Beloved mother of Andy (Caroline), Donald (Sheri). Grandmother of Sonya and great grandmother of Stormey and Paige. Betty faced death with the same courage, strength and grace with which she faced life.

“Death has made His darkness beautiful with thee.”

Luceo Non Uro

Doreen ‘Mary’ Dalton died?on January 7 in the Abbotsford Regional Hospital,?surrounded with love from her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A beautiful, strong and vibrant person, a successful professional woman and a devoted mother, Mary was the loving wife and companion of Bob Dalton who pre-deceased her in 2003. Together they had lived a remarkable and exciting life. After nursing in war-torn England, Mary worked with Bob to run a number of successful small businesses including an antique shop on London’s famous Portobello Road and a restaurant and small hotel in the seaside city of Hastings on the south coast of England. In 1956, with three children, Keith, John and Anne, Mary joined Bob in the film business in Ottawa on what they saw as the first step to completing their dream of gradually traveling around the world. Mary capped a successful career in Toronto as both a Captain in Toronto Service Battalion and as Advertising Manager for Sears Canada catalogue. She and Bob then fulfilled their wish to travel around the world in a globe-trotting retirement spanning almost three decades. She will be greatly missed by her children, grandchildren Aron, (Kim), Zoe, (Hamilcar) and Theana, and by her great-grandchildren Kya, Bailey, Joaquim and Gilles, as well as Jane.

In respect of Mary’s wishes, her family will re-gather in the spring to celebrate her life and to spread her ashes over the ocean. From her old friends Mary would enjoy a toast and a “remember when.”. Her favourite charity was Doctors Without Borders.

Thanks to the doctors and Nurses of Abbotsford Regional Hospital for their compassionate care

and help in giving Mary a peaceful end

to a well-lived life.

September 30, 1919 to

January 5, 2012

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our Dad, Grandpa and Great Grandpa. Dad passed away peacefully at his home at Nanaimo Seniors Village in Nanaimo, BC at the age of 92. Dad was predeceased by his wife Joan in March 2011. He will be forever remembered by his children Carol, Nancy (Ken), Doug, Nori (Jeff), and Ken Jr. (Pam); stepchildren Julie ( (Linc), Perry (Val), and Jennifer (Shawn); grandchildren Kim, Matthew (Miranda), Nathan (Chrystal), Natane (Clint), Natalie (Ron), Nadine, Randi-Leigh (James), Graham, Dave, Byron, Tristan, Madison, Chloe and Beatrix; 10 great grandchildren.

Dad was born in 1919 in Victoria BC and moved to Ladner as a young boy of 5 after the death of his father. In later years he wore many different hats. He was a teacher and principal, race horse owner, restaurateur, coach, and cook on his son-in-law’s seine boat. After graduation from Normal School he joined the Army Medical Corp and while overseas was injured. Upon his return he married Phyllis Allen and they moved to Trail where their 5 were born. He taught school there until 1956 and then moved to Richmond where he was employed by the Richmond School Board as a teacher. He retired from his final position as Principal of Hugh McRoberts in 1974. He always had a love for teaching and often referred to his students as “his kids”. He was very active in all sports, coaching as well as playing, but lacrosse was always his favorite. At the age of 16 he played lacrosse with the New West Salmonbellies, and after the war he played for the Vancouver Burrards. He was instrumental in building lacrosse teams in Trail and Delta and as a result was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame as a Builder, an honour of which he was very proud. After his retirement he moved to Salt Spring Island where he met his wife Joan. They were married in 1979 and eventually moved to Victoria BC where they lived until Joan’s passing. We wish to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at the Nanaimo Seniors Village for all the wonderful care that they gave our dad right up to the end. Dad requested no funeral service but we will still say goodbye at a later date.

Love you forever.

Johnston, Jean Agnes

The death of Jean Agnes Johnston occurred at The Lady Minto Hospital on April 2, 2012. Born in Glassville, New Brunswick on February 16, 1920, Jean was the daughter of the late Clement Wilson and Myrtle Henrietta (Peterson) Perry. Jean was the eldest and the final survivor of six siblings, Frances, Arthur (Pat), Mary, Jacquie, and Mabel. Jean attended Normal School in Fredericton in 1938 and went on to teach in Tracy and later at her home school in Glassville. She met and later married Tilley Maurice Johnston in Tracy in May of 1941.

After Tilley returned from overseas, they lived in St. John with their two daughters. In 1948 they moved to Northern Alberta to teach on the Provincial Metis Colonies for seven years. With their daughters, they settled in Edmonton where they both continued working for the Provincial Government until their retirement in 1973.

They had discovered Salt Spring Island while on vacation in the early 1960’s and bought a piece of land on Roland Road, where they eventually built their retirement dream home and spent many happy years.

Jean was active in the Hiking Club and Birdwatching Club, but was most happy with her quilting club, where she formed many friendships. Jean was an avid knitter and craftsperson and her work was often entered in Christmas, Summer and Fall Fairs.

After Tilley’s passing Jean eventually moved to a residence in The Kingfisher where she spent many happy years close to her friends and favourite coffee shops in Ganges.

Jean spent the last year and a half in Extended Care at Lady Minto Hospital where her life was made comfortable by a warm and caring staff and the many volunteers.

She is survived by her daughter Sandra (grandson Geoff), daughter Heather Niven (Robert), granddaughter Darcy Berwick (Dan), great grandchildren Abigail and Griffin, granddaughter Erin (great granddaughter Rhowena), grandson Patrick Niven (Jacquie) and great granddaughter Delaney. She also leaves a special niece, Kathy Perry from Brampton, and close friend of many years Shirley Martineau Rogers, of Edmonton.

A Celebration of Life will be announced for sometime in May. The family suggests in lieu of flowers that donations be made in Jean’s name to the Lady Minto Hospital.

Richard Curtis Willmott

1930 – 2012

Born to missionary-teacher parents on March 19th, 1930 in Chungking, West China, Dick had a very active and fascinating life. 

He came to North America with his family for a furlough year in 1936/37 and left China again for a second one in 1943, but due to the Second World War didn’t arrive here until 1944 and then remained to continue his education: a B.A. in Mathematics from Swarthmore College in 1952 and an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University in 1954. Canada, his father’s home country, was his next place of residence and for the following six years he worked at Canadian Marconi and International Syscoms in Montreal as a radio engineer. In 1960 he decided to return to his first love, mathematics, and came to the University of British Columbia to start the studies that led to a Ph.D. in 1965. For the next 25 years Dick did research in and taught mathematics at University College in London, England, l’Universite de Montreal in Quebec, Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, the University of Zambia in Lusaka, and the University of Essex in Colchester, England.

However, Dick’s academic activities were always interspersed with numerous other interests and pursuits. Being very athletic he played soccer and field hockey into his adult years, and was an avid rock-climber and mountaineer. Two of his adventures involved traversing Mt. Victoria in the Canadian Rockies and attempting to summit Mt. Waddington in the BC Coastal Range. Interested in airplanes from an early age he got his pilot’s license in his twenties, and later built and flew a small 2-seater Kitfox from Ontario to British Columbia.  Dick was an excellent folk-dancer with a particular fondness for Israeli and Balkan rhythms and fancy footwork–both of which he taught, and along with two others he once graced Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre stage dancing as a Bulgarian. Also high on his list was choral singing, and from the early fifties until last Christmas Dick sang in numerous choirs–both large and small.  Woodworking, travel and volunteering filled many a day after his retirement and move to Salt Spring Island in 1999, and it was here that he learned to identify numerous  edible wild mushrooms, for which he loved foraging.

Over the years Dick’s thoughtful and inquisitive mind led him to think deeply about world events and to a lifelong opposition to racism, war, and social inequality.  He cared about other people and the world we live in, and did what he could to better it.

On August 2, 2012 Dick died of gastric cancer at Salt Spring’s Lady Minto Hospital. He will be very sorely missed by his wife of 51 years, Jill; his children Ian, Michele, and Derek; and his siblings Joy, Don, and Bill.   The family extends sincere thanks to Dr. Magda Leon, and the many palliative-care nurses and caring hospice volunteers who made Dick’s last weeks as comfortable as possible. There will be no funeral as per his request, but contributions in Dick’s memory to the Salt Spring Island Conservancy (P.O. Box 722, SSI, BC, V8K 2W3) where he was a volunteer for many years would be greatly appreciated.  Carpe diem!

May 7, 1942 Edmonton –  

Dec. 29, 2011 Salt Spring Island

John enjoyed his work as a Psychoanalyst and made significant contributions to the field working at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, teaching students at McGill, sitting on Canada-wide research committees and in private practice in Montreal and Salt Spring.

He also loved outdoor pursuits and being on the water. He built the 39 ft. sailboat Touch The Clouds and sailed from Montreal to Salt Spring via the Galapagos, Marquises and Panama. He sailed the west coast while living for over two decades on his boat mainly powered by wind and solar energy and rainwater collection, wanting low impact on the earth.

He loved the connection with nature he found rowing into Ganges Harbour early each morning, and spent many hours following his interest in the behaviour of birds.

John believed strongly that young children should be treated with utmost kindness and had high regard for early childhood education.

He was appreciated and loved by many friends and by those who worked with him.

And to all those people who worked with John, he loved you, recognized your beauty and strength, knew you as the finest people, and had great respect for each of you.

He is survived by his mother Noreen Christian, sister Maureen Lloyd, many nieces, nephews, and cousins across Canada, his loving partner Elizabeth Buchanan and her daughter Elizabeth Woods.

A Gathering in memory of John will be held Saturday Jan. 28, 3 – 5 P.M. Please RSVP to Carol Brown at 250-537-1224. In lieu of flowers, a donation to a Salt Spring preschool, daycare or a Waldorf school would be greatly appreciated .