Blanche Eloise Brune

After completing high school in 1940, she trained as a nurse at the Saskatoon City Hospital, graduating as a registered nurse in 1944. Eloise would stay in the nursing profession throughout her working career, working in hospitals in Vancouver during the 1940’s. In 1953, she joined the Canadian Armed Forces and served overseas in Germany for several years. After leaving the military, Eloise enrolled at McGill University and graduated with a nursing degree in 1961. While she was living in Quebec, she met Lawrence Brune, an air-force pilot, whom she married in 1964. They travelled across Canada and eventually settled in the Comox Valley. Eloise worked at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Comox during the 1960’s and 70’s, teaching practical nursing for some of that time. Her last job in the healthcare field was teaching long-term care aids during the 1980’s before she retired.

In retirement, Eloise loved to spend time in her garden, as well as sewing clothes for herself and for others. She was a wonderful cook and prepared fabulous meals. Eloise and Lawrence hosted many parties at their home over the years and the house was usually full of music and laughter. Eloise was generous with her time and volunteered for various activities including I-Dent-A-Kid program, and she spent many years swimming with children with Down syndrome.

Eloise was a loving wife to Lawrence (predeceased in 2014) and devoted mother to her son Karl (Sarah).