Mckenzie Towne Continuing Care Centre
Calgary Residents 150 Infected residents 61 Deaths 21 Infected staff 44 Staff deaths 0
Anna Neal (née Glatt) 1934-March 23, 2020
When Anna Neal (née Glatt) passed away on March 23 at the age of 85, she became the first resident of Calgary’s Mckenzie Towne Continuing Care Centre to die of COVID-19, and only Alberta’s second fatality from the virus.
Since then, 21 Mckenzie Towne residents have died of COVID-19, accounting for nearly a third of Alberta’s toll.
Neal was born in Saskatchewan in 1934. She moved to Calgary after marrying her husband Jim and spent many of the following years as a homemaker.
Neal was widowed after her husband passed away at 56, at which point she become more involved with volunteer efforts, including with the Catholic Women’s League, where she delivered communion to those too sick to attend church services. Neal also made a habit of hosting extended family members at her Calgary home until they were able to get on their feet.
Rose-ann Normandeau, one of Neal’s two daughters alongside Gayle Neal, said some of her most resounding memories of her mother revolve around music. Neal played the guitar and the accordion, and would lead sing-alongs at family gatherings to country and folk classics. In her 60s, Neal joined a band which played music for residents of long-term care homes during afternoons and evenings.
Spirituality and compassion defined much of Neal’s life, and she wanted a large Catholic funeral including a reception and mass. Due to COVID-19 mass gathering restrictions, however, Neal was recognized in a graveside service with immediate family and a priest.
“We’re used to getting closure in a certain way. At a funeral service, you can’t hug anyone, so it felt odd. It’s hard to get closure that way,” Normandeau said.
Among other Mckenzie Towne residents, Neal was known as a voracious reader with a kind heart.