Eleanor Jean Halcrow

In the early morning of May 14th my beloved wife passed away peacefully in her sleep.

The second of two children of James Y. and Wilma Halcrow. She is survived by her brother Dale.

Eleanor unfortunately battled with Alzheimer’s Disease for the past five years. Under the care of her husband Doug Podetz and home support, Eleanor continued to live a routine lifestyle with short trips up island, social events, family and friend events, monthly wine group socials, journeys to Serious Coffee, and suppers at the Rod & Gun restaurant until the last month of her passing. She spent her last few weeks at Chartwell Edgewater in Nanaimo.

Eleanor leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of love and memories. She touched us all with her generous spirit, sweet smile, laughter, vibrant personality and the ability to connect with everyone. Her bright outlook on life, love for nature and her care for humanity had a profound impact on us all. She was a remarkable woman.

Eleanor was born in Penticton BC on April 25th, 1947. During her elementary school years her parents moved to Chilliwack BC where she graduated from Chilliwack Secondary School. During her teenage years she had a passion for riding her two horses Tammy and Amigo. Eleanor went on to attend the University of BC to acquire her Bachelor of Education Secondary Degree.

Eleanor started and finished her teaching career in the Surrey School District. During the span of her teaching career, she taught at Frank Hurt, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, Earl Marriott and worked at the district office supporting and developing the delivery structure of the Secondary School Apprenticeship program. Her career included teaching Physical Education (PE), Drama, Special Education and Career Education. She had a passion for connecting with students and was an inspirational educator. Her final teaching years were at Earl Marriott Secondary working in the counselling department to assist senior students in educational and career choices after graduation. She will be remembered for starting the first physically disabled PE high school course and working with senior students who were wanting to start their apprenticeship while in high school.

Eleanor had many passions in her life. She had a love for dogs. With her three Irish Setters – Skye, Kyra and Ayden she achieved several awards in field trialing, handling, obedience and agility. She also loved flying. Eleanor had an MX ultralight plane. Her CB call was Liberty. She was described by her flying friends as a skillful, fearless and amazing flyer. Eleanor ventured into parachuting, where she completed several single jumps. She had tremendous creativity for writing. She loved to write poems and short stories. Some of her writings were published. She also acted in a couple TV series – Lies from Lotus Land and The Beachcombers. Eleanor was also an avid downhill skier; traversing many ski hills in BC and some in the USA, that were part of her overall passion for travelling. She ventured on several educational trips, China, Costa Rica and a Habitat for Humanity project in Chile. Eleanor also found great joy in other sports such as kayaking. Through the Bellingham and Surrey Kayak Club, Eleanor and Doug did several sea venture outings. Although Eleanor and Doug worked in the Surrey School District and knew each other, they eventually developed a loving spiritual relationship through their kayak ventures. Eleanor was very encouraging of her friends and all her family members. She even encouraged one of her cousins to join her in learning the art of fencing, which resulted in their team winning a bronze medal in the BC Winter Games. Eleanor had a spirited sense of humour and was always present and caring if anyone needed support or a helping hand in any way.

Doug and Eleanor were married on July 29th, 2000. This year would have been their 26th wedding anniversary. They lived in White Rock to begin with and in 2004 moved to Langley Township. Getting up in the morning to play a game of tennis or go for a run in one of the Surrey parks was a regular daily event for Eleanor and Doug. Apart from their work, kayaking, travelling and dog competitions were their lifestyle for several years. For many years she competed in field trialing and agility with two of her Irish Setters – Kyra and Ayden. Eleanor was also an active speed walker and managed to set a Canadian National record for her age category. Travelling ventures were also built into their lifestyle – trips to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, Cook Islands and Asia. One trip that will be remembered will be the Belize excursion. Seven days of kayaking in the Caribbean waters and camping on the shores of islands.

After Eleanor retired she and Doug moved to Vancouver Island in 2015, where Doug continued to work with Skilled Trades BC until he retired in 2024. During their time on the island they acquired many friends, enjoyed walks in the park, sitting by the backyard campfire roasting hot dogs and enjoying a glass of wine, playing yard games, having evening wine events, attending social events or sharing time together. Eleanor remained active with agility dog training on the island and continued to compete with Ayden and compete with their current family dog, Bree, who is a Welsh Springer until 2022.

There are many unforgettable spiritual loving moments in Eleanor’s life and memories that will not be forgotten. It is sad to see you leave this world, but we know you will be happy flying and chatting among the ravens. Family, friends and your Hubbie will cherish the moments we had with you. Bon voyage my love.

A Celebration of Life for Eleanor will be held at Yates Memory Services at 1000 Allsbrook Rd. in Parksville. As a tribute to Eleanor please join us on

September 5th at 1:00 PM with a reception to follow. If you plan to attend, please RSVP Doug Podetz at [email protected]

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Alzheimer Society of BC. Go https://alzheimer.ca/bc/en and click the “Donate Now” box in the upper right corner.