Andrea Dee Tufts

Apr. 1, 1959 – Apr. 22, 2015

Ultimate mother to Phoebe, and loving daughter of Marnie Keith-Murray (Doug) and Douglas Tufts (Judi), best sister in the world to Paul (Patricia) and Colin (Cassandra), beloved granddaughter of David and Nancy Keith-Murray, Salt Spring Island, B.C., and Elsie and Harry Tufts, Madoc, ON, (all deceased), and amazing aunt and cousin to Ashton, Natalie, Devin and Judy.

Born in France, she faced life with an infectious smile and giggle and had no regrets. She had a lifetime of fun, arts, adventures and education. She loved SSI returning many times to enjoy life with her grandmother KM. She was surrounded by a huge circle of friends attracted by her insatiable interest in the world and people. She celebrated the mundane and traditional and was known for her high teas, garden parties and sparklers. She adopted Phoebe in 2004 and never saw the world in the same way again. They formed a loving unbreakable team that had no limits.

Andrea was a graduate of U. of Guelph and Dalhousie, and held positions as archivist and teacher-librarian at the Royal Ontario Museum, Bishop Strachan School, Carleton Village and Rose Park schools in Toronto.

Her celebration will be held at Mount Pleasant Visitation Centre, 375 Mt. Pleasant Rd. (East Gate Entrance) Toronto on Wednesday, April 29 at 12 noon. A funeral service will be held on Monday May 6 in Madoc Ontario, McConnell Funeral Home. Visitation is 11am – 12pm with service to follow. Andrea’s ashes will be scattered on Salt Spring at a later date.

Donations may be made to Team Andrea, One Walk To Conquer Cancer at to15.onewalk.ca

Phyllis Aileen Henderson

(nee Abraham)

Jan 12, 1912 – Apr. 21, 2015

Phyllis passed away peacefully in her sleep at Greenwoods Eldercare Facility, after a brief illness. She was 103 years young. Her family is very thankful for the excellent care Phyllis received while a resident at Greenwoods. She was predeceased by her husband of more than 50 years, Gerald Wilberforce Lundy Henderson (Bill).

Phyllis is lovingly remembered by her daughters Judy Henderson and Dr. Pamela Chart, and by her grandchildren Robert Eberhard, Kelly Rahiri (Eberhard), Edward Chart, and Meredith Guest (Chart). Phyllis is also survived by seven great grandchildren.

Phyllis led a full and productive life dedicated to her family. She was a fine golfer and was ladies captain at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club and a lifetime member of the Salt Spring Golf and Country Club. She loved Salt Spring Island from the time she and Bill retired there in 1972. She was well respected for her bridge playing and her crafts.

A private family internment is planned. Those wishing to make a charitable donation in her memory should do so to the Greenwoods Eldercare Foundation.

NORMAN GAVIN MOUAT

MARCH 18, 1936 – APRIL 19, 2015

With his family by his side, Norman Gavin Mouat peacefully passed away on April 19, 2015. Norman leaves behind his loving wife Carolyn, daughters Brenda Mouat (Derek), Barbara Nemeth (Richard), Susan Garside (Mike), Karen Mouat (Doug Abernethy) Kathleen Mouat. Grandchildren: Gavin Teagle (Erin), Anna Gauthier (Al), Laura Nemeth (Kevin), Molly Edwardsen (Jered), Kirby Garside (Shauna), Myles Teagle (Katia), Michael Nemeth, Stuart Garside, Kate Schat (Marius) Paige Conlin-Mouat, Sam Myles, Hayden Conlin-Mouat, Jackson Myles, Bryson Conlin-Mouat. Great Grandchildren: Lilly Teagle, Mac Schat, Nathan Teagle, Amy Edwardsen, Mckinley Garside, June Edwardsen, Hamish Schat, Ava Gauthier and Leif Edwardsen. Nieces: Kathy, Barb, Christy, Shelley and Kari (Friele). Nephews: Jim, Dave, John, Tom and Rob (Pringle). Brothers-in-law Bud Friele and Carl Johnson (Suzanne) and nieces Jennifer and Joanne.

Predeceased by parents Gavin and Torrie Mouat, sisters Gladys Pringle and Evelyn Friele.

Norman was born on March 18, 1936 and lived on Salt Spring Island his entire life. Raised on the family farm, Norman became a much sought after sheep shearer. As a teenager he travelled the island shearing on other farms. He was an avid horseman for work and pleasure. As well as farming, his business career spanned partnerships in Mouat’s Trading Company, Salt Spring Insurance, Brinkworthy Modular Home Park and as owner/operator of the Esso Bulk Fuels plant in Ganges.

Norman had strong family and community values. He was such a gentle soul and genuinely interested in the well being of everyone he knew and always gave his time to help anyone in need. He loved Salt Spring; the land, the people, the community – he was a proud islander and he shared his joy with others who loved this island and chose to make it their home.

His family would like to thank the wonderful community of Salt Spring Island. The tennis players, the golfers, everyone who shared a game of crib or stopped to give him a hug hello – you brought sunshine to his life. To the staff and residents at Greenwoods thank you for giving Norman a special home these past two years. We are especially grateful to everyone at Lady Minto who lovingly cared for Norman in his last days.

We will always remember our Dad as a gentleman, generous with his love, kindness and brilliant sense of humour shining through to the very end.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Greeenwoods Foundation or the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation.

A celebration of Norman’s life will be held in the summer.

Joan Calderhead

May 7, 1920 – April 16, 2015

Joan Calderhead (nee Costello) died in Vancouver on April 16, 2015, aged 94. She was predeceased by her husband Gordon and daughter Veronica, and survived by 7 children, Peter (Pam), Elizabeth (John), Paul (Meiling), Vincent (Claire), Stephen (Joyce), Dan (Jocelyn), and Joan (Peter), and 15 grandchildren. She began life on May 7, 1920, in Vancouver and was raised during periods of prosperity, the Great Depression and war. The latter two shaped her values, resulting in a strong sense of compassion; “They’re a person, darn it!” she’d remind her children if she overheard them make a demeaning comment. Joan obtained a social work degree at UBC and a master’s from McGill. Joan embraced people from all walks of life, took an interest in their lives, and had the ability to make them feel welcome. She loved nature and other cultures.

After her marriage to Gordon in 1946, the young couple left BC for secure employment in Nobel, Ontario. From there, Joan and Gordon relocated to Québec in the winter of 1955 and found themselves in the midst of Duplessis’ Québec. These two young, anglophone professionals experienced a kind of culture shock as they immersed themselves in pre-Quiet Revolution Québec, a place where schooling, lifestyle and even the Catholic Church itself bore little resemblance to Joan’s home parish of St. Augustine’s in Kitsilano. But thrive they did. Joan bore 5 more children, all of whom attended some level of French language education. When Joan and Gordon left Mont St. Hilaire in the fall of 1985 to return to BC, it was with extremely heavy hearts. Joan simply loved Québec.

Joan and Gordon retired to Salt Spring Island, BC, where they made many new friends, while maintaining warm ties with old ones from Québec. Joan and Gordon’s children and grandchildren were frequent visitors who grew to share their love of the Island. In Ganges, Joan regularly volunteered as a driver and also did hospice work. She continued to rise early, often being one of the first through the door at Thrifty’s to get provisions for the day.

Later in life, Joan returned to her roots in Vancouver, where, at the very end, she found herself as a neighbour of her older cousin, Carmelita O’Hagan.

Joan’s enduring gift to this world is her children, who manage, in their own ways, to carry on the values of caring for those in need, enjoying nature, and throwing a good party. When her kids, regardless of their age, sought her advice on questions, both mundane and profound, they’d often receive a reply which, while learned at UBC, felt liberating coming from Joan: ‘Tuum est’ (‘It’s up to you’).

There will be a memorial celebration of Joan’s life on Saturday, July 11, at 5 pm at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church on Salt Spring Island, BC.

In Loving Memory

VANDA WINSTONE

1931 – 2015

It is with much sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother and aunt, Vanda  Winstone.  She was always the life of the party and treasured very much by her friends Anne, Janet and Tina.

She was born in Gloucester on April 10th 1931 and left us May 13 2015.  At the age of 4, she was placed in an orphanage until her teens.  She later married and had a son, Stephan.

She tenaciously studied to become a hairdresser and eventually owned her own salon in Winchester.  She emigrated to Canada in 1981 with her late second husband Reg where she lived until her passing on Salt Spring. 

  She will always be remembered for her elegance and class.

A warm thank you to  the staff at Lady  Minto Hospital and at Greenwoods for their love and caring.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Legion Ladies Auxiliary would be welcomed.

A celebration of life will held at Croftonbrook  Hall on June 6th, from 1pm to 3pm.

Eric James Alderson

1921-2015

We are sad to report the recent and peaceful passing of our father in the capable and kind hands of the doctors and nurses of Lady Minto Hospital at Ganges on Salt Spring Island. Eric leaves behind daughter Lucy and son Tim in Canada as well as a the British branch overseas. For the past five years his every need was attended to by a wonderful crew of women who, as time went by, spent more and more time in his presence at his home. The captain of this team is a beautiful person and a retired RN on Salt Spring named Adele Storm. She saw to it that his world, albeit shrinking over time, was a happy place. The other wonders are Rita Alexandra, Kathy Geldart, Flo Schreiner and Alex Golder. Keeping a close eye on Eric and our mother Joy before her passing were their neighbours Wilf and Helga Hoffman. No two people could have been more kind helping out in every conceivable way. Whether it was a timely fixing of something broken, receiving his weekly meds shipment, paying attention to the property or their daily visits … these people were so thoughtful and an unimaginable help to us living far away.

Eric was born and raised with two brothers in Wimbledon, then a suburb of London. In his early teens he spent time on farms during summer school vacations. The hook of farm life and working with livestock it would turn out, was deep. In mid-teens while going to school, Eric joined a form of military cadets. With war in Europe becoming more and more likely, training accelerated year round and he eventually became part of the Home Guard. After one year at the London School of Economics, he was drafted into the regular British Army. First assigned to anti-aircraft guns, he and his team proved so successful they were sent to France with the invasion and trained for artillery. Obviously it was a long war. With many officers losing their lives and the amazing skills of his artillery battery, Eric received one battlefield promotion after another until this cadet became a Major.

With the ending of the war in Europe and the demobilization that followed, Eric found work as a buyer in the purchasing department of UniLever. At the time this company was one of the largest dry goods suppliers in the world. Working up the ladder, he became head buyer for what would be supplied to a chunk of Africa. The company wanted him to move to Africa but it was not what he wanted in his heart. He wanted farming. He answered an advertisement placed in an English farm magazine. He accepted the job working near Lindsay, ON.

The owner of the farm was a lawyer in Toronto. He had lost his wife due to illness and had a young daughter approaching her teens. He had hired a governess to raise her to be a proper young lady and teach her the English style of riding horses. Farm life started out a little rough under the eye of this ruthless autocrat. Whenever seasonal work was done and Eric had time on his hands, his boss would rent him out like a slave to neighbouring farmers to fence, pick rocks and drain swamps. The boss saw no need to share the proceeds as he was already paying Eric! Life did however improve when the governess showed up with the daughter. After a romantic courtship, that governess became Mrs. Joy Alderson.

Over time the intolerable lawyer was just too much and the governess had to spend lots of time in Toronto, far from the farm manager. This couple answered another ad and won a position to manage a farm near Aurora. The owners were Jim and Anne McLeod who would turn out to be saints, god parents and family to all of us. Their four daughters were about the same age as Lucy and Tim. With Eric convincing Jim and Anne, the livestock business grew and grew to a point where it was prudent to spin it off into a company they mutually owned with the Jones family and other close friends. Eric had an auspicious career in the swine industry, participating in or leading many boards and councils.

The bloodlines developed and crossbred from the herd produced legendary results.

Eric had two pursuits that gave him particular pleasure: playing rugby into his forties and following in the footsteps of the voyageurs. There were many a rugby party over the years with lots of fun people. In the late fall each year, we kids would be yanked out of school for two week canoe trips in remote locations. Often never seeing a soul for the entire voyage there would be beautiful lakes and endless portages to explore. We all learned how to canoe, kayak and make a campsite out of nothing. We had a lifetime of adventures.

A few years before retirement, Eric and Joy scouted out the west coast to find a milder climate and be closer to family. Upon retirement, Lucy and Joy found a house on Salt Spring that Eric participated in purchasing, sight unseen. That was 28 years ago. To say their retirement was enjoyed would be a vast understatement. They loved their life on the island. They made the right choice to be with the lovely people of Salt Spring, the weather, the growing season and the adventures they had! Eric asked for no ceremony and no marker. At a private moment, we spread his ashes over his and Joy’s favourite Salt Spring spot.

If you would like more details, you may contact Tim Alderson at 

tim@aldersonconsulting.ca or 780-232-9092.

Kathy Gunderson

24 Dec 1946 – 6 Apr 2015

Kathy Gunderson left us quietly on Monday 6 April 15 and is now in a place of peace.  Kathy was well loved in the Salt Spring Island community. She was known for her gentleness and was kind-hearted to all she encountered.  She was always looking out for the well-being of others and had a special gift of giving, often thinking of others before herself.  She was a joy to be around and mischievous as well. She loved to sing and dance and was a member at times of Viva Voce as well as Salt Spring Singers during her time on-island. She was also active with the Zen meditation sangha.

Kathy is survived by her two sons Cameron and Shane and also by her father Carl in Winnipeg, and her brothers Ron of Nanaimo, Bob of Osoyoos, Mitch of Winnipeg and Gary of Surrey.

She was loved by many and will be dearly missed. We know she is in a better place and we are honoured to have called her “friend”.

There will be a celebration of Kathy’s life on April 19th at 11:00 am at 266 Don Ore Road. All are welcome to celebrate and honour Kathy.