Mum passed away peacefully in the early morning of November 18 at Lady Minto Hospital on Salt Spring Island, with family by her side.

She is survived by her daughter Sue and David (Hicks) of Winnipeg, daughter Sally (Leigh-Spencer) and Brian (Thacker) of Duncan and granddaughter Caeley, and her son Peter and Marjorie and grandchildren, Lindsay and Colin, of Edmonton.

She was predeceased by her husband Frank in 2000.

Mum was born in London, England. She served in the British Army during the war as a military driver, during which time she met Dad who had been posted to London with the RCN Fleet Air Arm. Following the war, she joined Dad in Canada. They were married in Winnipeg in 1946.

After several years in Vancouver and St. John they returned to Winnipeg where they lived for 17 years before moving to Edmonton. Following Dad’s retirement, they moved to Nanaimo and later Salt Spring, a very special place in the history of the Leigh-Spencer family. Mum has lived on Salt Spring for the past thirty years, 11 of those independently in their home until three months ago when she moved to Heritage Place in Ganges.

Mum was a very special lady. She devoted her life to her family and to volunteerism. She approached everything she undertook with energy and determination. She was fiercely independent and instilled this trait in us at a very early age.

Her natural leadership skills took her from leader of a small company of Girl Guides to appointment as a District Commissioner in Winnipeg. She was an avid and talented gardener and took particular pleasure in successfully nurturing an incredible variety of roses wherever she lived. She was renowned for her knitting, and was an extremely talented seamstress, both evidenced by the many outfits she produced for family and friends. She was a skilled weaver and had an incredible ability to transform a room with her creative upholstering ability.

Meme was extremely proud of her grandchildren and took great pleasure in watching them grow into young adults. She treasured her very special relationship with Caeley and her visits from Lindsay and Colin, especially as she and Colin shared the same birthday.

Mum always prided herself in her appearance, taking great care to dress in the style of the day. She enjoyed her friendships from the golf course and particularly the great fun participating in the many skits they performed over the years.

She thrived by keeping busy, volunteering at the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation Thrift Store, teaching weaving at Greenwoods, serving lunch at Seniors for Seniors, baking for her family, going for regular dinner and theatre outings with her daughter Sally ,and enjoying visits from family and friends.

We are left with wonderful memories of traditional Christmases with family and friends and Mum’s terrific Christmas pudding, our many birthdays made special with a cake baked especially for us, summers at Victoria Beach, her spontaneous dancing when she heard a song she enjoyed, walks on the beach and clam-digging, and last but not least her incredible will to live.

We sincerely thank the staff and friends at Heritage Place for making Mum’s last few months so enjoyable, a special thanks to VIHA Home Care nurses Maureen and Karen and the wonderfully caring Lady Minto staff for their dedication and commitment. A special thanks to her neighbours Janna and Marvin and her friends Cathy and Mickey for their continuing friendship and support.

At Mum’s request there will be no formal memorial service, however we wish to invite her friends and acquaintances for tea to share memories of Ann in the Leigh-Spencer room at St Mark’s at Central, at 1 pm on December 11th, 2011, following the regular Sunday service.

There will be a family gathering in the spring on Salt Spring Island when the first roses are blooming.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the furnishing of the Leigh-Spencer room at St Mark’s Anglican Church or to the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation would be greatly appreciated.

St Marks Anglican Church

Anglican Parish of Salt Spring Island

110 Park Drive

Salt Spring Island, BC, V8K 2R7

Lady Minto Hospital Foundation 135 Crofton Rd

Salt Spring Island, B.C V8K 1T1

Doris Lydia Rook passed away peacefully Saturday afternoon, Nov.12th at Lady Minto hospital. She is survived by her son Simon and his wife Heather.

Doris was known thoughout her life by the nicknames “Derb” and “Chips,” but on Saltspring everyone knew her as Doris.

Born March 25th 1912, the youngest of eight, into a working class family in Southall,Middlesex, to a Welsh father, Thomas Rees and a Gloucester mother, Lydia Wintle, she quickly expressed the desire to learn the piano, eventually earning her LRAM teaching diploma in 1939. But Doris loved performing, and over the years built up an impressive repertoire which included Beethoven sonatas, Chopin and Liszt studies and the Greig piano concerto. During the war, she gave concerts for the departing and returning troops as part of the war effort, and later gave concerts numerous charities and causes. In 1997 she emigrated to Saltspring Island to spend her last years with Simon and Heather. She loved Saltspring and returned it’s hospitality by giving two benefit concerts for All Saints church with Simon, and a full recital for the residents of Heritage Place. In her suite at Heritage she would play for anyone who asked her, and at Lady Minto she played several times at Extendicare, the last time only a week before her death.

In 1946 she met the love of her life,the printer Frank Rook, and built a life together based on middle class values of hard work and thrift. After Frank’s untimely death in 1970 from cancer she never remarried.

Doris had a love of the outdoors. She hiked all over the British Isles with the YHA, and at age 58 she learnt to ski in Austria and went on many skiing trips to the Alps with friends. At Heritage Place she would look out on Ganges Harbour or Mount Belcher and say, “It’s such a beautiful Island”. She had a deep faith, and felt that for all it’s imperfections, life was unfolding according to a divine plan.

I wish to thank all the staff of Lady Minto for taking such good care of her.

A funeral service and gathering will be held at All Saints Anglican Church at 1pm on Monday Nov. 28th.

Norma is remembered by friends and family as a loving, generous and caring spirit. Born in Vancouver, BC on the 22nd of January, 1919, she died with two of her great-nieces beside her, on November 9, 2011. Her parents were Walter and Isabella Barlow of North Vancouver BC. She is survived by her nieces, Irene Stacey of Salt Spring, BC, Sheila Stacey of Duncan, BC, many great-nieces and nephews. Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, November 16th at 1:00 PM at the Columbia-Bowell Funeral Chapel, 219-6th St., New Westminster, 604-521-4881

Valerie Patricia John (July 20 1964) passed peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday November 8th.  Val is survived by her son Callum, her mother Evelyn, sisters Lorraine (Ben), Sharon (Murray), Barb (Randal), and Pam (Lise), as well as her nieces and nephews, and many amazing friends.

Val will be remembered for many things. She was a devoted mom, a loving daughter, sister, aunt and friend, a musician, a painter, a poet, an activist, an entrepreneur, a blogger-extraordinaire, and a rather savvy craigslist shopper.

Her life was short, but it was full. Bursting at the seams. Spilling into the streets. In every day she packed in so much love, friendship, and beauty. Please join us in celebrating Val’s life at St. Luke’s Parish Hall, 3821 Cedar Hill Cross Road, on December 10th from 2 – 4 pm.  We would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff at the Royal Jubilee for their exemplary care. In lieu of flowers, we encourage you to donate to your favorite charity.

Our exceptionally talented, sensitive, and thoughtful father, Lowell Salter Hicks, passed away early in the morning of October 30, under the tender care of the medical team at Lady Minto Hospital, Ganges, Salt Spring Island, BC, and his devoted son Steven Harold Hicks. Lowell was 86.

Lowell is survived by his brother Harold, by four children, Michael Taylor, Susan Barbara, Steven Harold, and Peter Lowell, by grandchildren David Hicks, Adam Hicks, Jesse, Nicola, and Jennifer Berg, and Sage Spicer, and by great grandchildren Jonathan and Matthew Hicks.

Born in Ottawa in 1925, Dad enjoyed a highly successful executive career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He retired in 1986, at which point he and wife Barbara Isabel Hicks (nee Arkley) moved from Ottawa to Salt Spring Island, fulfilling a dream from their 1951 honeymoon to retire to the West Coast.

On the island, Dad was completely devoted to our mother, who passed away just before Christmas in 2009. Lowell was deeply passionate about the future of Salt Spring Island’s natural environment, and enjoyed challenging those who wished to profit from its beauty by taking aim with his acerbic wit, sharp tongue and highly skilled pen.

A memorial service will be held on an appropriately beautiful spring day in 2012 on Salt Spring Island. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation (ladymintofoundation.com), or to any charitable organization that embraces care of this Earth and those of us who are so fortunate to live on her.

Ellwyn McKague, age 57, died October 23rd 2011 with his family by his side, in Winnipeg Manitoba.

Ellwyn was born in Deloraine, Manitoba on May 25th, 1954. Ellwyn grew up on the McKague family farm near Coulter Mb and then lived in Melita, Manitoba as a youth.

Ellwyn lived in British Colombia for most of his adult life in communities such as Vancouver, Saltspring Island, Creston, Shawnigan Lake, and Kaslo.

In 2006 Ellwyn moved back to the prairies, living first in Craven, Saskatchewan, and later returning to his roots by retiring to Birnie, Manitoba.

Ellwyn is remembered for his ability to create beautiful gardens and for teaching others about the importance of recognizing the beauty of nature all around us. Ellwyn was an advocate for organic farming. He loved to fish and to play music. Ellwyn loved his family and often spent his time ensuring their well-being.

Ellwyn was loved by his friends and family and his memory will be cherished.

Ellwyn was the son of Winston and Grace (Knox) McKague of Coultervale, Mb. Ellwyn is survived by his partner Sherie Crepeele; three children, Kaija Thom (Eagle) of Regina, Saskatchewan, Graeme McKague also of Regina, and Aven McKague-Minor of Kaslo, BC.; two grandchildren, Asher and Ella Thom of Regina. His brothers and sister, Dennis McKague(Bonnie), Darlene Wark(John), Gary McKague, and Lloyd McKague(Heather), and many nieces and nephews. He was pre-deceased by his parents Winston and Grace as well as by his brother, Keith McKague and his nephew Jeff Wark.

Ellwyn loved his work as a self-employed landscaper on Saltspring Island and later an organic greenhouse operator in Kaslo, as well as being the landscaper for Maxwell International Baha’i school in Shawnigan Lake, BC.

Memorial service is Saturday, October 29th, 2011 at the United Church in Melita, Manitoba at 2:00pm, burial at the Coultervale cemetery which overlooks the McKague family farm will follow.