Theresa Hellen Wilkinson, the strength of a woman, exemplified through her life. Theresa was born March 10th, 1916 at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia to Florence Helen Jane (Gathern) and Cyril Oswald Jordison. She died gently in the early hours on Wednesday, February 5th, 2014, at the age of 97, in Surrey, BC.
As a young girl, Theresa lived on Lulu Island in Richmond BC. She loved skipping and playing hopscotch. She would accompany her mother, by horse and carriage, to the Saturday market in Vancouver where her mother would sell the goods she had made including; butter, fudge, butter-horns and bread. When Theresa was 6 years old her family moved to Vancouver. They lived in several houses including ones on Seymour, Burrard, and Hornby Street. Theresa spent much of her childhood helping out with the house, cooking, baking, cleaning and caring for her younger sisters, May and Fran (Theresa was the eldest of three sisters and a brother, Theodore). She attended St. Ann’s Academy and Dawson school. At the age of 14, Theresa was sent to the convent in Ladysmith where she spent a year of her life. Although it was a dark and difficult time, being away from her home and her sisters, Theresa worked hard and received recognition of honour for being the best at doing the table settings in the refectory. She returned and spent another year in a convent in Vancouver located at Cambie and 12th, happily reunited with her sisters, where she completed eighth grade. At 16, Theresa worked in the office for her father’s chimney sweep & roofing business while being responsible for all of the household duties.
Theresa was married in 1934, during the “Hungry Thirties”, at the age of 17, to Bruce Van Skiver and over the next 17 years she gave birth to 8 children. She had her first two children, a son and daughter, with the help of midwives in 1935 and 1936 respectively. It was not an easy life and early in her first marriage, around 1940, Theresa moved with her husband to the Prairies and worked on a farm as a cook and baker for the threshers, with her two young children at her side. It was here that Theresa had her first paid work, earning $25 month. She worked long hard days, waking at 4am in time to get the bread in the oven and not resting until after 10pm when the last of the dishes were done. After a year and a half they left the farm and moved to Vulcan, Alberta. When her first husband was conscripted into the Army, Theresa returned to Vancouver, now with 5 children, having given birth to three more little ones, two daughters and a son, while in Vulcan in1940, 1942, and 1943.
During the years that her husband served in the War, Theresa worked at the “Pioneer Laundry” and as a short-order cook to help make ends meet. Theresa would chop and stack wood by the cord to ensure her children were warm and food could be prepared. Every so often she would go to a dance or to see a show with her sister; a rare and appreciated pleasure. After the war her family moved around living on Moberly Street, Burrard Street, and Alberta Street. In the late 1940’s Theresa moved to Namoo and in 1950 she gave birth to her youngest daughter in the remote town of Ocean Falls. From Namoo Theresa moved to Gibsons living there for quite a while, eventually settling back in Vancouver. It was during this time that Theresa gave birth to her youngest sons, in 1952 and 1955 at Vancouver General Hospital. Theresa had survived the Great Depression, the War Years, and a difficult marriage, all the while raising 8 children. It was after these times that Theresa’s life veered towards a brighter path…
Theresa met (Francis) Lee Wilkinson at the Legion in 1962 and their lives began together. In her own words, “My life didn’t begin until I got married to Lee Wilkinson and then my life began”. Theresa and Lee co-habited for many years before getting married on December 15th, 1975. They lived together in Burnaby, Vancouver, Surrey, and during the early 80’s on Vancouver Island. They loved to go camping and have huge family gatherings where Theresa could always be found in the kitchen baking, cooking, and dancing. While on Vancouver Island they rescued their little grey poodle from Fanny Bay. Theresa loved her little dog, which she fittingly named, Fanny.
During her marriage to Lee, Theresa did the ‘unthinkable’, she pursed a journey entirely for herself. Theresa joined Weight Watchers and could often be heard saying “weight watchers saved my life”. She committed and attained the phenomenal goal of transforming herself and in that journey she shed 130lbs. At the end she had not only the physical benefits of her weight loss, but a solidified sense of personal accomplishment. A validation of the strength of the woman she had become.
The road however, was fraught with challenging times. Theresa had to face what no mother should ever have to, and that was she had to say good-bye to each of her sons as they all passed away before her. Theresa’s survival spirit and resiliency carried her forward, although forever with pieces of herself missing. After her husband died in 1993, Theresa moved back and forth from British Columbia to the Prairies eventually settling in Surrey, BC.
Theresa loved to knit, making scores of dish clothes for her family and friends. She loved stuffed animals and always had them placed so nicely in her home, on her bed and couch. She will always be remembered for her infamous ginger snaps, date squares, lemon meringue pie, homemade bread and delicious Christmas baking. Theresa loved to dance and she could shimmy and shake like nobody’s business. Along with her natural rhythm she had a deep raspy singing voice that transformed her petite frame into a powerful presence captivating anyone within earshot. Theresa always kept herself well-dressed and looking ‘smart’.
Theresa witnessed and was a part of incredible change during her long life and at each step she found the strength and determination to keep moving forward. She was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother, a matriarch, and a good friend. Most of all, she was a resilient, beautiful, generous, and strong woman and her legacy lives on in her 4 daughters: Marie; Bev; Ann; and Dianne, and her 22 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-great grandchildren. Theresa is reunited with her late husband Lee, and her 4 sons: Eddie; John; Bruce and Cliff.
A warm thank-you goes out to all the staff at Kinsmen Place Lodge ~ Your kindness towards Theresa will always be remembered. A deep heartfelt thanks to Dawn Van Skiver (daughter-in-law) and Patty Tremblay (granddaughter) for taking over Theresa’s primary care over the past several years with ease, and endless care and consideration ~You helped make Theresa’s life that much richer and pleasant right up until her final breath.
Theresa Hellen Wilkinson ~ The Strength of a Woman; Forever embedded in Our Hearts
Arrangements under the direction of First Memorial Funeral Services, Vancouver, BC.
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