Julie, Mark, and Heather are celebrating the life of our mother, Linda Mary Westwood, who passed away peacefully on August 20, 2019 at the age of 79. Mom is pre-deceased by her parents, Arnold Colby and Phyllis McNicol; her sister, Cynthia Allan; and her brother-in-law, Eric Allan.
Also lovingly remembering Mom are her son-in-law, Martin; daughter-in-law, Melissa; grandchildren, Alyssa (David), Katelyn (Curtis), Hayley, Shane, Josh, Mikayla, Steven, and Breanne; niece, Christina (De); nephew Brian (Koryn); beloved cousin Sandy (Steve); dear friends, Bill and Esther James; former son-in-law, Tim; and her seven “granddogs”.
We wish to extend a special thank you to Drs. Gilmour and Manocha, Patricia from Home Health, and the wonderful staff at Christine Morrison Hospice. Their compassion, attentive care, and support of Mom’s wishes brought much comfort to her and us in her last days.
Mom was born in Lachine, Quebec and moved to Vancouver, BC when she was 18 years old. She settled in Abbotsford in 1978 and spent 20 years working as a customer sales representative at Shaw Cable, then known as MSA Cablevision, before moving on to the role of office manager at Oakhill Counselling where she remained until her retirement in the mid-2000s.
Mom was somewhat of an unconventional woman for her generation. She was a tomboy who played sports, excelled in mathematics, and preferred jeans to dresses. Mom was raised by a single mother and, in turn, single-parented us for most of our growing up years. She re-entered the workforce at a time when her peers were primarily full-time homemakers and women’s rights were not yet fully recognized by society. These struggles fueled Mom’s passion for the underdog, and she instilled in us values of equity, kindness, and inclusion.
Thanks to Mom, we share many happy memories of tinsel-filled Christmases, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding Sunday dinners, birthday and holiday celebrations, camping trips, and coveted reunions with Mom’s sister and family who lived in California.
If home were a person, it would be Mom. She was always a warm, safe, and comfortable place to land. Although it is with sadness we say goodbye, we also rejoice in knowing she is now in the presence of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, where one day we will all be together again.
A family celebration of life is being planned for a future date.
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