Departing Details helps ease loss for loved ones

Step-by-step guide turns organizing personal affairs into an act of kindness

Retirement for some people means looking forward to not having to go to work, relaxing with no obligations and plenty of leisure time.

Not so for Rosemary Pahl, who enjoyed working in a variety of careers before turning a personal passion into an accidental business that has aroused interest around the world.

Her “Departing Details Workbook — a step-by-step guide to leaving your loved ones with information they need to know” is already being used by about 6,000 people.

Pahl graduated as a registered nurse in Peterborough, Ont., then went on to get her MBA at University of Western Ontario in London, Ont.

She then headed west to accept a job with a medical consulting company, planning to stay for a year with the firm in Edmonton. That’s where Phal met her husband, Milt — an MLA in the Lougheed government — and she never went back east.

Following a position as president and CEO of the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton she did move to Vancouver for a while to serve as president of The Catholic Care Group of Hospitals, but was wooed away in 1968 by Peter Armstrong after his Rocky Mountain Railtours was growing rapidly and he wanted her organizing strengths as his senior vice-president and COO.

Calgary became the home to the Phals when Milt became an investor in the oil and gas industry and Rosemary was appointed president and CEO of Calgary Laboratory Services. In her four years in that position she led a financial turnaround from pending insolvency to a 48 per cent increase in revenue and a 438 per cent increase in profit, while securing a new facility and funds for capital expansion.

In 2002 she became chief financial and administrative officer for the Bennett Jones law offices in Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto, but after building a highly functioning management team opted to retire in 2007.

Then a friend suffered a terminal illness, and Pahl was privy to the awful confusion and heartache resulting from the widow not being able to sort out the documents and wishes of the deceased.

Based on experiences and observations as a nurse and hospital executive, she was well aware of the problems of families searching for information — or worse still in conflict with other family members — over unmade decisions when an incapacitating illness, injury or death occurs.

She was determined that her family would not have to face the same stress and began organizing her personal affairs.

A longtime supportive member of Young Presidents Organization, she shared her topic with fellow members and offered to hand out her personal guide. One member asked to purchase copies for his clients, which led to it being professionally edited and resulting in a national bank wealth management group purchasing copies for its clients.

And Pahl was suddenly back in business.

The right marketing tools were essential to growth and Pahl persuaded Calgary internet entrepreneur Steve Harris to become a partner of Departing Details, to design a website and launch an online version in 2017. They are excited about the new initiative as it helps reach younger people who sometimes naively think this is something only their parents need.

Today, the project that encourages healthy discussions and planning ahead is being used by families and by corporations that understand encouraging their employees to use the guide is smart business.

It has been sold in all 10 Canadian provinces, in 30 U.S. states and 10 countries, and negotiations are underway for a client to distribute the workbook to its staff in 130 countries.

Pahl is enjoying her ‘retirement’ by helping others organize their affairs as an act of kindness for their families.

Notes:

Bow Valley College and its Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Craig Elias, won at the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics Awards of Excellence that took place recently in Melbourne, Australia. Elias, who has played an active role at Bow Valley College providing students with the tools and problem-solving skills to foster a business idea, was nominated for his outstanding contributions to building entrepreneurial learning.