Bernice Ann (Beauchamp) Martin

Bernice was born March 8 1935 in Penetanguishene, Ontario, one of many northern communities her family would leave behind as her parents struggled to find work in those hard depression years. Constant “Jack” Beauchamp from Quebec travelled to Manitoba in 1930, and brought back a very young bride, Annie (Romanuik) Beauchamp (later Gray). They had children Vicky, Stanley, Bernice in quick succession, and later added Pat and Jean. Photos from their earliest years show the family in Roc-d’Or, a squatters settlement now forgotten, near the mining town Malartic, Quebec. Bernice had many memories of living without plumbing and electricity in a primitive log house, the tough life of people trying to survive on low wages from mining and lumberjacking in this rough, hard country. She knew there were tales of midnight moonshine running to supplement the family's income.

As she grew and the family moved on, she learned to be resourceful, setting up a new household with little means. She helped her mother caring for the younger sisters and took on babysitting in the neighborhood for extra income. One community they went to was predominantly French speaking, and while she attended an English school in the nearby village, Bernice quickly learned the language of her neighbors in order to make friends. Many years later on her trip to Paris, she revived her skill to the delight of her acquaintances in France who found her ‘provinciale’ accent to be charming.

At 18, it was time to strike out on adventures of her own and she travelled west to Winnipeg to join a group of sisters from her hometown of Kirkland Lake. They shared an apartment in an old house on a leafy street in the old quarter. She found work at Ashdown’s Department store on Main Street, and was soon ferrying customers up and down the six floors as an elevator operator. She caught the attention of a young manager who seemed to find a lot of reasons to attend to business on multiple floors. Ken was smitten and Bernice found the love of her life, but in order to keep their jobs, she had to move to the office as switchboard operator so they wouldn’t be able to see each other until after working hours.

They married August 24 1956 and soon were joined by Randy in 1959 and Jodi 3 years later.

Bernice adored her children and was an amazing mother to them. She made them clothing and toys, read stories from books as well as making up her own (with pictures drawn to go with them. She learned to drive, which she was never that comfortable with, just so she could take them to lessons, appointments and school.

She brought her love of music into everything they did, playing records or the radio so the house was always full of show tunes, crooners and balladeers. Eddy Arnold to Bobby Vinton, Barbara Streisand to Rod Stewart singing the great American Songbook;

“Oh how the ghost of you clings, these foolish things, remind me of you….”

Summers in Winnipeg always included trips to Kildonan park. Bernice would plan an afternoon of swimming in the giant pool, eating a picnic supper and then settling in for the highlight of the trip: an evening at Rainbow Stage. She made sure that we got to experience all her favorite musicals- Fiddler on the Roof, Mame, Showboat, The Sound of Music- all in that magical setting of a theater under the stars.

She always viewed it as such a privilege to witness the spectacle of the musical in person.

The programs from most every concert and performance she went to, from Robert Goulet to Kenny Rogers and Leontyne Price; “Evita”, Phantom of the Opera and the London UK performance of “Les Miserables” were all tucked safely in a binder and her memory.

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Every year she would have family gatherings with her mother, brother and sisters meeting in Winnipeg. Some years she would book cottages at the Beach where there would be lots of fun and time to share with aunties, uncles, cousins and friends. It was a tradition her own mother started, renting a tent and borrowing a car so all the children could have summer lakeside memories. She knew how precious those times were and we had such a rich heritage as a result.

Learning to sew from her mother at an early age, Bernice became an amazing seamstress.. Being a “special size”, she made most of her clothes until her 30’s, and Jodi enjoyed a new wardrobe each season (as did her Barbie dolls) while she was growing up. Keen on repurposing, she often made over an outfit to suit another occasion. Her own wedding dress was altered, dyed and recut for at least three other wearers. She made matching square dance costumes for herself and Ken and dress-up costumes for her family and their friends. Many young bridesmaids wore gowns sewn by Bernice in taffeta, velvet and lace, beautiful textiles that she so admired. Making curtains, bedspreads, slipcovers and pillows for her home, she really got to explore the art of pattern and drapery and her results were always beautiful.

Bernice always worked with her husband Ken in his wholesale and retail businesses and wore many hats as required: purchasing, shipping/receiving, product testing, marketing, inventory and even bookkeeping. When she opened her own store in Winnipeg’s Polo Park Mall, she was well prepared for the hard work and dedication it takes to run a successful business.

Cricklewood & Co., her kitchen, giftware and miniature collectibles shop was a success from its creation in 1979 till she retired 13 years later. Always multi-tasking, she ran the store, took care of family, and in the late evenings created unique silk and dried flower arrangements to sell. Her dried grass fans were in big demand and she must have made and sold hundreds of them. People still recall how the creative displays enhanced the shop’s old time country theme, especially the restored wooden wagon and the exquisitely appointed dollhouses in the window. The miniature store replica that inspired Cricklewood & Co. is still on display in her home. She fondly recalled all the memories of that wonderful time, remembering staff and customers, still keeping in touch with a few.

Bernice was curious and loved to read about other places and cultures. She had been to many wonderful cities: New York, Toronto, Chicago, Niagara Falls, Honolulu, Victoria. But her dream

destination was always Paris, and anytime she knew friends were going there, she would ask when they got to the Eiffel Tower, to lay their hand upon it and say her name, explaining that she thought that would be the closest she would ever get. The wish would become real in October of 1989, when she and Jodi made the journey to England where she toured Windsor Castle, had tea at the Roman Baths in Bath, visited Shakespeare’s birthplace, took in the amazing shows and sights of London and then on to France.

In Paris, she shone as her Canadian French and amazing enthusiasm for the culture charmed the inhabitants wherever she went from the cafes to the Opera. She walked tirelessly through all the sites: Notre Dame, The Louvre, Champs Elysees, Versailles and its gardens and marvelled at it all. The real reward was the excursion to the Eiffel Tower. She had plenty of time to walk the plaza and see it from many perspectives in daylight. Then the ascension in stages to the top observation point where she forgot about her apprehension of heights and viewed the amazing city laid out at her feet. And finally the marvelous conclusion in Le Jules Verne restaurant on the second floor of the tower, where with a lovely dinner and a glass of champagne to toast, she saw the lights come up from inside the structure, giving her a unique perspective on the city of light she had always wanted to know.

The following year, Bernice, Randy, sister Jean and nephew Darrell drove to the west coast to visit her brother Stanley. It inspired her to make her own escape from prairie winters when she found they could enjoy the sunshine and mild weather; pic-nicing on the beach in late October, the same month as the first blizzard of the year hit Winnipeg. When they got home, she informed Ken that they were packing up and moving to Nanaimo and to get ready for their next stage in life.

Bernice came in advance to the house on Invermere Road to work on renovations with Jodi who had moved to Vancouver in August. The former owner was still packing when she arrived and Lois taught Bernice the first rules of island life; slow it down and enjoy each moment. Lois declared it a powder blue day, and paint brushes and packing crates were temporarily abandoned while stairs to the beach were descended and sand, sun and surf became the only things to focus on for the rest of the afternoon. Bernice knew she had made the right choice and never forgot that day.

With the move-in in October 1994, she embraced her new home and began making many new friends. She applied her boundless energy to decorating the house, planting a new garden, delighting in plants a warmer climate zone allowed, and exploring more creative arts. She became a master maker of teddy bears, articulated and in every size and color imaginable. She also expanded on her miniature interests and began fashioning a world of miniature dolls, costumes and millinery. Hats, hat boxes, gloves and purses for the well dressed ladies under 6 inches tall. There are glass cases displaying her incredible work throughout her home, and she always invited visitors to view them.

After a grandson came into their lives, Bernice and Ken decided to move to a larger house on Ptarmigan Way. Finally, there was an indoor train room for Ken and a den for Bernice’s crafts.

and plenty of room to hosting an ever growing little boy. Greyson was the apple of his Granny’s eye, and he loved all her creative works. They may have even inspired his own passion for building lego as a child. She followed all his achievements at school and sport and loved to share her pride in him with her friends via the photo albums she would create. She curated many family photo gallery walls, but her favorite photo work was a three dimensional figure of a bear climbing a tree. For the first 7 years of Greyson’s life, she made “medals” out of bases of tin cans, affixed his picture to each and tied them on to the bear. Eventually the bear had to go but she kept the hundred medals from the original display.

Later on as her vision began to deteriorate, she had to move away from the really fine projects. Bernice couldn’t resist beautiful textiles though, and started sewing sample fabrics into large handsome tote bags, decorating them with treasures from her old sewing supplies, buttons and buckles, leather and lace. She showed at many craft sales in Nanaimo and at her famous garage sales. She also gathered fabrics attending garage sales, intending to work them into a quilting interest, but ended up making wall hangings and decorating t-shirts with her favorite squares.

Jigsaw puzzles were her next passion and she would work on them for hours in the evening, with the oldies station on the radio playing by her side. She favored puzzles that were shaped into figures, like the tree frog and the dolphin and of course the Eiffel Tower. Those she set in clear finish and hung on the wall along with Randy’s favorite castles and anything to do with a teddy bear.

After 60 years together, Bernice lost the love of her life when Ken died in 2016. She had to learn to live on her own, manage the house, look after Randy and put even more energy into her garden. Good friends Linda stepped in and Alan and Pat were always nearby. Health issues meant she was most comfortable at home, and she was always ready to throw a batch of muffins in the oven and have guests in for coffee. She stayed in contact with family and friends from Winnipeg and was regularly treated to cards, letters, phone calls and the occasional surprise visit. She received great support in daily tasks from dear neighbors Kathy and Larry, Heather and Sandy; Naomi, Georgine, Joyce and many kind friends and she loved them all for it. She was eternally grateful for the extended support from Heather as she helped Randy transition into his independent living. Throughout it all the changes she maintained her positive outlook and looked for the best in each day.

On her own for the first time in her life, she stopped cooking big meals and lost a great deal of weight, something she had struggled with for years was now dropping off without any effort on her part. She enjoyed the lighter version of herself (no more arthritis pain), but found that she felt cold for the first time in her life! She found she had a sweet tooth, and despite her chilliness and smaller appetite “I always have room for ice cream” was her motto and she kept a stash of golden Werthers by her chair.

Bernice was slowing down the past few years and while she was strong enough to survive Covid in 2020 by herself, she said it took a toll on her energy and she gave up her car and

stopped taking her daily walk outdoors. Heart health issues arose, and the medications made her very drowsy. She took it in stride, however, and would always say with a little wink, “I’m very good at napping”. She read the newspaper every day and perused the grocery flyers to prepare for her weekly order phone call. She maintained her plants, and supervised the seasonal activities for the house. She talked to her sister Jean almost every Friday and got a call from Randy everyday. She turned to coloring as an expression of her creativity, and filling pages of detailed, fantastically colored flora, fauna, mandalas and figures would keep her awake into the wee hours, always accompanied by her favorite stations on Stingray, Jukebox oldies, 80’s hits and easy listening. Neighbors passing by would see her in her chair by the window.

February 6 2026, Bernice entered the hospital and stayed for the next 16 weeks in an up and down effort to regain her strength after a surgery was performed to repair old damage from a prior surgery and to re-direct her intestinal tract. She was making progress as she turned 91, but at week 11, she contracted Covid and while it was mild, it stole her strength and she became bedbound. The difficulties with medications and her reactions to them became too challenging, and we brought her home to have her last days in her own house on her own terms. She was so happy to be home she rallied and enjoyed a few good periods of clarity and peace, sunning on the deck with a view to the ocean, visiting with friends, witnessing the legacy of blooms in her garden, and tasting the first cherry tomato off the vine. Her favorite activity was a shower arrangement that allowed her to sit under an unlimited supply of suds and hot water and she proclaimed it “heavenly”. Bernice never hesitated to show her appreciation for the good things.

Some weeks there were agitated periods of sleeplessness and delirium followed by extended sleep. She astonished one of her care givers after one of those 28 hour long naps by her answer when asked what she would like to eat:

“ I'll have a steak, a baked potato and a Waldorf Salad”

Well, she got it, with corn on the cob and a glass of red wine to boot. She finished it all with gusto and thoroughly enjoyed herself. Her good appetite surprised everybody as did her heart that kept on ticking for 8 weeks at home. There were difficult times to be sure, but even enduring those she kept up good spirits and held to the calm wisdom of knowing that her journey was almost complete. On Thursday July 2 after one of those really long sleeps, she woke to find dear friend Marilyn and Jodi by her side. She drank two cups of hot broth and smiled her sweet smile when she heard Greyson was on his way to see her. She said ”he’s granny’s boy, you know.” She asked if Randy was home, and then after chatting briefly, told us she was ready to rest.

And she did.

“Auntie Bea” enjoyed visits from so many friends and family members over the years and always insisted on taking photos to commemorate those times and they helped her maintain relationships with all who came to see her. She cherished these, placing the photos in albums along with notes and clippings that were sent to her announcing births, milestones, graduations, marriages and deaths. Sharing more than 30 of them gave her pleasure throughout the years and reviewing them was so helpful in writing her story. Please know that you were all loved.