Sondra Mavis Mawdsley

Born in Melville, Saskatchewan, on December 17th, 1937, she is survived by her husband, David, sisters Donna & Catherine, sister-in-laws Carol, Irene (Norm), daughters Darlene, Mavis, & stepson Neil. She will be dearly missed by her grandchildren, Sara, Katrina (Remis), Klayton, Erin, Danielle, Chris, Joshua, her great-grandchildren, & several nieces & nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, Harold & Ruth, stepdaughter Maureen, stepson Ross, brother-in-laws Joseph & Verne.

A lifelong athlete, Sondra participated in a variety of sports & won Gold Medals in Golf and Track & Field at the BC Senior Games. She was a founding member of the Parksville Legion Ladies Pool League & a member of The Royal Canadian Legion for over 50 years. She volunteered in various community programs, including literacy & umpiring men’s fastball.

Special thanks to the Cokely Manor Adult Day Program staff & her infamous Tuesday “partners-in-crime” group. She loved all of you.

We express our gratitude to the dedicated VIHA home healthcare team, the nurses & staff at the NRGH Palliative Unit, Dr. Hunter, staff & volunteers at Trillium Lodge.

Honoring Sondra’s wishes, there will be no service. If you wish to make a donation, please give to the charity of your choice or the Canadian Cancer Society.

Anyone who shared an adventure with Sondra knows the value of her friendship, love, and laughter. To honour her memory, let’s raise a glass and recall the happy moments we shared.

To Remember Me

The day will come when my body will lie upon a white sheet neatly tucked under the four corners of a mattress located in a hospital busily occupied with the living and the dying. At a certain moment, a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.

When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don’t call this my deathbed. Let it be called the bed of Life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.

Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby’s face,or love in the eyes of a woman. Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain. Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he may live to see his grandchildren play. Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist. Take my bones, every muscle, every fibre, and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk.

Explore every corner of my brain. Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that, someday, a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window.

Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help flowers grow. If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses, and all prejudice against my fellow man.

If by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever. ❤️