Audrey Mae (Harris) Harmeson

Sadly, Audrey passed away peacefully on June 11, 2025, at a long-term care home in Nanaimo. Friends and family had visited Mom many times prior to her passing.

Audrey—nicknamed "Red" in her childhood—left Burnaby in the mid-1950s for Nanaimo after her best friend, Sally, was killed in a car accident. She worked as a waitress, at BC Telephone, and in a jewelry store until she met Clark Harmeson. They married, and in 1956, they welcomed their daughter Leslie. By 1960, their first son, James, was born; in 1962, a second son, Richard; and in 1964, a third son, David.

Mom kept busy raising the kids and moving to larger homes as the family grew. At their third house on McGirr Road, RR 1 Lantzville, on an 8.5-acre property, multiple pets joined the household—dogs, cats, a rabbit, hamster, bird, horse, and chickens—including a one-legged, black-feathered chicken that Mom affectionately named Blackie. Ducks, geese, and deer were regular visitors to the property. She maintained multiple fruit trees and always had fresh apple crisp, strawberries, blackberries, and vegetables on hand.

She once took a Chinese cooking class and delighted us with many dishes. She also loved making Indian curry, fresh stuffed salmon, and was an avid gardener. She worked at Green Thumb Nurseries and shoe stores while the kids were in school. She also sewed and knitted. During summer breaks, we’d travel—to Kelowna to see her Harris family, to Abbotsford to visit her older sister, down to California and Mexico, up to Alaska, across to Manitoba, and all over Vancouver Island and BC to go camping.

After she and Dad retired, they traveled to a family reunion in Illinois, and later to England and Scotland. Eventually, they sold the 8.5-acre property, built and sold a smaller home, moved to Qualicum, then to Penticton, before finally settling back in Nanaimo. It was there that Mom lost her beloved husband, Clark, to cancer.

Mom should—and will—be remembered for many things: she was (and is) a kind soul, she loved her family equally, she was always there when we needed her, and she was the heart of our family.

Love you, Mom.

Clark (rip), Leslie, James, Richard, David.