Paula Cockburn

Paula was born on February 2, 1967 in Rochford Essex, England to Margery and Derek Winslow. She grew up in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, and along with her older brother Lee, the family spent many enjoyable summers at the beach. At Belfair’s High School for Girls, Paula became fast friends with Pam Waghorne, often mistaken as ‘sisters.’ After graduation, Paula attended secretarial college and worked as a legal secretary for several years. Once in Canada, Paula worked at Sears, Fairwinds Realty, and most recently the last 10 years at Johnston Wholesale.

After an evening out with friends in 1987, Paula’s life forever changed when she approached a dashing, young Syd Cockburn when the pub was closing. The rest is history. The two lovebirds married in 1990 in Leigh-On-Sea and soon moved across the pond to Canada to start their new life together. Settling in Nanaimo, Syd and Paula’s family and hearts grew with the birth of two wonderful children, welcoming Kelleigh in 1996 and Matthew in 2000. And so many cats, too many to list!

Paula was a devoted wife and mother and her children were the light of her life. Paula loved making memories with them, even surprising both of them recently with handmade quilts made of clothes she had been secretly saving since they were babies. She filled their home with lots of love and celebrations. In Paula’s mind, one could never have enough holiday decorations! Their homes earned the well-deserved reputation of always being one of the most decorated in the neighbourhood, particularly at Halloween. Some of her favourite memories were going to haunted houses with Kelleigh, watching Matthew play soccer, cooking special occasion meals for family and friends, crafting and DIY projects, annual camping trips with the Boas family, travels back to England to visit her mum, going on trips to Mexico and Las Vegas and spending time at Departure Bay.

Paula had the biggest heart and was a loyal and true friend. Paula was incredibly thoughtful-she loved giving gifts and making others feel special. Paula made an impact on so many and will be forever missed. She is survived by her husband of 33 plus years Syd, daughter Kelleigh, son Matthew, mother Margery, nieces Saskia and Nicola, nephew Robert, sister-in-law Lorraine, brother-in-law Kerry nieces Diana and Ashleigh, nephew Kerry, her sisters from another mister - Pam and Traci, many dear friends in England and Canada, and her precious cats Tom and Spooky. She was predeceased by her father Derek and older brother Lee.

The family would like to thank all of those who helped and supported Paula and family over the last several months. These include Traci Boas, who was a devoted and constant companion by Paula’s side; the dedicated team of healthcare providers (Shelley Pike RN, Abby Bunton OT, Dr Sunelle Fawell, home care staff); those who provided meals or helped at their home; and the many friends who came to visit Paula. Thank you also to Johnston Wholesale for the generous donation to her memorial.

The funeral and celebration of life service will be held on Friday, April 21 at First Memorial Funeral Services in Nanaimo, BC at 1:00pm (1720 Bowen Rd Nanaimo). Reception to follow at Lions Sports Pavilion at Beban Sports Fields (2020 Labieux Rd Nanaimo). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Paula’s memory to the Nanaimo SPCA or Nanaimo Youth Soccer.