Avis de décès de E. -Eleanor Smith - Nécrologie - MesAieux.com

SMITH _ E. Eleanor, (nee Parfitt) September 17, 1903 - August 3, 2007 After a short illness, looking serene, our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Eleanor Smith, passed away, just six weeks before her 104th birthday. Eleanor was predeceased by her husband, Lt. Col. Douglas Edgar Smith, a popular and much loved Victoria High School teacher. She is survived by her sons Brian and Alan, daughters-in-law Barbara, Petra and Barbara Courtney Young (Michael), mother of grandchildren Claire Smith (Andrew) and Christopher Smith (Cory); and by grandchildren Aubyn Freybe-Smith (Katie), Antonia Freybe-Smith (Adam), Kristen Farquharson Sartori (George), and four great-grandchildren, Ryan, Gabrielle, Camryn and Sam, her niece Dorothy Myers (Arnie) and grand niece and grand nephew Lesley Myers and Ray Montrey. She was predeceased by her brother Ray Parfitt (Mabel) and by her niece Helen Montrey. Eleanor was born in Victoria in 1903, to Laura (nee Matthew) and Aaron Parfitt who arrived from England in 1889. Eleanor attended Girls' Central School and graduated from Victoria High School and Victoria Normal School. She taught school in BC for eight years at Spring Ridge in Victoria, and Goldstream, Royston and Hazelton, most of which were one-room schools. Her childhood in Victoria focused around family, music and church. She grew up with 40 Parfitt cousins who camped at Shoal Bay and Mt. Douglas Park where the Parfitt family owned summer campsites. Her father, Aaron, with his four brothers built many of Victoria's heritage brick buildings, including in China Town after the 1906 fire, the James Bay Inn (1911), St. John's Church (Quadra St., 1911), and the Bay Street Armories (1915). The largest project of Parfitt Brothers' Ltd. was the construction of Christ Church Cathedral (1926-1929). In 1932 Eleanor married her high school beau, Doug Smith. In 1938 they built a home on Cavendish Avenue where they lived until 1954 and then moved to a new home they designed on 3081 Oakdowne Road where she lived for 53 years. Eleanor maintained a lifelong interest in music, latterly through the Symphony and Conservatory of Music. Always a social spirit, Eleanor attended her last meeting of her PEO sisterhood only weeks before she died, being an active member for over 56 years. She served on the Altar Guild of St. Luke's Church for years and was a longstanding member of the Oak Bay Garden Club, the Dicken's Society and the Retired Teachers' Association. Although widowed for 30 years, she maintained an active social life with friendships that spanned her few surviving contemporaries and reached into her grandchildren's generation. She was an avid fan of the Toronto Blue Jays and attended a game in Seattle with her sons to celebrate her 95th birthday. She was also a loyal fan of Tiger Woods whose golf achievements she followed right up to the recent British Open. She gave talks and newspaper interviews on the social history of Victoria up to the age of 97, which is also when she reluctantly "surrendered" her driver's license. We will all miss her indomitable spirit and her incredible interest and involvement in the lives of her family, her many friends and her neighbours. Special thanks are offered to the caring staff of Glenwarren (Central Park Lodges), Dr. McGregor, Dr. Medhurst, Dr. Lapp and longtime caregivers Diana Lowres, Pierette Reid, the caring members of the Chapter AA of the PEO Sisterhood and the dedicated caregivers from South Victoria Home Care and the staff of the Royal Jubilee. A memorial service will be held at St. Luke's Church, 3821 Cedar Hill Cross Roads, Victoria, on Saturday September 8th at 2:30 p.m., followed by a reception in the Church Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the BC Provincial Chapter of the PEO Sisterhood - C/O 2668 Cavendish Avenue, Victoria BC, V8R 2G6.