Gaelan Thornley de Wolf (born Lois Gail Dodds) arrived quietly in St. Boniface, Manitoba on December 10, 1934 to Fred and Ivy Dodds. She had a happy childhood. Frequent summers were spent at Lac Lu, ON. Frequent winters were spent walking to school in several feet of snow in a knee length skirt. She left this world peacefully in her sleep on October 30, 2025, surrounded by her children. In between her first breath and her last, Gaelan enjoyed conversation, music, reading and above all laughter. She had an excellent sense of humour and her laugh was infectious.
Gaelan is survived by her children Daurean (Rob Sloan), John (Lisa Pucci), David (Janice), and Gaelan (Bill Basso), her grandchildren Ty (Ember) Sloan, Meaghan de Wolf and Brent de Wolf, her great-grandchild Maeve Sloan and her siblings Lyn (Brian Gough), John (Jeanine) Dodds and Richard Dodds. Yes, you read that correctly. There are two generations of Gaelan’s. Did I mention Mom had an excellent sense of humour!
Gaelan moved to Victoria in the late 1980’s, settling in Oak Bay. She loved Oak Bay and was friends with many in the neighbourhood. She enjoyed daily walks to Estevan Village, Willows Beach and Cattle Point. Gaelan was active in the community, and volunteered for several organizations, including the Oak Bay Fire Department (assisting in emergency services/ preparation), the United Church Thrift Store, and the Monterey Centre. Gaelan attended Univ. of British Columbia attaining a master’s degree in the Native (Tlingit) Languages. During University she met her future husband, John A. de Wolf (an economic consultant). Gaelan also attended Univ. of Victoria where she graduated with a Ph.D. in Canadian English, studying the differences between Vancouver and Ottawa intonations. You can well imagine the fun growing up in that household.
Gaelan authored two books. She co-authored the Gage Abridged Canadian Dictionary as well as authored the Social and Regional Factors in Canadian English: A Study of Phonological variables and Grammatical Items in Ottawa and Vancouver. As it turns out she collects royalties for both, which are available on Amazon.
Gaelan requested that there be no service for her. So please, remember her smile, her love for her family, friends and community, as well as her laughter, and donate to the charity of your choice, because everyone needs help in these times. The family would like to thank Gaelan’s friends Marjorie, Naomi and Speedy and members of the staff at Parkwood (Kathy, Ivan, Yiwen and the care team) for their kindness and support.