Stephen was born in Calgary, Alberta on July 17, 1916. He passed away peacefully with his immediate family at his side on October 4, 2013 in Victoria, B.C. Stephen is survived by sons, Robert, Kenneth, and David; four grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Reta in 2009 and his daughter, Patricia in 2006.
Thanks to Dr. Brad Hunter and to all the staff at Central Care Home for their attentive and compassionate care and support. Condolences may be offered to the family below
McCall Bros. Funeral Home
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Lawrence (Larry) Forbes
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CCH Day Staff We are truly grateful for sharing the latter part of Stephens life with our care home. He touched our hearts, he made us laugh and when he cried our hearts sank. We all connected with him on a personal level because he made that happen. He was so easy to care for and his supporting sons showed us true genuine love of family. How blessed to have such a wonderful earthly father and mentor. We are feelings the effects of his absence, Our thoughts and prayers to his sons.
CCH Daystaff.
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Diane St Jacques My deepest condolences to Ken, Dave and Rob. Whether I’m 8 or 58, Steve will always be “Mr. Cosburn” to me. My family, the Forbes’, grew up around the corner from the Cosburns. My parents still live there, and I have fond memories of our friends in the neighborhood. I was best friends with Patsy (Patricia) and my brothers were friends with “the twins”. We all looked up to Rob, being the oldest of their children. I’ll always remember Mr. Cosburn calling the twins for dinner with his booming voice “KEN, DAVE, dinner!” that could be heard around the neighborhood. He was such a warm, kind and laid back gentleman, and I’ll always remember the hospitality both he and Rita showed when we “came to play”. Keep the memories close to your heart. God Bless You.
Diane St Jacques (nee Forbes)
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Sandra Purkis My husband, Roger Purkis, was Stephen’s first cousin once removed. When we visited him and Reta several years ago, they were both so gracious and kind to us. Steve, as we called him, was truly a gentleman from the old school. From time to time, we kept in touch with him by phone and enjoyed our talks with him, especially when he reminisced about his geology days. He will be missed greatly by all who knew him.
Our sincere condolences to his sons and family. He is always with you.
Sandra and Roger Purkis
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Susan and Ted Syme We had the pleasure of having Steve as our neighbour for the past few years. He was a gentle soul and always smiling and had a twinkle in his eye. We appreciated his sense of humour and will miss him. To Dave, Ken, Bob, and family, we are sorry about your loss.
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Penny Colton P.Geoph To all the family of Steve Cosburn – Our thoughts are with his family. Here’s a reminder for his grand and great grandchildren: Steve played a significant and unique role as geologist on site at the Imperial Leduc #1 Discovery well in 1947. That was a significant event for the province and it’s economy. His professional colleagues in Alberta respect Steve as a his Life Member as a Professional Engineer in Alberta.
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Kim when somebody we love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure, he is forever within our hearts.
Until we meet again sweet grandpa, keep shining down on us to let us know how happy you are now reunited again with those who were once lost to you.
I, like my sister who posted here (Diane St. Jacques), also remember Stephen to be a kind and gentle man. I always noticed he had a way of relating to me (and others) in a genuine caring manner, and never in a way that “invaded your space” or made you feel uncomfortabe – what a gift…….
I grew up in a nice little neighbourhood (the Crescent) right around the corner from the Cosburns and quickly came to know and like them all. Like all kids, I compared their family with mine, and what I saw most was an easygoingness with them that wasn’t always present at my house. Stephen, for example, didn’t mind if we played and dug up the backyard – and dig we did – huge underground “forts” — well, huge trenches anyway, with plywood over the top, so we could crawl through pretending we were archeologists and explorers – “Ken, Dave, I think I found a piece of gold, call your Dad!!!” I also remember going to Dave and Kens’ (da twins) birthday parties where Rita, bless her soul, would let them scoop some icing off the cake before cutting it up. When I asked why are they doing that, she simply said: “because it’s their cake.” Hah! I didn’t get it then, but I do now………this was another example of the generally relaxed nature of the family and the household. These things would not have happened at my house — we shined in other ways though; the best sandboxes to play in and cookies, cool-aid, and chips. There are so many other things I could mention, but space is limited here I think.
I last saw Stephen about 6 months before he left his house. I was visiting my parents and knocked on his door on my way around the Crescent. It took a long time for the door to open and I was just about to leave when it did. I said hello, he hesistated for a moment studying me, and then blurted out “LARRY!” I was so pleased he remembered me. We had a nice little chat and then said good-bye.
I had meant to visit him at the rest home, but never got around to it -don’t know exactly why………life gets busy, I’m not fond of those places, etc, etc, or maybe subconsciously, I just wanted to remember him standing at the door of the house where he lived for so many years.
Bless you Rob, Dave, Ken……., your Dad, (& your whole family) was (have been) a really good influence in my life.
He will be missed, but we can be content he is now at peace, and in Peace.