March 9, 1921 – November 22, 2008
Born in Bexhill-on-Sea, England, Margaret passed away peacefully, her daughters at her side, after a very brief battle with lung cancer. Margaret is once again with her beloved husband, Norman Stewart (died April 1, 2001). The strength of their love for each other is a bond for all time and an inspiration to all who knew them.
Margaret is survived by her brother John Bowen, children Briony Goddard (Jim), Gail Harcombe (Andrew), and David Stewart, grandchildren Kim, Karen, Jessica, Toby, Ashley and Katelyn, great grandson Stephen, and many friends.
Her life took her from England to East Africa, to the U.S. and then to Canada. The family emigrated from Kenya to California in 1953, and moved to Pendleton, Oregon, in 1954, where Margaret’s husband was a psychiatrist at the Eastern Oregon State Hospital. In 1976, they moved to the house they built near Ganges on Salt Spring Island, B.C., and in 1996 moved to Sidney, B.C.
In each place, Margaret was always happy to be in the company of friends and family. She travelled widely, through school, through her career in nursing with the British Army Medical Corps during and after WW II, and with her husband and family. We never tired of hearing stories of when she lived in Africa, and about trips to Egypt, Israel, Africa, Greece, Turkey and Europe. We will remember her love of the sea, music, dry British humour, green grapes, the colour blue…
She was interested in many things, and encouraged all of us to do as she and our father did – continue learning all our lives. She was a nurse, a musician, a creative and talented seamstress/tailor (amazing ballet costumes, her daughters’ wedding dresses), a great cook (THE world’s best brownies), a teacher (of so many things in life), a staunch supporter of all her family’s endeavors, and most of all, a kind and loving mother (grandmother) and friend.
The family wishes to express our gratitude to the nurses and volunteers of the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Palliative Care Unit. The care and support Mum and the family received while she was there is much appreciated. A tea in celebration of her life will be held at the Peninsula in Sidney, where Mum spent several very happy years.
A private family memorial will be held when family can gather in Victoria. While her request is for no funeral or flowers, as you listen to music or walk by the sea, remember how much she enjoyed these things. Donations in her memory may be made to the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Society and to the Canadian Institute for the Blind. To contact the family, please email her daughter Gail at g.harcombe@shaw.ca.