracious, ever glamourous, ever grand.
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