Lorna Simpson

September 7, 1921 – June 26, 2013

Lorna Simpson passed away peacefully at her beloved ‘Innisfree’ with her family and pets by her side on June 26th, at the age of 91. Lorna Pendreigh was born in Edinburgh, Scotland Sept. 7, 1921. Lorna met Ernest, her future husband, at the tender age of 11 while holidaying in Kilfinnan and they were married in Scotland on August 8th 1940.

Lorna and Ernest emigrated to Canada with their children Douglas, Gordon and Carol in 1949. With another 4 children in tow they settled in West Vancouver, where Mum, a renowned hostess, made everyone feel welcome and at ease. They retired to Salt Spring in 1969. Mum’s loves were of course Ernest, who predeceased her in 1999, her children, her pets of all varieties from peacocks, to deer, to her parrots and of course her two wee dogs Jessie and Sassy who never left her side right until the end. Mum had an enduring love of music, god and nature. No one will ever forget Mum playing the piano at numerous family gatherings, the massive family excursions (convoys) and her love of flying in the helicopter with Gordon. The good memories too many to write. A kinder, more gracious soul has never been taken from this earth.

Mum’s 7 children (and partners): Douglas, Gordon (Clair), Carol (Merv), Keith (Jody), Randall (Terry), Janet (Harvey), Heather (Milt), 15 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren are left to celebrate her wonderful life. 

There will be a memorial gathering at Central cemetery at 11:30 am July 9 followed by a reception and lunch at 112 Arbutus Rd. 

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Lady Minto Hospital foundation or the animal welfare society of your choice would make Lorna very happy. 

Kurt Hengstler

October 17, 1926 – June 24, 2013

After an extended hospital stay, (Arthur) Kurt Hengstler passed away quietly the evening of June 24, 2013 at Lady Minto Hospital on Salt Spring Island at the age of 86. Kurt will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 64 years, Esther Hengstler, and his 4 children—Walter, Ray, Arnie, & Marlene. He will be fondly remembered by his 6 grandsons, Ben, Chris, Kevin, James, Jameson, and Connor, as well as his great granddaughters, Samantha, Brooklyn & Ellery.

Kurt was born in Punnichy, Saskatchewan on October 17, 1926. After growing up on the farms of Saskatchewan, Kurt traded farming for West Coast fishing in 1942 with his first boat the 124 where he had to pull salmon net in by hand. He returned to Saskatchewan in 1947 during which time he met and married Esther Bratushesky. Kurt returned to BC fishing in 1955—gillnetting for salmon on the Fraser River and chasing herring in Georgia Strait—while raising a family with Esther in Richmond. In Richmond, Kurt named his 4th boat, the Marlene H –for his daughter. Kurt named a later boat, the Marita Lea, after his first daughters-in-law. (Esther suffered from perpetual sea-sickness—so she was glad no boat was ever named for her—or she might have felt obligated to travel in it!) Kurt moved to Saltspring in 1972 with Esther and youngest son, Arnie, where he fished both salmon and crab. Here he built his salmon gillnetter, the Gulf Isle, with his sons, Ray and Arnie—whose own boats came from the same mould. From 1984 to 1994, Kurt spent winters on Salt Spring building approximately 50 fishing boat hulls with his partner, Pat Fraser. During the summers, Kurt & the Gulf Isle served as a test fishing boat for the Pacific Salmon Commission on the “Cottonwood Drift” of Fraser River from 1969 to 1995.

Throughout his hospital stay, Kurt often spoke of the remarkable kindness and attention he received from all the nurses, aides, staff, and doctors at Lady Minto—and as his family, we witnessed it firsthand. The family would like to say a special thanks to Dr. David Woodley who supported Kurt throughout his various health issues and extended hospital stay, as well as the other doctors who cared for him. Perhaps our greatest thanks goes to the many nurses of Lady Minto whose care and attention eased Kurt tremendously in his last days. Only in a community such as Salt Spring could we be blessed with such a professional, caring lot of special individuals who tend to our sick, elderly, and dying, with grace and love.

At Kurt’s direction and request, there will be no funeral services. Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation in recognition of the wonderful service Lady Minto Hospital provided to Kurt over the last year.

Harold Melvin Fryer

4 Sept. 1918 – 13 June 2013

On Thursday, June 13, 2013 surrounded by family, Harold (“Hal”) Fryer passed peacefully away. Harold was born in Neepawa, MB and lived his early childhood in Brookdale, MB and Neepawa. After graduating high school, he attended Radio College in Toronto before returning to Winnipeg. There he met and married Maurine Edith, his wife of 72 years. He was active all his life as an amateur radio operator (“ham” radio, VE7 ALJ) and this led to his profession in the Federal Department of Transport. During his 35 years in this work he lived in Regina, Swift Current, Ashcroft, Abbotsford and Richmond. He was promoted to Radio Technician and maintained the lighthouse beacons along the B.C. coast. He was very active in the Freemason’s Organization as well as the Eastern Star, and was Grand Master of the Freemason Lodge in Richmond in the early 1970’s. He enjoyed travel, with Great Britain as a special interest. In 1972 he fell in love with Salt Spring Island and in 1976 he and his wife moved there. They enjoyed participating in Admiral Freemason Lodge and Salt Spring Eastern Star. He and Maurine were both active members of the Salt Spring Amateur Radio Club. A recent special honour was a lifetime membership in the Radio Club.

He is survived by his loving wife, Maurine Edith. He is also survived by one brother, George Oliver Edward (Ted) Fryer, and 3 children; Kathleen Elizabeth (Ron) Weisner, Beverley Jean (Alex) Galbraith and James Harold (Anne) Fryer. He is survived by 5 grandchildren Lianne (Chris), Jeffrey (Stacey), Michael (Sarah), Stephen (Kelly) and Kimberley (Victor). He has 6 great grandchildren , as well as cousins, nieces and nephews.

A special thanks is given to Dr. White and the staff of the Extended and Acute Care Units at Lady Minto Hospital for the thoughtful and sympathetic care he received throughout his time with them. Special thanks also to the Palliative Care helpers. A Memorial will be held at the Masonic Hall on July 28th. A tribute to Hal Fryer can be viewed on Hayward’s Funeral Service website: http://www.haywardsfuneral.com/

Marjorie Lomas

MARCH 11, 1917 – JUNE 12, 2013

Marjorie Lomas passed away peacefully at home on June 12th 2013 at the age of 96. Marjorie was predeceased by her husband Reginald in 2007

Mum is lovingly remembered by her children, John, Nigel and Yvonne and their families and her eight grandchildren, five great grandchildren and one great great grandchild.

Marjorie was born in Winton Lancashire on March 11th 1917, as a young woman she worked for Gardner Diesel Engines. During the war years Marjorie worked at the Royal Ordnance Factory in Manchester. She was also an officer in the Special Constabulary Service and the Fire Brigade.

Marjorie was married in 1946 and lived in Macclesfield England where she raised her family. She emigrated with her family to Victoria, Canada in 1967 and moved to Salt Spring Island in 1976

Mum will be missed by the many wonderful friends she made over the years in the hiking club the swimming group the Anglican Church and at Brinkworthy Place. She loved working in her garden where she felt God was present in the beauty of nature.

Special thanks offered for the loving support from family and friends both here and in England as well as the staff at Lady Minto Hospital and the Comunity Health Services.

Funeral Services will be held at All Saints Anglican Church on Saltspring Island BC on Thursday June 20th 2013 at 2:30 p.m. with a reception to follow at the church

Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation.

Judith Rohrer Andersen

11 June 1943 – 5 June 2013

Judith lived her early life in Los Angeles, California. She married her husband, Richard Andersen (also of Los Angeles) in 1968. In 1982 she and Richard immigrated to Canada, moving first onto her family-owned Russell Island, situated at the mouth of Fulford Harbour, Saltspring Island. Since 1997 they lived in a newly designated Heritage residence in Oak Bay.

Judith was accomplished in a wide range of the arts: she played the harpsichord, had a loom by which she produced textiles of her own artistry, participated in folk dancing, and was an active volunteer and supporter of a wide variety of arts organizations. Her interests in design informed her efforts to restore two Craftsman-style residences in Oak Bay and create her own garden.

Throughout her life Judith was a devoted community volunteer. While living on Russell Island, she commuted by rowboat to Saltspring Island to volunteer countless hours at the community library. After her move to Oak Bay, she was a volunteer and supporter of the Early Music Society of the Islands. She was a tireless heritage advocate for both Victoria and Oak Bay. She helped with the compilation of inventories of historic residences under the respective sponsorships of the Victoria Heritage Foundation and Heritage Oak Bay. She volunteered on many of the local fund raising house and garden tours, often including her own garden.

Judith is remembered especially for her personal kindness: rather than thinking of herself first, she always considered others. Judith was the picture of elegance, even while walking her dogs. She had a finely developed sense of humour and enjoyed laughing with friends and family. Judith was an excellent cook of the highest caliber. This can be attested by those fortunate enough to share exquisite meals at her table.

Judith is survived by her husband Richard, her sister Lynne Rohrer Zinsley, and her dog Taylor. Taylor will take up residence in Port Coquitlam. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Victoria Foundation in her memory. There will be neither a funeral nor a memorial service, at Judith’s request.

Manfred Pape

September 29, 1941 – May 27, 2013

In fond memory of Manfred Pape who is lovingly remembered as a devoted husband, father, brother, friend, railway buff, pharmacist, hiker, cyclist, cross-country skier, nature lover and world traveller. Born Sept 29, 1941 in Leipzig, Germany, Manfred died May 27, 2013 in Victoria, British Columbia, after a long struggle with colorectal cancer. It is with heartfelt gratitude that Manfred’s family expresses their appreciation for the compassionate & expert care offered Manfred in these last months at Victoria Hospice.

Before moving to Victoria in 2012, Manfred and his wife, Marion, spent over 11 years on Salt Spring Island on a Rainbow Road acreage with dozens of fruit trees and a nourishing garden. Manfred will be deeply missed by his wife Marion, their son Andrew Pape-Salmon (Victoria), their daughter-in-law Sara and her family (Courtenay), Manfred’s sister Maria Lewis (Port Perry, ON) and brothers George and Herbert (Delhi and Aino Beach, ON).

Manfred went to high school in Ajax, ON and graduated from the University of Toronto where he met Marion. Drawn together by their sense of adventure and love for travel, Manfred & Marion moved to Western Canada and the Yukon shortly after the birth of their son, Andrew. Before Andrew was of school age, they headed south along the West Coast in a Volkswagen Westfalia camper to the Panama Canal – thus securing a characteristic “flight of the spirit” that over the years has endeared Manfred and Marion to the truly curious and adventurous of heart.

Manfred Pape was a compassionate and attentive listener who was generous with his time and energy. In 2010, Manfred participated as a member of the support team for the three-week-long Vancouver Island Spine Trail Relay. Manfred helped carry the trail runners’ camping gear out of Cape Scott as his son Andrew and three others ran the North Coast Trail, meeting the group on a water taxi 14 hours later.

Manfred worked as a pharmacist in Ontario, Alberta, the North West Territories, the Yukon, Nova Scotia and British Columbia. He also worked in Saskatchewan with Federated Co-op. But trains were his passion. He grew up with railroads and had a phenomenal memory for remembering the timetables of buses and trains across Canada. He was in every sense of the word, Canadian. He had a love for the open road, for the adventure of travel, for the enjoyment of the people he met along the way. His home was not any one province, city or rural area. His home was this immense country called Canada and he made it his life’s ambition to see and explore as much of it as possible.

One of Manfred’s final delights was watching and talking to his team of 26 friends and family members in the “Hike for Hospice” on May 5th via an internet video connection from his hospice bed.

A Celebration of Manfred’s life will be held at Manfred’s request at First Unitarian Church, 5575 West Saanich Rd. followed by a picnic on Canada Day weekend, at 3pm, June 30th.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be sent to Victoria Hospice http://www.victoriahospice.org or the Land Conservancy of BC (www.conservancy.bc.ca).