ELIZABETH CLEMENTS

CLEMENTS, Elizabeth Margarette Karin (nee Kocsis) April 17, 1945 December 22, 2022
As in any best-selling romance novel, “After flirting with a soldier on the other end of the telephone in the YWCA in Calgary in 1963, the heroine marries the handsome soldier two years later and they live happily ever after”. On December 22, 2022, after losing a devastating battle with cancer, Elizabeth Clements stepped inside Heaven’s limitless Reading Lounge to complete the final chapter of her Romance Novel. A million-dollar best seller. In the Lounge, she is surrounded by radiance, butterflies, and sparkling words. Her beloved family and a lifetime of friends wave from below with tears in their eyes and sadness beyond measure in their hearts. Elizabeth writes, “With the joys of living comes the sadness of passing. My family has blessed me in every way and I am eternally grateful for their many years of continuous love, devotion, and influence. Doug, my funny, faithful, forever friend, and husband of 57 years, has been the biggest contributor to my lifelong emotional well-being”, she highlights the sentence with a yellow marker. “Sons Chris, Danny, Robby, and Nicky have been my cavalry of exceptional gentlemen. Raising them in accordance with the Golden Rule has been my life’s greatest and most satisfying achievement!” She highlights with the marker again. In 1966 Elizabeth and Doug moved to Germany with the Canadian Armed Forces where they remained for 5 years. After Doug retired from the army, they eventually made their way to Medicine Hat where Doug flourished in the insurance industry as a top-notch adjuster. Elizabeth became a full-time mother and housewife when Christopher was born in 1976 and during that time she ran several side businesses: candles, clothing, home fashion shows, and jewelry. The twins followed in 1978 and Nicholas arrived two years later. In 1988 she began work at the Defence Research Establishment Suffield and retired in 2015. Elizabeth started writing as a teenager and continued putting poetry, short stories, and novels together while raising four busy boys. She had been the editor of her high school newspaper and later became an editing advisor for a few local publications. Several of her own pieces were published in various forms but the highlight of her writing career came when Cheryl Moss Pierson of Prairie Rose Publications discovered her work. Cheryl arranged for the publication of Elizabeth’s three books. In 2018, ‘Beneath a Horse-Thief Moon’ arrived, the first of the trilogy of historical romance stories set in the Cypress Hills. The second book appeared in 2019 and the third a year later. Her publisher recently wrote, “As well as being a talented and gifted writer, Elizabeth is truly a one-in-a-million person and has a kind and generous soul”. Up in Heaven’s Lounge Elizabeth thoughtfully writes ‘The End’ under her story and then carefully examines the recently arrived stacks of cards, notes, tributes, and accolades from family and friends. When everything has been studied for the last time, she waves the highlighter through the air and laughs, “I kicked that damned bucket so hard I’m probably going to limp forever!” She never lost her sense of humour. Elizabeth was born on April 5, 1945 in Amstetten, Austria, and emigrated to Canada in 1949. She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Doug, as well as sons, Christopher (Ashley, grandson Christopher Douglas) Danny, Robby, and Nicholas, one brother John Biel and nephew Kyle Biel of Toronto, and long-time friend, Bernadette. She was pre-deceased by her mother, Elisabeth Kocsis, Stepfather, Frank Kocsis, sister-in-law Nadine Biel, nephew Kevin Biel, father and mother-in-law, Ralph and Virginia Clements, brother and sister-in-law Donald and Kathy Clements. As per Elizabeth’s wishes, she will have a simple cremation with a Celebration of her Life at a later date. Photos, memories and condolences may be shared with Elizabeth’s family through www.evanjstrong.com.