Cecilia Marie Rind

Cecilia slipped peacefully from this world on July 5, 2024, in Victoria, BC, surrounded by loved ones in her own residence. She felt she had a very good 96 years, and it was time to bow out gracefully, on her own terms. We will miss her warmth and cheerful quiet energy.

Born in England in 1928, Cecilia was raised in a large family with five sisters and a brother, living through the traumatic years of WWII. After finishing high school, she worked as a legal secretary for a few years before meeting future husband Ron during a game of doubles tennis. They had a most memorable honeymoon touring the Swiss Alps by motorcycle. In 1955 the newlyweds followed Cecilia’s sister and brother-in-law to Canada, landing in Delta, BC where they built their first house and had three daughters: Valerie, Anita, and Teresa. In 1972 Cecilia and the family moved to a small acreage outside of Victoria, where they kept and rode horses and had a large vegetable garden.

The next move was to Tsawwassen, and it was while living there that Cecilia returned to the work force for a few years, joining Ron at IBM. After retiring, they relocated to Summerland (again following Cecilia’s sister), spending their winters RV-ing in Arizona. Eventually they came back to Victoria for good. After Ron passed away, Cecilia met Bob Beveridge and spent six very happy years with him before his passing.

Cecilia was a whiz at table tennis and kept playing into her early 90’s. Her skill earned her medals at the BC Senior Games. Other favourite recreational pursuits included hiking, dancing, camping and travelling. Cecilia had shown artistic talent as a young woman but without any means to pay for art school, as an adult she channelled her creativity into sewing, crocheting, knitting, embroidery, and food preserving, and passed these skills along to her daughters. She was musical too, taking piano lessons as an adult, and could often be heard singing along to old songs on the radio, much to the embarrassment of her teenage daughters. Always quick to find humour in any situation, Cecilia adored British comedy shows and jokes of all kinds, even —especially—the rude ones! Playing cards, pool, and board games were her other favourite pastimes with family and friends.

Cecilia is survived by her children, Valerie Wooff (and her husband Bob), Teresa Nightingale (and her husband Larry), her grandchildren, Chelsea, Alex, and Maria. She was predeceased by her daughter Anita, her husband Ron, and her cherished companion in later years, Bob Beveridge.

As per Cecilia’s request, no services will be held. Due to the circumstances of her passing, she was able to gather with family and friends in her final days for fond farewells, celebrating her life and memories while still with us.