Nancy Elizabeth Denofreo

Nancy was born in Allison, Ontario to Charles and Muriel Higginson. She is predeceased by her life-long partner Joe Denofreo, her daughter Tamara Denofreo and grandson Aaron Denofreo. Nancy is survived by son David (Tracey), daughter Kimberly, sister Jean Higginson, grandson Raistlin (Taylor), granddaughter Corinna (Elias) and two great-granddaughters.

Nancy received her undergraduate degree at McMaster in 1962 She met Joe when they were both working at an adolescent treatment centre, and the two married in 1968. They moved to British Columbia where Joe worked at the Children's Foundation and Nancy received her Masters degree in Social Work from the University of British Columbia in 1977.

Nancy had a strong sense of social justice and wanted to see people treated fairly. She worked for the Government until she retired in 1996. As she took on positions of greater responsibility during her career she was well liked and respected by the people she worked with.

When Joe was diagnosed with Parkinson's, Nancy worked tirelessly to support him and others. They were instrumental in bringing the Parkinson's Superwalk - Canada's largest fundraiser for the disease - to Richmond in 2013.

Nancy was also blessed with a great sense of humour. She loved to laugh and to share laughter with friends and family. She made a killer cheesecake and loved getting up early to play video games, much to the delight of her grandson Aaron. As a young girl, Corinna was the happy recipient of Nancy's gaming consoles and notebooks full of tips, tricks and secret areas to explore, and would spend hours talking with Nancy about how to beat certain games.

She and Joe spent many years as snowbirds, trekking to their home in Arizona each winter where he played golf and she took photos and basked in the southern sunshine. All of the grandchildren enjoyed spending time there with their grandparents, swimming, eating, visiting Rawhide and playing a round of golf.

A little over two years ago Nancy moved to Gilmore Gardens in Richmond. She discovered that she had been missing that social connection with other people and quickly became involved in her new community, taking on the role of Chair of the Residents Council. She was happy there and enjoyed the activities and her contacts with the other residents and staff.

Nancy was diagnosed with cancer in June, and her health declined quickly. Still, she never lost her sense of humour and got the most out of life right to the end. She will be very much missed by her family and her many friends.