Dorothy Ellen (Reid) Gardner

Dorothy married Merle Gardner on May 2, 1992. Dorothy is survived by her sister Beth Ahrens and her husband Spencer; 2 stepdaughters Lynn Gardner & Diane Gardner. Dorothy is survived by 6 nieces and 4 nephews; 5 grand-nephews and 5 grand- nieces and 3 great-grand-nephews and 2 great-grand-nieces. She was predeceased by her husband Merle Gardner and her brothers Harold Reid and Stuart Reid.

Dorothy was a very positive person and a beautiful person inside and out. Everyone who knew her has a lot of very vivid memories. Dorothy was easy to love. She always had a ready, genuine smile which drew people to her, just as she embraced all who entered her life. Dorothy had a great sense of humour! She could be surprising, engaging, mischievous, and disarming all at the same time! Dorothy’s Happy Place was wherever she could be with family and friends. She made many ordinary events into laughable moments. That was her super power!

Dorothy grew up in Edmonton Alberta and attended Eastwood High School. She received her high school diploma in 1947. Beth remembers with fondness many Christmas mornings growing up. Beth would wake up first and wake up Dorothy add then Harold and Stuart. They would tiptoe downstairs without squeaking the stairs and peek at the tree and stockings and then wait impatiently for their father to wake up around noon! Family vacations were for a month at a cabin at Mulhurst on Pigeon Lake, AB.

Dorothy took Basic Nurses Training at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton, and graduated in 1951. She worked in Manitoba and Alberta until 1957. She studied Christian Leadership in 1953 and 1966.

She moved to Vancouver in 1958 and worked at the Vancouver General Hospital, and then in Kitimat. She worked for the Hudson Bay Co from 1962-66. She attended UBC 1966-68 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1969.

She worked as a Public Health Nurse in the Vancouver area from 1969 to 1989. She worked in Gibsons, Chilliwack, Ladner, N. Delta and Cloverdale.

As adults Dorothy and Beth became very good friends and saw each other frequently. Family gatherings were very important to Dorothy and she organized them at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas throughout the years with Beth and Spencer’s family, including her nephew Dave Reid and his family.

Dorothy visited her brother’s families in Alberta almost every year when her nieces and nephews were growing up. Dorothy had a keen sense of curiosity and she loved getting to know each of her nieces and nephews.

She loved to travel and to go camping. She retired in 1989 and met Merle Gardner while on a camping trip with the Happy Trails group. She and Merle were married May 2, 1992. Dorothy and Merle had a camper van and travelled back to Michigan frequently. They took a driving trip to Alaska. They spent most of their vacation time visiting family members in Colorado, Washington, Alberta and Michigan!

Dorothy you have inspired so many people. You are and will continue to be missed!