November 3, 1924 - October 27, 2018
Vera was born to Kitty and Harry Bayes at their farm on the wolds of East Yorkshire, England. The older of two sisters, she grew up handling draft horses, milking cows, and tending sheep. She came of age during the Second World War, and had many hair raising tales involving dousing incendiary bombs and the constant threat from the air war. But it was not all bad. The war brought the world to their isolated corner of England, in the form of RAF personnel from all over the Commonwealth who were stationed nearby, and with the groups of POW's who were sent to work on the farms. She and her sister had fun attending dances, often walking miles across the fields to get there.
In 1945 she married a neighbouring farmer, James Fryer, and the next year had her first child, Stephen. When that marriage ended, Vera moved to the village of Hunmanby and found work as a linen keeper at Hunmanby Hall, a local girls' boarding school. A few years later she met and married another employee at the school, Bill Reed. They emigrated to Canada in 1957, gaining passage on an iconic 'Flying Tiger' airplane. They took the Kettle Valley Railway from Vancouver to Trail, where, because Bill was an accomplished trombonist, they had been sponsored by the Maple Leaf Band to settle as landed immigrants. Vera and Bill had two daughters, Beverley and Jacqui. Vera loved her new country and endeavoured to learn as much about the wildlife and geography as she could. And she was always fascinated by the other immigrants she met from all over the world.
Vera was a wide reader and was always happy in a library or bookstore. Having never learned to drive a car, she walked, rode a bike, or rode the bus everywhere. She couldn't pass a swing set without having a go, and she couldn't pass a cat without stopping to stroke it. In fact, she was on good terms with all animals, except for snakes. She listened to a wide variety of music, went to art galleries, and took a lot of photographs. She was a fantastic knitter her whole life, supplying her family and beyond with sweaters and socks and gloves.
In her later years, as a widow, she lived in Nelson, a town she enjoyed very much for its tolerance and artiness and vibrant street life. Most days she could be seen meandering up and down Baker Street. She was very proud of her three children and even prouder of her six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
She had a great sense of humour and was pretty darn fun to be around.
Vera spent her last years at Mountain Lake Seniors Community and died at Kootenay Lake Hospital, a week before her 94th birthday, at the end of a warm sunny spell in Autumn.
Ta ta for now, Mum.