Linda Fern Kizan

In the great circle of life, on April 6th, 2024 Linda Fern Kizan took the next step on her path.

She passed peacefully at home in the loving care of her son Colin and their palliative team. That circle began on July 1st, 1937, as Linda was welcomed into the world by her parents, Osmund and Elsa Brommeland (nee Nilson) in Prince Albert SK. As the ‘surprise’ third child, she enjoyed the attention of her older brothers, Stanley (1927-1980) and Allen (1931-2019), and numerous extended family members nearby, all manifesting their rich ( and quirky) Norwegian heritage.

Through summers spent both in Prince Albert (PA) and visiting the family farms near Weldon, she developed her love for the outdoors and active living. She completed Grade 12 at PACI (Prince Albert Collegiate Institute) despite her emphasis on attending drama classes, and her social life. Soon thereafter, she started into training to become a nurse.

As one of Linda’s many high school ‘projects’, she befriended Doreen MacDonald, as Doreen believes, with the main objective to meet her brother Jack. In 1959, it was mission accomplished as Jack and Linda were married! They packed up their little red Volvo two-door coupe and moved to Edmonton in 1960, to start a family and take on the world. They eventually settled in the Hardisty Community, just across the back-lane from Jack’s sister, Jan Kerr and her family, with children David, Doug and Laurie. The families were inseparable.

Linda became the homemaker and domestic engineer, while Jack worked at James Richardson & Son (investment brokerage) and occasionally pursued his hobby as an amateur mineral prospector. Summer weeks were still spent often at the MacDonald family cottage at Emma Lake, north of Prince Albert.

Jack passed away suddenly in late 1973, challenging Linda’s resilience and resolve. Surrounded by her family and her St. Augustine’s Anglican Church community, her spirit carried her forward and eventually she thrived again.

A few years later, another amateur prospector came into her life, Bill Kizan, an Edmonton firefighter (proving once again that prospectors know what gold looks like when they see it!) Their personalities fit together like hand-in-glove. Married in 1977, they spent the next three decades enjoying their cottage at Marten Beach – Slave Lake, travelling in Europe, and recovering from Bill’s numerous self-inflicted but hilarious mishaps. Sadly, Linda lost Bill to cancer in 2007.

Throughout her life, Linda treasured the outdoors and nature, plants and animals, music of the world’s cultures, people, the art of cooking (and eating), family, and fun. She enjoyed nature photography, getting her hands elbow-deep into her large garden, growing unusual plants, bird watching, reading, and local history. Her curiosity led her to volunteer at the Provincial Museum and Archives of Alberta, now the Royal Alberta Museum.

For 26 years, she did research and cataloguing of scores of artifacts collected by, or donated to, the museum. In 2019, she was recognized with a special award by the Museum for her dedication.

In these past few years, Linda sung praises of the staff at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital for their assistance, helping her to recover from and manage the effects of a stroke in Feb 2018.

Colin would also like to acknowledge the compassion of the Home Instead care team for their kind assistance to both Linda and himself in recent months.

There will be a Celebration of Linda's Life on Saturday May 25, 2024 at St. Augustine's Anglican Church (6110 Fulton Rd NW, Edmonton, AB) at 11:00AM.

Those wishing to view the service via Live stream, can do so by accessing https://www.staugustinesedmonton.com/pages/live-stream

In memoriam, donations may be directed to the Glenrose Hospital Foundation.