Colleen Vance

Colleen Vance, of North Vancouver and Kelowna, BC, loving and proud matriarch of a crew numbering 60+ (including partners and steps), left us in the early hours of January 22, 2025, two months shy of her 94th birthday. While we mourn our loss, we have decades of memories to sustain us, and the strength of a loving and supportive family thanks to Mom and Dad’s example. We also find comfort in the loving words of all the friends (young and old) that Mom made over her 9 decades.

Mom was born on March 25, 1931 to Edward & Audrey Stibbards (nee Richards) in Edmonton, Alberta. After graduating from high school, she went into banking as a teller and this would ultimately become a 20+ year career after all her children reached school age. Her years with National Trust and North Shore Credit Union fostered many strong and loving friendships that lasted through her remaining years. While we were growing up in Pemberton Heights, Mom could be found at the baseball diamond at Sowden Park or at a football field, cheering on her children, scorekeeping and volunteering in one way or another.

Mom met the love of her life, Larry Vance, at the age of 13 as students at the same high school, and they married on Mom’s 19th birthday in 1950. The first of their six children was born in early 1951 and the last in 1963. They made their home in Edmonton until Larry accepted a job offer in Vancouver. They flew to Vancouver on Halloween Night 1962 with their then five children (and a hamster) and settled in North Vancouver to raise the kids, first in a rental home in Lynn Valley for about a year (where child #6 was born and where they forged a good number of lifelong friendships) and then in the family home in Pemberton Heights where they remained until 1990. They retired to Kelowna and Mom remained there after Dad’s passing in 2004, until she moved back to North Vancouver in 2015 to be closer to her children. Mom and Dad made so many friends over their years together, and Mom continued to maintain many of those connections, while she formed and nurtured new friendships on her own in Kelowna and her final home in North Vancouver.

Mom was predeceased by her parents, Edward & Audrey Stibbards, her husband of 54 years Larry, and her sister, Lorraine McLeod. She is survived by her children and their partners: Brenda Willway (Robin), Lane (Rhonda), Cindy Hird (John), Darrell (Deb), Earl (Kelly) and Shelley Cherry (Gary). She was Gram to her grandchildren: Alison Summer (Aaron), Graham Willway (Amanda), Bryan Vance (Jennifer), Neil Vance (Brittney), Trevor Hird (Jill), Devon Dunn (Kris), Kelsey Hird (Grant), Stephanie Vance, Megan Vance (Ben), Brandon Cherry (Megan) and Alisha Cherry (Axel) and to her great grandchildren: Chloe & Marshall Summer, Lauren & Colin Vance, Jackson & Owen Hird, Ethan Dunn, Carter & Mollie McKenzie, Stetson Isaac. She will be lovingly remembered by many extended family members and younger friends who looked on her as a second mom.

Mom will be cremated and a celebration of her life will be held on June 7th, 2025, 1:00 PM at The Wallace Venue, #300-125 Victory Ship Way, North Vancouver, BC. Mom personally supported - among other things - research on heart & stroke, cancer, juvenile diabetes, kidney disease and dementia (especially Alzheimer’s). In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the research of your choice in her memory.