Denise Antonia Wild

Though she was 87 years of age when she passed on September 26, 2024, Denise Wild (nee O’Brien) seems to have left us too soon. Denise, Mum, Nana, leaves behind her five children, Gregory (Kathryn), Sherri (Michael), Anthony (Lisa), Lisa and Adrienne (Roger) and her 12 grandchildren. She is predeceased by her siblings Leo, Teresa, Leonie, Margaret and lovingly survived by her brother Michael. Denise was born in Brisbane, Australia, July 25, 1937. Denise represented Australia as a fencer in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. It was during those Games that Denise met the love of her life, Ed Wild, who was the point guard for the Canadian basketball team. Denise and Ed promptly fell in love, were married in December of 1958 and established a home in Vancouver. There was the addition of five children, from 1960 to 1966, all born in Vancouver. Starting in 1976, Denise and Ed called West Vancouver their home. They were faith-filled supporters of the Catholic Church, and were active members, initially, of St. Anthony’s Parish, and then, more recently, Christ the Redeemer Parish. Ed predeceased Denise July of 2020, after an impressive 62 years of marital bliss. The family would like to thank Fr. Paul Goo and Msgr. Greg Smith along with Vancouver Coastal Health for their unwavering support during a difficult time.

Prayers will be held on Friday, October 11, 2024 at 7:00 pm, Christ the Redeemer Parish, 599 Keith Road, West Vancouver, BC

Denise’s life will be celebrated with Mass at Christ the Redeemer Parish, Saturday, October 12 at 11:30 am.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Christ the Redeemer/St. Vincent De Paul Society would be appreciated.

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Thank you all for coming today to be with Mum and our family. Lisa and I would like to say a few words about our Mum.

Nothing could stop Denise Antonia O’Brien. She came into this world determined to live it to the fullest. Born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, Denise was the youngest of 6 children. In her early years she learned to play the piano, loved dancing, and was an incredible athlete – fencing being her sport of choice. After graduating from All Hallows School, Denise surprised no one when she ended up representing Australia at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games as a fencer. Following the Olympics, in 1957 she took the title of Miss Danceland Australia. After these achievements, she traveled to Europe pursuing Fencing competitions as well as enjoying the sites and culture along the way. On her way home to Australia, Denise stopped in Vancouver where the course of her life was forever changed. She would meet up again with Ed Wild, whom she had met at the Melbourne Olympic Games. Ed had played basketball for Canada as a point guard. They soon married and along came 5 children, a chronicle of stories and a lifetime of memories.

Although she ended up living most of her life in Canada, Denise’s heart was always in Australia. Denise and Ed loved visiting her family and friends down under in Brisbane, but the Gold Coast was the big draw for relaxing, chasing waves, and hunting for sea shells. Denise and Ed were never short on adventure. They enjoyed cruising, travelling many continents and bringing the “Wild Bunch” along. It seemed effortless for them, piling us all into the family station wagon to create our summer memories in Kelowna. Year after year we stayed in that one bedroom apartment at the Canamara Beach Motel with a fridge full of cherries. Along their journey they built many homes for our family. Being fond of the ocean and beach, Ocean Point was one of their favourites. It was like a summer home for all of us and a place for the 12 grandchildren to grow up. Denise loved spending time with each of them glowing with pride and delight with their first steps or their numerous achievements.

Throughout her life, the Catholic Church was a place of comfort for Denise. She was a member of the Catholic Women’s League, instructed Catechism classes and volunteered her time on many fundraisers and events over the years.

Denise brought everyone into her life with open, warm and welcoming arms. Denise and Ed’s home was always full. Family, friends, along with a stray acquaintance or two, were always in attendance. She could throw a dinner party for 40, win ping pong tournaments, and decorate a homemade birthday cake with magnificent iced roses. Denise could teach 30 teenagers to fence and win competitions, or take down a wasp’s nest, alone, on a ladder, on a hill, protected only by a fencing mask, at the age of 86. She had amazing tenacity and perseverance.

Denise and Ed met when they were 19 and 21 years old. They were married for 62 years. And, following the passing of Ed in 2020, she spent 4 years without him. Denise missed Ed every day, but her faith kept her strong knowing she would see him again up in heaven.

In her final days, Denise would say to family and friends that she looked forward to joining them at her funeral celebration. She would be the one watching from above. Finally, as our Mum used to write, May God Bless and love you always.

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Homily at the Funeral of

Denise Antonia Wild

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Christ the Redeemer Parish – West Vancouver, BC

Five days after Denise died, I wrote myself a note. Here’s what it said: It’s too late in the game for me to pray that I might live like Denise lived; but I can still pray that I might die as she died.

I don’t have enough years left to imitate the woman you heard about in the beautiful eulogy—which just skimmed the surface of a life lived with so much joy, energy, courage, sparkle, and faith. She packed three lifetimes’ worth of living into 87 years of loving service to her husband, family, community, and church.

But, as our first reading says, there is a time for everything and now’s not the time to speak of those things. In this homily I would like to focus on the end of Denise’s life instead.

Because the days between her final diagnosis and her passing were an almost perfect example of a Christian facing death as we are meant to; I’ve known others who showed her great faith and serenity but never with such good humour. And it is that wonderful combination that I pray God will grant to me at the end of my life.

Dying is, of course, a serious business. To face it with a smile is both a natural and a supernatural achievement. Denise faced it with a positive attitude, never denying the unavoidable sadness of parting.

I might say that Denise tackled the end of her life with the same spirit she showed in every challenge; this mother of five children knew what it took to get the job done well and preparing for death was her final assignment.

She fulfilled the assignment with gusto. She chose the gorgeous picture on the front of your program, after careful consideration. The picture on the back came from an album after several others were rejected. I suspect she chose the sandwiches we’ll share after Mass.

One afternoon I arrived at her house to find a case of wine in the hallway. Denise explained that this was wine Ed had bought but which wasn’t good enough for her children! She asked whether there might be a use for it at the church.

After a taste test I accepted gratefully, only to discover that there were three more cases downstairs. So when the priests of the Archdiocese gather for lunch at the Cathedral next month, they will be toasting Denise and Ed!

She used her final month to share highlights of her life with her loved ones, me included. With a real twinkle in her eye, she gave me a copy of the report she’d prepared when she retired from teaching catechism to children in 1982.

Not a word needed to be changed before I made copies for my own catechism teachers—although nowadays I would strongly oppose her saying “I am only a lay teacher” … even though she did add “However, I do have five children ranging from 17 to 23 and have some understanding of them at this point—hopefully!”

She also gave me a copy of a stirring tribute to Ed written by their grandson Austin, a reminder of my friendship with her husband and, of course, of her deep love for him—shown throughout their lives but especially in his final years.

Please don’t think I’m turning this into another a second eulogy. All this relates to the Scriptures we have just heard. Denise herself chose our second reading, where St. Paul asks what can separate us from the love of Christ. She acknowledged, as he does, the reality of hardship and distress; she had plenty of both towards the end and suffered from the injury to her hand well before her final illness.

She may be a model of patience and good humour, but in the face of mortality these human qualities were solidly underpinned by her faith in “him who loved us” and her conviction that nothing whatsoever could separate her from God’s love.

In fact, Denise chose all our readings today except the Gospel, and they reflect precisely her Christian faith.

The Gospel choice she left to me, but as things turned out, it was either an accident or the work of the Holy Spirit. When the parish office sent me a draft of the funeral booklet, this Gospel was there as a placeholder, waiting for me to make the selection.

But when I read the passage, I decided it was a profound choice. Although I’ve never read this Gospel at a funeral before, the words of Jesus seem perfect for today:

“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

We can talk all we want about the lighthearted way Denise approached some aspects of her death, fundamentally she was handing herself over to the care of her loving Father.

Isn’t that what every Christian should hope to do, even if we are not all blessed to have her positive outlook and temperament?

And that’s not all that attracted me to this powerful account of the death of Jesus. St. Luke does not linger at the Cross, but quickly takes us to the empty tomb.

There can be only one sure foundation for Christian faith, and that is Christ’s Resurrection from the dead. As St. Paul tells the Corinthians “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile…” and “then those who have died in Christ have perished” (1 Cor. 15:17-18).

Denise’s approach to death, as to life, was solidly grounded in her faith in the Resurrection—both the Resurrection of Jesus and her own resurrection on the last day.

The angels ask the sorrowing women “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” In this funeral Mass we are asked the same question, because our sister Denise is not here but is with the Lord who has called her to his side.

Let us all pray will we die as she died—and it’s not too late for some of us to consider living as fully as she lived.