About
Born in 1878 near Chesterville, Ontario, James Francis Melville "Frank" Moodie came West to Calgary in 1901 and attempted to establish a jewelry and watch repair business with his brother. Lacking demand for their services, Moodie moved on to other enterprises, including prospecting in British Columbia, which boosted his knowledge of geology.
Moodie returned to Calgary in 1907 and married his cousin Lucy. Four years later, he opened Rosedale Coal & Clay Products southeast of Drumheller. His mine was one of dozens in the Red Deer River badlands, but Moodie sought to provide better wages and working and living conditions for coal miners and their families than were typical in Alberta's coal industry. He was also a prominent figure in the oil industry, credited with forming the Sentinel and Anglo-Indian oil companies.
During his lifetime, Moodie amassed an extensive collection of gemstone and mineral specimens, which the Calgary Herald described in his June 1943 obituary as "one of the finest . . . on the continent". Among the most impressive pieces in the collection was a fairly large petrified tree stump, placed in the Moodie family plot beside the flat marker of J.F., Lucy, and their infant son, James Fyfe.
Know Before You Go
Union Cemetery is located south of 25 Avenue SE, forming a wedge between MacLeod Trail and Spiller Road. As a public park, it may be accessed any time, though city bylaw deems it to be closed nightly from 11 P.M. to 5 A.M. The Moodie plot and stump are in Section K.
Parking is available in the Reader Rock Garden and Café lot off 25 Avenue, or along most of Spiller Road. For transit users, this is about a 500 meter walk from Erlton C-Train station, through Reader Rock's parking area.
From the Reader Rock lots: either the path through the historic entrance arch or the service road will lead you up to the crest of the hill. Here the cemetery lanes form an intersection; continue more or less straight, down the hill between sections G (left) and K (right). After the trees, look right for "Armstrong" with three blank footstones in front, then "Kennedy" a few plots farther. The stump is halfway up the slope, to the right of Kennedy.
From Spiller Road: enter through the sole vehicle entrance on this side of the cemetery. Two lanes fork to ascend the hill; follow the lane on the right, between sections E and A. Where the lane bends left, Section E will give way to K. On the left, after a cluster of various markers, look for "Kennedy," then halfway up the slope to find the stump. Bonus for pianists: look also for the grave of Esther Honens, founder of the namesake international competition.
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Published
August 14, 2025
