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Shirley C. Murray
April 2, 1947 - March 6, 2016
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<div itemprop="description">Shirley Catherine Murray (nee Clarke) had a heartbreaking battle with cancer that ended on March 6th, 2016. Throughout these last months, she carried herself with perpetual dignity and strength. Shirley was predeceased by her parents, Bernard and Chris Clarke and her brother-in-law, Ray Smith. She is survived by her sisters Eileen (Martin) Sutcliffe and Pat Smith as well as her life partner, Keith Kendal. Keith&rsquo;s sisters, Betty Lindholm and Peggy Elzinga will genuinely miss Shirley&rsquo;s friendship. Shirley also leaves behind the children and grandchildren of her heart: Ian (Bev), Mike (Cathy), Kim, Sam, Jeff, Becky (Patrick), Tom, Joe and Cassandra. She played an enormous part in our family; her generous nature and indisputable spirit have deeply touched our lives. <br />Shirley arrived in Calgary in 1968 having trained in the U.K. in both studio dance forms (ballet, tap, jazz, and national) and Laban&rsquo;s Modern Educational Dance. She influenced an entire generation of dance education and physical education teachers in Canada through her role as Professor of Dance Education in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary since 1968, and with her choreography, workshops, productions, publications, presentations and adjudications all over the world. Her amazing passion for teaching was reflected in the numerous teaching excellence awards from her students, peers and beyond. Shirley was one of the founders of the Dance Education program at the University of Calgary, and of Dance Montage, now entering its 47th consecutive year. Blending sport and dance concepts was Shirley&rsquo;s special gift and she had a rare ability to transform the most reluctant dance student into a stage performer! Shirley&rsquo;s proudest moment as a choreographer was the work she created for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony with 1200 local youth, including the music artist, Feist. Our thanks to Patty Powers and the rest of the angels at Foothills Country Hospice for their fine care. A Celebration of Life will be held in the Chapel of Eden Brook Funeral Home (17th Avenue and Lower Springbank Rd SW, Calgary) on Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, we ask you to please make donations to the Shirley C. Murray Dance Scholarship at the University of Calgary. Please contact Paula Michetti at paula.michetti@ucalgary.ca / 403-220-5944 to make your donation.<br /></div>