Colin Alfred Bisset

Nov. 9, 1928 – Dec. 11, 2013

Colin was born November 9, 1928 in West Vancouver, passed away peacefully December 11 at Greenwoods after a lengthy illness.

Always loved and sadly missed by his partner Audrie, extended family Kathryn, Kaitlan and friends.

Our sincere and heartfelt thanks to Dr. Reznick, the nursing staff, all Greenwood workers for their compassion and care of Colin.

No service by request. In lieu of flowers any donation to Greenwoods or Lady Minto Hospital will be deeply appreciated.

Rest in peace Colin – till we meet again.

Marie-Josée Graci (née Labelle)

August 12, 1960 to December 6, 2013

Marie-Josée passed away gracefully and serenely on December 6th, 2013, at the age of 53, in the arms of her beloved husband, Sam, and her elder daughter, Julie Fortin. Marie-Josée is survived by her husband Sam, her beloved children — son Mathieu (23), her two daughters Julie(27) and Catherine (25) — her mother Madeleine Brodeur, her sister Nathalie (Claude), her brother Alain (Gisèle), as well as her nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her father Victor Labelle in 2006 in Montréal.

Marie-Josée was born in Montréal, Québec on August 12, 1960. She received her Master’s Degree in Nutrition at the Université de Montréal in 1983 and for many years worked as a nutritionist in the Laurentians in Québec. In 2000 she successfully opened and operated a natural health food store, Vision Santé, in St-Jovite, Québec. During the years 2003 – 2008 Marie-Josée hosted a very successful syndicated television program called “Santé vous mieux” in which she conducted a series of interviews with varied experts in the field of health and nutrition.

In the summer of 2008, Marie-Josée moved to Salt Spring Island where she and Sam married and where she continued her work with Sam in the field of research in health and nutrition. She travelled Canada from coast to coast, with Sam, encouraging and motivating people towards wholistic living. One of Marie-Josée’s passions was dialoguing with and educating mothers on how to best feed their children and most importantly how to feed their souls.

Marie-Josée raised Julie, Catherine and Mathieu with natural love, beauty and nutrition and spent a lot of time sharing her spiritual depth and wisdom with them as she did with everyone she met.

A joyous celebration of Marie-Josée’s beautiful life will be held in the spring of 2014. An announcement and invitation will be published at that time.

Cliff Mills

March 8, 1928 – December 3, 2013

Cliff Mills passed away peacefully after a comfortable day with family at the Jubilee Lodge in Prince George, BC. He is survived by his wife Angie and his daughter Kasandra, her partner Ramesh, and granddaughters Ramona and Naomi. A service was held in Prince George in Cliff’s honour. To view Cliff’s life story and send condolences, please visit www.assmansfuneralchapel.com.?In lieu of flowers, donations to the B.C. Parkinsons Society or BCSPCA would be appreciated.

Madge Bate

On November 29, 2013, Madge Bate of Sherwood Park and formerly of Salt Spring Island, B.C. passed away at the age of 89.

Madge was predeceased by her husband, Frank; her brother Ed; and sister Lily.

She is survived by her brother, Norman in England; sister-in-law, Millie Edwards of Sherwood Park; nephew, David (Lynn) of Edmonton; 3 nieces, Vivienne, Heather, and Pamela all of England; great-niece Jessica of Edmonton; sister-in-law, Doreen (Alan) Hughes of Sherwood Park and by nephew Gary (Carol) of Edmonton.

Cremation has taken place, no funeral service will be held.

To send condolences please visit

www.glenwoodmemorial.com

Barbara Joan Bompas

May 26, 1923 – Nov. 29, 2013

Our dear Barbarita who liked Margaritas’ passed on peacefully, with family by her side. Barbarita loved her family and she loved to have a bit of fun. We send a heartfelt thank you to all the staff of Greenwoods and Dr. Crichton, for she had the best care we could ask for. We will celebrate Barbarita’s life with a family gathering, Spring 2014. Her family carries her light.

Alan Robert Hoban (CD)

July 2, 1931 – Nov. 26, 2013

Alan passed peacefully on November 26th at Lady Minto Hospital. He was born July 2, 1931 in Beausejour, Manitoba and is survived by his wife Lena of 57 years and sons Grant (Arlene) and Robert (Lisa) and two grandchildren Jennifer and Michael as well as many nieces, nephews and their children.

Alan worked for over 35 years with the Manitoba Liquor Commission before retiring to Salt Spring Island in 1987 and was very active in his retirement years. He served as a member of the Ganges Coast Guard Auxiliary for 15 years and was also a member of the Salt Spring Island Yacht Club. More recently, and with great joy, he drove a rugged old Caterpillar rock truck at Channel Ridge and took pride in never tipping it over! Alan was very proud of his service with the Sea Cadet organization starting in Manitoba and then moving on to be an Officer at HMCS Quadra in Comox and the Commanding Officer of RCSCC Admiral Budge in Sidney. He wore his navy ring with pride and treasured his Canadian Service Medal (CD). Dad first fell in love with Salt Spring while on a training cruise to Ganges and moved here with Lena to enjoy the Salt Spring lifestyle.  

The family would like to express their appreciation for all the care from Dr. Reznik and the staff of the Lady Minto Hospital as well as his friends, family members and good neighbours who came to visit him in recent days. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Lady Minto Hospital.

Friends and family are invited to drop-in for a Celebration of Life at the family home Sunday December 8th from 2 to 4PM.  

Pamela Joyce Beck

March 8th, 1943 ~

November 25th, 2013

Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, & friend, Pam Beck (nee Naish) has passed from this realm peacefully and surrounded by love.

Born amid the upheaval of wartime London, she was nevertheless the recipient of and also a tireless provider of boundless love, kindness and generosity to all. Her spirit of adventure carried her from countryside homes in Maidenhead and Cookham to the rural town of Dixonville, Alberta and later to reinvented lives on both Salt Spring Island, BC and Maui, Hawaii.   Mrs. Beck touched thousands of young lives as their favourite English teacher on Maui, as well as Alberta.

She is survived by Jim, her husband of 47 years, as well as her children Matthew (Lorena), Iris, and Lisa (Douglas Macklin), her grandchildren Jimmy, Tai, Robin, and Ruckle, her brothers John and David and a multitude of close friends and extended family who love her dearly and will miss her so.

Heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the staff of Lady Minto Hospital and others that attended her so gently, and to Dr. Woodley, who gave so much of his time for her comfort and reassurance.

C. Dorothy Dodds

Born January 14, 1919 on Salt Spring Island, passed peacefully with her family at her side on November 18, 2013.

Beloved daughter of the late Michael and Carrie Gyves of the pioneer Gyves’ family of Burgoyne Valley.

Dorothy was predeceased by her loving husband Robert Erskine Dodds (ret’d R.C.M.P) on November 30, 2000 and by her eldest daughter Marie (Dance) (Win) Skretka (Ed), of Kamloops, BC.

She is survived by and her sons, Robert J. M. Dodds (Joyce) and Mark L. Dodds (Jan); and her daughters Donna M. Dodds, Valerie Gustafson (Al), and Lynn Koett (Gary); numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, nephews, nieces and her sister Phyllis Russell, Metchosin, BC

Dorothy raised her family of six, loved them dearly and all their children and her great grandchildren. She was active in Parent Teacher Association; her church through C.W.L. and in the Women’s Institute over the years, and the Salt Spring Historical Society. Dorothy was her husband Robert’s ‘second man’ in his long-term service in the R.C.M.P., Marine Division.

Flowers gratefully declined. Donations for those so inclined to the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation, gratefully appreciated.

Special thanks to Dr. David Woodley for all his excellent care these past 18 years. Thanks to ambulance attendants, staff of Lady Minto, Meals-on-Wheels, Thrifty’s Sendial and home care providers, especially Kathy Dryden.

Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of Grace Church (R.C.), 135 Drake Road, Ganges, B.C. on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013 at 2:30pm with tea reception following downstairs in the hall.

Forever missed and deeply loved.

Millicent May Valdez (nee Bird)

May 21, 1928-November 17, 2013

Millicent May Valdez (nee Bird) passed away at 6:29 am on Sunday, November 17, 2013 in the Extended Care Unit of Lady Minto Hospital, Salt Spring Island, BC at the age of 85. She lived there since June 2006.

Thank you to all the staff who have taken such good care of her for all these years.

She was predeceased by her Shetland pony, Mighty As A Rose, her husband Delbert Theodore Valdez on June 21, 2000, and her oldest grandson, Travis Charles Guedes on April 17, 2013.

She is survived by her only daughter, Judy Guedes and son-in-law Ryon Guedes on Salt Spring Island; grandchildren Margot (Rob) Knight and great grandchildren Amelia, Anika and newborn Autumn Knight in Olympia, WA., Roger (Rae-Anne) Guedes and great grandchildren Gene, Lukas and William Guedes in Cranbrook, BC, and grand daughter-in-law Sandra Guedes and great grandchildren Abigail and Haylee Guedes on Salt Spring Island.

Millie was born near Sundre, Alberta on May 21, 1928, third of six children to Lena (Sheets) and Harold Bird (both deceased, Westward-Ho, AB) and predeceased by her sister Annie (Robert) Westward-Ho, AB. She is survived by her brothers Howard (Sylvia) Bird, Westward-Ho, AB and Gordon (Shirley) Bird, Bowser, BC and her sisters Vera (Melvin, deceased) Rogers (Innisfail, AB) and Loretta (Clinton, deceased) Stone (Sundre, AB) and many nieces and nephews.

We know that Millie is running through the fields of flowers, long curly blond hair blowing in the wind, chasing after her Shetland pony, Mighty As A Rose, with Delbert, Travis and Charlie trying to catch up with her.