Myrtle Christiana Dudley

Myrtle Christiana Dudley, maiden name Whitefoot, then became Mrs. Robert J Pinkerton (1956) and then Mrs. Roy G Dudley (1979) to remain as Myrtle Christiana Dudley aka Myrtle the Turtle – “slow and steady, she always won the race”; Beautiful, brave, courteous, determined, fun, honest, innovative, insightful, kind, resourceful mother-daughter-partner-friend who truly cared with strong inner strengths, virtues, a quick witted sense of humour to win in a class of her own …” Sure miss your unwavering presence and honour to commitments, your love of life – you’ve set the bar high, never once have you let us down nor steered us wrong, seemingly invincible brave kind heart … hard to believe you’re gone, Love you Mom … with a heavy heart … cause that’s where you’ll now live, forever in our hearts !”

Born March 22, 1937 in Thorsby Alberta to Charles Robert and Edna Whitefoot under a frosty planter’s moon as an only child and did they ever break the mold with her. She grew up in East End Saskatchewan till her early teens then they moved to Lethbridge Alberta where they resided and she got her first job as a telephone operator at 18, then Calgary, became a domestic engineer there and again in Lethbridge, we moved to Edmonton and then became a third time domestic overseas in England with a midwife to help, moved to Bahrain, even welcomed her favourite Auntie to stay with us a while, then to Kuwait, back to Bahrain, then back to Lethbridge in 1973, following the Ayatollahs return to power, where she raised us kids as a stay at home mom, then became self-employed several different ways so she could be at home for my younger sister - dog grooming, Sunrider sales, slide show of ‘travels’ at a college run venue, old folks home care as overnight mgr. relief and care and lived there until moving West to Vancouver Island in 1996 following her father's passing and her love of the ocean, picnics, camping, hiking, being close with the kids always a big support, insisting on taking them to the beach as she did with us, I remember us laughing with her telling me my son saying to her “can’t go to the beach now Grandma All My Children is on” only once though - She regretted not being able to move her father here from Alberta as we had intended saying how he would have loved to fish for salmon right off the rocks here, bless her heart always thinking of someone else. She continued working in Home Care, overnight care, in Victoria until retirement in early 2000. Myrtle is survived by three proud children: Robina Koren Gaskell, Robert Johnson Pinkerton & Sabrina Maureen Lolacher (Jeff), three grandchildren: Jay Douglas Gaskell, April Marie Gaskell (Erik) and Reese Robert Pinkerton/Neil, and two greatgrandchildren: Taylor Rayne Sharon Gaskell, our special little Angel and Finley Jay Katz-Gaskel, all living in BC.