Mrs. Edna Dorothy Sutherland

Edna Dorothy was born to Edith and John Hayward in a suburb of Winnipeg called East Kildonan on March 14, 1920. Two years later her brother Edgar joined her and together they had a happy childhood there. The family fell on hard times during the depression, and Edna remembers sobbing as her father left to “ride the rails” to Vancouver to look for work. Eventually John was successful, and sent for them. They packed their possessions and moved to Vancouver to start a new life. Vancouver became the place she considered home for the rest of her life.

Edna went to school at Kitsilano and had many friends. Edna always enjoyed being active, and outdoors. She remembers a boy would throw a pebble at her window in the morning to wake her to play an early morning tennis game. She hiked and skied in the North Shore Mountains. After graduating from Grade 12, she wanted a career in nursing. Her caring and nurturing personality served her well. She got into psychiatric nursing, but was forced to move into Essendale (now Riverview in Coquitlam). This was difficult for her, as there were too many in constant need, and she had no privacy. She soon moved back home, however her propensity for caring continued, and she soon got a job with the Red Cross working in the newly formed blood transfusion service where she attended clinics up the coast riding on the Union Steamships.

She was happy in this work and well respected, so when the war hit she was chosen as one of the women invited to work on the Red Cross ships going overseas. She made 7 crossings to England on ships such as the Queen Mary, and Lady Rodney. She had great fun on the trips over with only the “Red Cross girls” and ship staff. On the return sailings she was caring for war brides and their children on their move to Canada. She had planned to continue this work but a friend sent her a letter saying her father was very sick and may not survive so she immediately came home to Vancouver. Fortunately the surgery was successful and he was recovering by the time she arrived, but she did not return to England.

Soon she got a job in a doctor’s office, which she also enjoyed. When she was 27 a young carpenter by the name of Bonar, arrived to do some renovations on the office. After a few refusals she eventually agreed on a date when he proposed dinner on the roof of Hotel Vancouver. They had a wonderful evening and both were hooked. Bonar started coming to her home for breakfast where he had wonderful chats with her dad. Bonar was deeply in love and after 6 months started trying to tell her his feelings. She dismissed him, saying perhaps he said this to all the girls, and he proposed with “dammit - will you marry me!!!!”. She agreed. The couple were married in August, he was 28, she 27. Bonar had done well in undergraduate university at UBC and had tried medical school before the war but found it was not for him. He enlisted in the air force and was posted in a couple of places in Canada for training, but the war ended before he was sent overseas. After marrying he decided to try science and applied to a PhD program at Stanford University in California. He was accepted.

That summer his mother died and they sold the property left to them and their car and moved to Stanford. Edgar and his new wife Charlotte came to visit often, as did Edna’s parents Edith and John. After getting his PhD they moved to Pasadena, California, where Bonar got a job as a postdoctoral fellow studying immunology. They enjoyed many friends, walks on the beach and the gorgeous setting. Edna soon became pregnant, and when she told Bonar they were so excited they had a happy dance in the back yard. A so began the phase in her life with small children at home, which lasted for 12 years, by her account the happiest years of her life.

Her first daughter, Heather was born June 14, 1954. She was soon keeping Edna busy as young children do. When Heather was 2 Edna became pregnant again, but tragedy stuck as the baby boy was born premature with fatal heart defects. He lived for a few months but could not come from the hospital. Bonar finished his postdoctoral training and got a job at the University of Kansas, so they moved to Lawrence, Kansas. Summers were spent in Vancouver as the University teaching ended and holidays could happen. Three years later they became pregnant again, and had her second daughter Heidi. The following year Bonar was able to get a teaching job back in Canada at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, so they moved again.

Edna was busy and happy with her young family, but pined to return to Vancouver. She worked part time in the Sears catalogue sales area, and appreciated her Sears discount to buy most things her family needed from the Sears catalogue. Summers were spent camping, and later boating in the Vancouver area. She took up curling and had many fun filled out of town bonspiels. She enjoyed bridge every few weeks with the University wives. As her family became older and more independent Edna and Bonar bought a camping trailer and spent many weekends camping in it, overlooking rivers and lakes near Saskatoon. As retirement approached they decided to make their home in BC in the lower mainland, and after a long search settled on a place near Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast across the street from the ocean. They sold their home in Saskatoon and lived there for a year before Bonar unfortunately died after a massive heart attack. Edna was left to face retirement alone.

Fortunately the community she was part of in Sechelt was wonderfully welcoming and she made good friends and had many happy times swimming with the ladies and bonfires on the beach at night. She spent winters in West Vancouver where she was close to her father who enjoyed her cooking and companionship. As daughters moved to Vancouver she hosted family dinners and Christmases year after year with great excitement and enthusiasm. She also found many friends in West Vancouver and went on some holidays with them. Her family grew as Heidi married Rick and Heather married Bob and eventually grandchildren Brendan Christopher Kayla and Graham arrived. She was so excited about the new babies and spent many a happy hour reading stories, baking cookies and just being with her grandchildren. She was so excited to have the company of her families during the summer visits in Sechelt. She loved to watch sport of all varieties on the TV, particularly football and hockey, but loved no sport more than watching her grandchildren play. Even in her last few weeks she would love to hear about their games or performances and said “that’s wonderful!!”. She passed away peacefully on May 19, 2014. She will be lovingly remembered by her family always.