October 24, 1927 - October 18, 2019
Mom was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia on October 24, 1927, followed a few years after by her brother Gus. At the age of 16 mom headed west, arriving in Montreal at the height of WW II, working as a waitress in the restaurant at the main train station. By all accounts mom had a great time there, fighting off the amorous advances of a series of different servicemen (and their monkeys, but that's a different story...). Mom then followed Gus out to Nelson. One day Gus was walking down Baker street with Mel Ferraro, his co-worker from the CPR. Mel mentioned his appreciation of the legs of the woman in front of them, and when Uncle Gus told dad that was his sister, Mel immediately made his move! Mom soon succumbed to dad's charm, and they married on September 4, 1948.
Mom and dad made an incredible team - mom was known for her thriftiness and skill at making every penny of dad's hard-earned dollar go its furthest. She used to proudly show us the deals she discovered at each trip to the grocery store, from unlabelled mystery tins of whatever to (still a family legend) large packages of marked down 'fish trim.' Whatever it was, mom used it (along with the bounty from dad's backyard garden) to produce one delicious meal after another. Mom and dad's individual gifts and strengths combined to make a loving, supportive environment and the team stayed together until dad's passing December of 2017.
Mom was also a life-long learner, and one of her earliest regrets was not having the chance to graduate from high school in Glace Bay. She rectified this when, in her mid-50's, she returned to school to complete her high school equivalency. She didn't stop there though, going on to slowly complete enough courses to earn a degree from the University of Victoria. We all have memories of mom, surrounded by books at the kitchen table, happily typing away on her latest paper late into the evening. Dad was completely supportive of mom's academic pursuits, although there were evenings when he would nervously come out and start pacing the kitchen when it looked like supper was going to be late.
Mom's health began to decline over the last few months, and after a two week stay in Kootenay Lake Hospital, she passed away peaceful in the early morning hours of October 18, 2019. The family would like to pass on their appreciation to Dr. Mieski and all of the third-floor nursing staff for their dignified and compassionate care of mom.
A Memorial Service will be held for mom sometime next Spring. Mom is survived by children Boni, Jack (Janice), Monte (Allison), grandchildren Luke (Angela), Marie, Cassandra, Ben, great-grandchildren Noah and Jackson, brother Gus, and half sisters Florence and Ann.
You are invited to leave a personal message of condolence by visiting the family's online register at www.thompsonfs.ca.
Thompson Funeral Services Ltd.