She now joins her late husband Cyrille Fournier in The Light. She will be greatly missed by her daughters Yvonne and Gaetanne, her grandson Tristan, her sisters Margot and Rae, friends who were very dear, and her beloved faithful feline Minou.
Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, she was the first of three daughters born to Helen and Robert Ferris. She received her BA in Home Economics at UBC, which she taught in Vancouver before travelling to Germany in 1965, where destiny seated her husband-to-be, Cyrille, beside her on an airplane, to RCAF base Baden-Baden, where she taught for three years. While working overseas, she enjoyed travelling all over Europe, even venturing to Africa to behold The Great Pyramids of Egypt and camel ride through the desert. Choosing her family over a career, she took pride in being the ideal homemaker, giving her heart and soul to caring for her children, husband, immaculate home and garden, which also allowed her the freedom to pursue her artistic hobbies. In her daughters, she fostered her love of baking and sewing.
In her middle years, she was particularly passionate about bear and doll making, carefully fashioning each detailed dress, jacket, hat, and leather shoes, among other accessories they wore.
A highly skilled artist with a needle and thread, she devoted much of her free time to sewing, beadwork, stitchery and embroidery. She was a member of several guilds and took great pleasure in her group meetings and retreats every year, and in the friendships formed there.
A lover of books and History, she volunteered at the Willows School library and at the Royal British Columbia Museum, and had a keen interest in genealogy and tracing her family roots. She was also fond of travel, and returned to Europe for subsequent visits, in particular to England, France, and Germany, as well as to New Zealand, Australia, Alaska, and Antarctica. Her other passions were her garden, where she spent many hours each day tending to a variety of plants and flowers. She was clever, crafty, meticulous, multi-talented, thoughtful, loving, loyal, patient, kind, and always willing to be of service to others. Friendly and social by nature, she made friends easily and had many, some dating back to her early school and university years in Vancouver, others from among the French Immersion parents, and neighbours in Oak Bay or from her various volunteer work and hobby groups. It was with much regret that she was not able to see and say goodbye to all her friends in person.
The family would like to thank all health care professionals for their diligent care and for making her more comfortable in her final days, especially the staff at the Royal Jubilee Hospital Oncology ward. We are immensely appreciative of her friends and family who visited, helped out, and showed their support.
A celebration of Roberta’s life will be held at a later date. If desired, memorial donations may be made to the BC Cancer Society.
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