Sarah Nelson Skelly Smith

SARAH

It is with heavy hearts that we announce that Sarah Smith passed away on January 20th 2011 at Cascade Lodge in Chilliwack at age 84. Sarah suffered a serious stroke in October 2006. Throughout it all, she maintained her stubborn optimism and instinct to fight. She taught us all a great many lessons just by being herself.

Sarah was deeply loved and will be greatly missed by her daughter Debbie, son-in-law Ron Angell of Chilliwack and her son Ken of London, Ontario. She was predeceased by her husband Cliff in 2008.

Sarah was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on September 7th 1926. She met Cliff Smith, the love of her life at the conclusion of WWII. In February 1947 she immigrated to Canada to marry Cliff. They lived in Montreal until Cliff’s retirement when they moved to Kamloops to be near Deb and Ron. They moved to Chilliwack in 2006 when poor health forced them to leave their home.

Motherhood was the biggest joy in Sarah’s life. She loved her home, camping, traveling, entertaining, singing, whistling, and dancing. She was an avid sewer, knitter and she enjoyed crafts of all sorts. Sarah’s hands were never still. Sarah always gave generously of herself and her possessions. She looked after the needs of others long before her own. Sarah was a loving and devoted friend, a special lady who endeared herself to everyone she came in contact with. Her loss will be felt far beyond her family by her many friends. We are so grateful to have shared our lives with Sarah.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Paul Basson who cared for and supported our Mum for the past four years. We are also deeply grateful to the staff at the Cascade Lodge for the love, care and respect shown to Sarah over the past four years.

A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, February 15th 2011 at 3:00 p.m. at Henderson’s Funeral Home Chapel 45901 Victoria Avenue, Chilliwack. Refreshments will be served in the Tea Room following the service. Please join us for a time of fellowship and remembrance. Interment in the Hillside Cemetery 750 Notre Dame Drive, Kamloops, will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of BC; 300 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC would be greatly appreciated.

Arrangements under the direction of Henderson's Funeral Home & Crematorium, Chilliwack, BC.

BIOGRAPHY

If anyone ever cared, really cared for someone else it would have to be Sarah Nelson Smith. She was a warm hearted and well liked individual, and these wonderful traits came easily to her because she was such a sociable and amiable person, someone who was always making certain that those around her had whatever they needed. Sarah was a talkative person who was tactful at all times.

Sarah was born on 49 Middle Street in Cuthill, Preston Pans, East Lothian, Scotland, U. K. She was the daughter of Jeannie and Hugh Skelly. Sarah was raised in Preston Pans. During her childhood she learned to be reliable and respectful. Sarah was an obedient child who wanted to win the favor of others. She found it easy to show sympathy and to perform kind acts for others. These admirable qualities would become a part of Sarah's personality throughout her life.

Though Sarah was frequently the one to initiate activities with her family, she was also quite often the family member who took the role of referee. Sarah was a peace-maker. In fact, Sarah worked conscientiously to keep those typical family spats at bay. Sarah was raised with one sister and three brothers. She had one sister Isa who was older than her, one older brother Bill and two younger brothers George and Andrew. Sarah and her siblings had the typical rivalries while growing up, but they cared deeply for one another. This affection was evident throughout their adult lives as they spent time visiting across the continents.

Sarah was a faithful and loving person. Her kindness and consideration radiated an aura of warmth to those around her. Sarah cared for what others thought and she carried that into her marriage. On March 1, 1947 Sarah married Clifford Smith at Westminster Central United Church of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Compassionate and devoted, Sarah worked hard to make her new life partner happy. Theirs was a stable union that lasted sixty one years.

Harmony was important to Sarah and she made every effort to maintain it with her family. Sarah was always conscious of the feelings of others. Sarah was blessed with two children. One son Ken and one daughter Debbie.

Her keen interest in things that affected the lives of other people led Sarah to become actively involved in community organizations such as figure skating and hockey for the youth. Because she was outgoing and worked well with others, Sarah did her fair share of volunteer work. Sarah was the kind of person who would readily move into action in order to help others. She was appreciated and respected. While living in Ville D'Anjou Sarah was an active member of the Kinettes. As a member of the Kinettes, Sarah served her community by providing food/gift hampers to the needy at Christmas time as well as a variety of other community support projects. Sarah was also an Associate member of the Royal Canadian Legion for thirty one years.

There was one thing that all of Sarah's friends knew and will still remember, and that is that she was a talker. She could pretty much talk to anybody about anything. This quality is one of the primary reasons that Sarah was such a popular person throughout her life. Sarah was also dependable, loyal and trustworthy. Sarah was the kind of person who simply radiated good fellowship. While she maintained personal standards and her own personal values, Sarah was very accepting of others. Sarah was comfortable playing the role of “host” for just about any occasion. She loved to entertain. Sarah's home was the site of many parties, especially New Year's Eve gatherings. When Sarah made friends, she made true and lasting friendships. She would travel great distances to visit her friends. As an adult, she became close friends with Joan Angell, Evelyn Anderson, Joan Simmons, Margaret Nelson, many war brides and a variety of neighbours. Sarah's very special friends were Jim and Linda Hultman of Kamloops. They provided assistance and support which was much appreciated.

Taking her work seriously came naturally to Sarah, and she expected the same from those around her. Sarah was a good team player, someone who was born to cooperate with others. She was what some would call a “people person” and it was demonstrated in her good communication skills. Sarah was a steady worker. Her primary occupation was home maker. She was a stay at home Mum until Debbie was eleven years old. At that time, she went to work at Hewitt Equipment, then United Aircraft and was later employed at Bondex International. She did clerical work for all three companies. She brought harmony to her work environment, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done, while always maintaining respect for her colleagues. After working full time for sixteen years, Sarah retired in 1982 at the age of 56. In 1984 after Cliff retired, they sold their house in Ville D'Anjou and took their retirement move to Kamloops. Since it was easy for Sarah to meet and get to know new people, she quickly made friends, even in retirement. Once she met those new friends, she loved sharing stories and talking about the good old days. Her new life involved relocating with Cliff to Kamloops to be near Deb and Ron. In retirement, she found new pleasure in traveling and enjoying life's entertainment. Even in retirement, Sarah stayed in touch with her old friends and made plenty of new acquaintances. She was active in the community and felt fulfilled with the opportunities that retirement offered her.

A methodical woman, Sarah enjoyed spending time working on her various hobbies. She had no problem following all of the steps and instructions on a given project and was proud of the fact that she could have something to show for her efforts. Sarah was one of those people who took pride in constantly putting forth her best effort. As a child, Debbie always had beautifully handmade clothes which included winter coats and hats. Sarah would burn the midnight oil finishing outfits for Debbie. Sarah would knit jackets for the entire family. She loved to knit sweaters big and small. She would knit socks, mitts, toques and even dish rags. Anything to keep her hands busy. Ceramics was another frequent past time. She started this while in Yuma as a Snowbird but she also continued this craft back home in Kamloops. Singing and dancing were life long favourite pursuits.

Recreational sports included swimming, walking and lawn bowling. Sarah also liked being a sports fan and enjoyed following her favorite teams whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were hockey and golf.

Her high moral standards and traditional values served Sarah well with her faith. Religion and faith were important to her. She was a member of St. Margaret's church in Montreal. After moving to Kamloops in 1984 she joined St. Paul's Cathedral. She was well respected because she was such an outgoing individual who sought to help in any manner she could.

Sarah enjoyed traveling. She rarely tired of going back and revisiting her favorite places. Favorite vacations included trips back "home" to Scotland, being a Snowbird spending winters in Yuma, Arizona and traveling in Canada to visit family and friends.

Sarah was a lover of animals and she cherished pets. While living in Ville D'Anjou the family pet was a poodle cross named Pom Pom. Sarah did not have any other pets but she loved everyone elses' dogs. She especially loved Ron and Deb's many German Shepherd dogs. She enjoyed visiting with them when she came to the house for a weekly outing. Sarah loved every dog that came to Cascade Lodge to visit with the residents.

Sarah passed away on January 20, 2011 at Cascade Lodge, Chilliwack, B. C. Canada. Sarah had a major stroke in October 2006. She had many bumps in the road between that time and the time of her passing in January 2011. She was on death's door many times but like the energizer bunny she just kept on going. Finally her body gave out. Sarah was predeceased by Cliff in March 2008. She was the last surviving member of her siblings. She is survived by her children Ken and Debbie. She is also survived by her beloved son-in-law Ron. In addition there are many surviving nieces and nephews in Scotland. Services will be held at Henderson's Funeral Home. Sarah will be laid to rest beside Cliff at Hillside Cemetery, Kamloops, B. C. Canada.

Sarah was a fantastic conversationalist who could engage just about anyone in a discussion. And whenever she said something, she meant it. Sarah was a down to earth person, outgoing and genuine. She was without question the type of person who enjoyed experiencing things first hand. She was practical and sensible, but what friends and family will remember her for most is the fact that she was so generous and kind. Everyone whose life she touched will miss Sarah Smith.