Ellen Jessie Fraser

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Ellen Jessie Fraser, age 90, of Vancouver, BC passed away on Wednesday, May 7, 2014. She was born in Verdun Quebec, to the late James O’Hara Turnbull and Agnes Jessie Turnbull on February 26, 1924.

Ellen attended Nursing School in Montreal, Quebec and followed her passion for nursing and healthcare throughout her life. She was an active member in the nursing community and had special expertise in training and teaching other healthcare professionals who worked with “mentally fragile” elderly. Ellen created one of the first courses in this important area, with courses taught in private and public educational settings. The course was recognized by the World Health Organization and presented in Amsterdam at the International Conference of Alzheimer’s International Society some years ago.

Ellen took part in the development of National Standards of Care for Alzheimer-type Dementia in the elderly. She served for over seven years on the provincial Board of the Alzheimer Society and three years on the provincial Board of the Schizophrenia Society of BC. Ellen was also an active member of the Gerontological Nurses of BC and played a critical role in the formation of this group.

For many years, Ellen had her own management and consulting firm that was well respected in the healthcare sector. She also taught for many years at VCC [Vancouver Community College] in addition to conducting many onsite and In-service courses and seminars, within her field.

She took part in numerous national conferences and committees, and was thrilled to go to China as a part of the Citizen Ambassador Program, where she presented a paper on Alzheimer’s disease [at the request of Dr. A.W. Clark] in Beijing.

Ellen’s family and friends were her passion and delight. She grew up with her two brothers [Jim and Bob] and her sister [Mae] in Verdun Quebec. Married in 1949, Ellen and her husband Claude moved out west to settle in Vancouver, BC. They had four children and she was a devoted and hard working mother.

Ellen loved the city of Vancouver and never took its beauty for granted. She loved to travel and enjoyed many trips across North America, and overseas, to Asia and to Europe. Ellen’s passion to help and care for others inspired both family and friends.

She loved life, and shared her joy, her appreciation of beauty and her always-present sense of humour, with all of those around her. Ellen loved art and collected the art of others as well as creating her own; she loved classical, opera, big band & jazz music. She enjoyed the ballet and theatre as well as literature and poetry. Ellen wrote many short stories and poems, some of which were published and won awards. She could always drum up an interesting or humorous ditty or anecdote and many times wrote special poems for special people and occasions.

Ellen was also a passionate fan of hockey, football and golf.

Ellen is survived by four children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She also leaves behind numerous loving relatives and friends

Ellen requested a memorial service. It will be held at 2pm, Thursday, May 29th. The service will take place at First Memorial Services Society, 602 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC. The family wishes to thank all of those who cared for her during her last illness. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the BC Children’s Hospital, 938 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver BC V5Z 4H4 or St. Paul’s Hospital, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6