Eleanor Christine Vokes
March 25, 1961 – April 12, 2025

In Memory of Eleanor Christine Vokes.

It is with many tears and great sadness, we the family of Eleanor (“Ellie,” “Elly,” “Eli”, “Nor”) Christine Vokes announce her sudden and unexpected passing on Saturday, April 12, 2025. Eleanor was born to Elizabeth (Beth) and Earle Vokes on March 25, 1961, in Hagersville, Ont. She was the third of nine children. The family relocated from Nanticoke, Ont., to Eckville, Alta., in April 1969 where she grew up with her eight siblings. 

Eleanor moved to Rocky Mountain House in her late teenage years where she met her lifelong partner of 47 years, Terry Cote. Their son, Terry Jr., was born April 25, 1979. While working at Dairy Queen in Rocky Mountain House, and with a very young son, Eleanor decided to venture into schooling (while working) for Gas Process Operations at Red Deer College. After completing Level 1, 2, and 3 as well as 4th class Power Engineering, Part A, she began her oil and gas career with Texaco in 1986 as a field operator. Over the years, she has worked with various oilfield companies as a skilled, competent operator and worked her way up to a manager/teacher/mentor. She became a well-respected go-to person (woman) in all oil and gas field and plant operations, even writing operations manuals as she went along. 

Writing operations manuals, engineering ventures, gas plant turnarounds, DEOS jobs, and consulting for various oilfield companies, as well as keeping up on top of the changing technologies, including government regulations, led her to starting her own consulting company ROC Operations And Consulting in 2015. In early-mid 2018, Eleanor began teaching the Oil and Gas Field Operations course at the Northern Lights College (NLC) at Fort St. John, B.C., on the referral of a former schoolmate and friend, Bill Sambrook. 

At the time of her passing, she was an integral part of the team for the pilot project that was started in September 2024 for the new course for Field Operations Specialist. Eleanor had written the course, taught the pilot semester, and was working in collaboration with Tourmaline and Northern Lights College to develop the curriculum for launch in September 2025. Just in case that wasn’t enough, she went to various oilfield businesses and asked them if they were willing to donate several millions of dollars of heavy equipment for hands-on learning at the college for the students.

She took immense pride in all her efforts and everyone who was alongside with her. She loved you ALL!
Along with Eleanor’s very busy and full work life, she was fully involved with her home, her family and her community. Eleanor threw her whole being into all endeavours of life. 

Her family was her priority and she made sure family needs were selflessly taken care of immediately — no matter the time or who needed help — bringing the family together, doing massive amounts of cooking, looking after her parents. Everyone knew she cared for us and loved us. She believed in lifting up the less fortunate with her volunteering to see they had some of the good qualities of life they may not have had access to otherwise, whether it was presents for kids at Christmas or food or clothing. 

With Terry, her lifelong partner, they built a beautiful home over the years at their acreage they moved into in 1992. Both hard working and generous parents gave our family a son who was taught in empathy, compassion and caring and carries that with him. 

Eleanor loved being outdoors. She and Terry never stopped and worked very hard on their home with the beautiful gardens and pond and renovations to the house to welcome us all. Quite the team. Eleanor had taken up artwork over the past several years to defrag and deprogram, when needed, producing birdhouses, rock artwork and painting among other creative projects. She loved taking her Mom gold panning. She loved camping, when you could pull her away from everything. She loved quadding. She believed in paving the way for women and providing education to those whose financial means created a barrier. 

Eleanor leaves behind her partner Terry Sr.; her son Terry Jr.; father Earle; siblings: Esther (Bob), Emily (Doug), Ernie (Cindy), Everett, Evan (Lorinda), Emerson, Earle Jr. - “Charlie” (Trish) and Erick (Deina); nieces and nephews: Ashley (Scott), Adam, Jenny (Andrew), Leila (Keir), Nick (Morgan), Matt, Blake, Alex, Brittnee, Dirk, Riley and Arica; grand-nieces: Lily and Sophie, Layla; and numerous cousins, aunts and uncles, and many, many friends. She was predeceased by her mother “Beth” (Elizabeth) on May 30, 2022.

Eleanor loved life. We will dearly miss her and we will meet her again.

Eleanor, you will always be in our hearts and always in our memories. We love you forever!

For those wishing to make a memorial contribution in Eleanor’s name please send a donation in lieu of flowers, please send it to the STARS Air Ambulance, The Stollery Children’s Hospital or an organization that benefits less fortunate kids.

There will be a celebration of life for Eleanor at a later date. 

Condolences may be forwarded to www.rockyfuneralhome.ca.

Rocky and Sylvan Lake Funeral Homes and Crematorium, your Golden Rule Funeral Homes, entrusted with the arrangements.