A Life That Shaped a Community: Honouring Pat Grayling

There are some people whose impact on a community is so deep, so steady, and so quietly transformative that it’s difficult to imagine the place without them. Pat Grayling was one of those people.

A longtime volunteer with the Canmore Hospital Ladies’ Auxiliary and a cherished part of the Canmore Hospital Foundation community, Pat passed away in December 2025, a few hours from her 97th birthday, leaving a legacy of service spanning decades, generations, and nearly every corner of Canmore. Her Celebration of Life was held on January 13, 2026, a reflection of just how many lives she touched along the way.

Pat’s story with Canmore began in July 1992, when she arrived from Adelaide, Australia. Within her first week in town, newly retired and newly settled, she did what Pat always did: she asked where she could help. Some people see retirement as a time to slow down. For Pat, it was simply the beginning of her next chapter of service.

“She works tirelessly for the hospital and the community,” shared Pamela Kathol, AHS Volunteer Resources, who documented Pat’s early and ongoing volunteer contributions. “Pat started volunteering in July to support a post-natal group, walking with crying babies, and by September 1992, she was attending her first Auxiliary meeting.”

From that moment on, Pat became a constant presence. For more than 30 years, she volunteered at the hospital and throughout the Bow Valley, giving thousands of hours to patients, families, staff, and fellow volunteers.

The Heart of the Hospital

Pat was a registered volunteer with Alberta Health Services for over 25 years. Even in her late 80s, she contributed hundreds of hours each year. She coordinated volunteers for the Hospital Tuck Shop, ensuring it was open seven days a week.

“At almost 89 years old, she coordinated all the volunteers in the Hospital Tuck Shop to ensure it was open seven days a week,” Pamela Kathol noted. “If a shift couldn’t be filled, she came in herself.”

Pat trained and mentored new volunteers with enthusiasm and care, welcoming everyone with the same warmth and encouragement. When asked to help, her answer was almost always the same: “I’d love to!”

Her commitment to patients was equally unwavering. She visited patients and residents on Christmas Day, delivered gifts, and personally welcomed the Canmore New Year’s Baby each year with a thoughtfully prepared gift basket. As Barbara S. Shellian, RN, MN, Director of Bow Valley Community and Rural Health,  reflected, “She is committed to doing whatever she can to support patients and families at the Canmore Hospital.”

Barbara, who worked alongside Pat for decades, captured what so many felt: “No job was too big or too small for her. She’s the epitome of volunteerism, devoting her time and energy to support safe, quality care for patients and families.”

Leadership That Endured

Pat’s leadership within the Canmore Hospital Ladies’ Auxiliary was marked by consistency, generosity, and an unwavering willingness to show up. She held every executive role, many more than once, and was deeply involved in every fundraiser, event, and detail.

“When the Auxiliary was there, Pat was there – pure and simple,” Barbara Shellian shared. “Every hospital should have a Pat Grayling.”

Through Pat’s dedication and long-standing involvement, the Ladies’ Auxiliary raised and donated significant funds to support patient care at the Canmore Hospital. These contributions helped purchase essential equipment, including infant warmers, ceiling lifts, and operating room equipment. Pat didn’t just help raise funds; she advocated for them to be spent wisely and thoughtfully, always with patients at the centre.

“Pat was a leading force with the Auxiliary and a wonderful mentor to all the Ladies. She made a special effort with everyone. We felt she graced us with her Grace. A favourite remembered saying of Pat to members was “Attitude is gratitude”. We will miss her,” Shared Terri Harrison of the Ladies’ Auxiliary. 

One of Pat’s most enduring contributions was her role in supporting the Ladies’ Auxiliary as it joined the Canmore Hospital Foundation. Recognizing the changing needs of a growing community, Pat charted a path to ensure the Auxiliary’s work could continue for generations to come. She listened carefully, answered questions, and approached change with patience and grace.

A Community Builder at Heart

Pat’s impact reached far beyond the hospital walls. She volunteered with Food for Friends, the Food Bank, the Museum, the Senior Centre, Friends of the Library, the Canmore Nordic Centre, Lawrence Grassi School Library, the Hospital’s Long-Term Care facility, Golden Eagle View, and many other community initiatives.

“There are very few people in Canmore who don’t know the energetic and positive volunteer Pat Grayling,” Pamela Kathol observed. “She is a true bright light for all in our organization.”

Every Monday night, without fail, Pat helped serve warm dinners to hundreds of people through a local church program. She gave her time to blood donor clinics, mammogram and flu clinics, Para Winter Games, and countless community events. Wherever there was a need, Pat seemed to be there.

What made Pat truly remarkable wasn’t just the volume of her service, but the way she made people feel. She had an extraordinary gift for connection. She remembered names, family details, and stories. She noticed when someone was new or in need of encouragement, and she made a point of bringing people together.

A Legacy That Lives On

In recognition of her decades of service, a garden at the Canmore Hospital was named in her honour. The Pat Grayling Garden, located in the Long-Term Care garden, is a fitting tribute to someone who spent many years supporting Golden Eagle View and its residents. It stands today as a quiet, living reminder of her care and presence.

Pat received numerous awards over the years, including the Rotary Award for Service Above Self, the Mayor’s Award for Volunteer Excellence, and the Alberta Centennial Premier’s Award. Yet accolades were never what drove her. When asked why she volunteered so much, her answer remained simple and sincere: “I like to feel like I’m a contributing member of the community.”

In her later years, when Pat herself needed support, the community she’d given so much to rallied around her. Volunteers lined up to spend time with her, help with errands, or simply sit and share a coffee. Even then, Pat continued to teach those around her about purpose, dignity, and the grace of allowing others to serve.

Pat Grayling showed us what it means for one person to have a profound impact. Through small, consistent acts of kindness, repeated over a lifetime, she helped shape a community that’s kinder, stronger, and more connected.

On behalf of the Canmore Hospital Foundation, the Canmore Hospital Ladies’ Auxiliary, and the many lives Pat touched, we offer our deepest gratitude and remembrance. Her legacy lives on in the hospital she supported, the volunteers she mentored, the garden named for her, and the community she helped build.

Thank you, Pat. You showed us all what it means to live well and give fully.