Flags at the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and at Calgary’s McDougall Centre will fly at half staff this week following the death of Jeanne Lougheed, the widow of former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed and a longtime supporter of the arts.
“I am saddened by the death of a truly great Albertan, Jeanne Lougheed (née Rogers) at the age of 92,” Premier Jason Kenney said in a news release issued Monday.
Kenney said that by all accounts, Jeanne Lougheed was Peter Lougheed’s “best friend and closest adviser.”
“Mrs. Lougheed played a pivotal role in supporting her husband’s remarkable drive to propel the then moribund Progressive Conservative Party to forming four successive majority governments, providing inspired leadership to the province during 15 critical years in Alberta’s development,” the premier said.
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“Jeanne’s passion for Alberta art and culture helped to form an important part of the Lougheed legacy, leading author Fil Fraser to identify her as being the key figure responsible for a flourishing in the creative industries that he called ‘Alberta’s Camelot.’
“Her compassion for others and love of the province’s natural beauty inspired her to ensure that Albertans with disabilities could enjoy barrier-free access to the Rocky Mountains through the William Watson Lodge in Kananaskis.”
Lougheed, who was 92, had been given a number of prestigious honours in her lifetime. Some notable buildings in Alberta bear her name: the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre in Camrose and the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Building at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
“To those who knew Jeanne, she is best remembered through her love of her family; her children Stephen, Andrea, Pamela and Joe — and her grandchildren,” Kenney said. “Our thoughts are with all those who loved Jeanne.
“Our province mourns with them, and thanks them for sharing their mother with all of Alberta.”
View tweets about the passing of Jeanne Lougheed below:
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