June 11th, 2020

With great sadness we announce that Mollie Both (nee Hall, formerly Gardiner), loving wife, Mom, Grannie, dog lover and dedicated volunteer, passed away peacefully on June 11th at the age of 86 surrounded by family.

Mollie was born and raised in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Her father, Ev Hall, was a twice wounded WW1 veteran of Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele and the Battle of Arras. Her mother, Edith, worked as a cook at the local hospital.

Shortly after finishing high school and always up to a challenge, Mollie was walking past an RCAF recruiting office and went in to enquire. Not long after, she graduated first in her class as a Fighter Control Operator and – with her choice of postings – chose to begin her RCAF career in Metz, France, as part of a team providing radar ground control to the 12 new RCAF F-86 Sabre Squadrons that were part of Canada’s commitment to NATO. But her career was short lived. To the chagrin of the senior officers for whom she often acted as an informal aid in addition to her normal duties, she met and married a young F-86 Sabre pilot, Squadron Leader Ernie Gardiner (deceased), with whom she raised 5 children. Numerous moves later, the family settled in Ottawa in 1968.

Trained as a lab technician, Mollie had a brief tenure at the Ottawa Civic Hospital then relocated to Terrace, BC after her marriage to Ernie ended in 1973. She worked at Indian and Northern Affairs before transferring to Transport Canada at the Terrace Airport. It was in Terrace that Mollie met her beloved husband Archie. When she was offered a promotion in Kamloops the two of them packed up and, with their golden retriever, Beau, made the move. Mollie worked as the Resource Manager at the Kamloops Airport until her retirement.

Following retirement Mollie bred Labrador Retrievers under the kennel name Pippalane Kennels. Some of her happiest days were spent at Canadian Kennel Club dog shows where her dogs won many CKC championships. Her beloved “Suzy Q” was the first female Labrador awarded the CKC title Grand Champion.

Mollie loved to laugh. She was a person who could always find joy and bring joy to others. Her motto, “no matter what’s the matter, find the laughter” was her life strategy during troubled times. And she had many. The tragic, premature losses of two of her children weighed heavily on her heart.

Mollie was a tireless community volunteer. She was on the Executive Committees of the Royal Canadian Legion (Terrace) and Business & Professional Women’s Club (Kamloops). She was a lead volunteer at the 1986 BC Winter Games held in Terrace and a proud Kamloops CanGo Grannie. A faithful member of Kamloops St. Paul’s Cathedral, she sang in the choir and served on multiple committees. She introduced the annual Remembrance Day Memories Dinner and organized this popular event in honour of all Kamloops veterans. An evening program of songs and stories from the 1st and 2nd World Wars, with many veterans in attendance, provided poignant memories and gave young people an opportunity to serve their elders and learn firsthand how the sacrifice for peace needs to be remembered and valued. The event reflected Mollie’s quiet sense of pride and honour for those who served Canada in the Armed Forces, being both a veteran herself and the daughter of a WW1 veteran.

But perhaps Mollie’s largest volunteer contribution was to the cause of disadvantaged women through her work with Elizabeth Fry societies. She served over 25 years on the Boards of both the Kamloops and national EFry societies where she also filled numerous executive positions. She was instrumental in many new initiatives, including 3 affordable housing projects in Kamloops. The role closest to her heart was Regional Advocate for women in prison where she used her fierce sharp intellect, insistent persuasiveness and a fearlessness of heart to address injustice and unfair treatment, but always doing so with kindness. With a commitment to justice and hope, Mollie was unwavering in her support of women who had experienced challenges in the justice system. One of her proudest moments was being honoured with a volunteer recognition party jointly organized by both jail staff and the women in prison.

Mollie’s volunteer efforts were further recognized with a Governor General’s service medal (1992), YWCA’s ‘Woman of Distinction’ Award (1999), and Business & Professional Women’s ‘Woman of the Year’ Award (2004).

Mollie is predeceased by two of her children, Joseph and Jane, and is survived by her beloved husband Archie, children Bill, Leslie, Cathie (Frank), grandchildren Kendra, Daniel, Lauren and Gabriel – and faithful Black Labrador Gypsy. She will be remembered for being The Greatest Grannie Ever, for being brave in the face of grief and courageous in the midst of adversity and challenge, for her dry wit, her love of reading, her ability to know exactly what to say to each individual in a way that they felt uniquely understood, and for her practical approach to understanding the ‘big picture’ while quietly and tenaciously working on that which she could change – and she did. Rest in peace, Mollie. “We will meet again some sunny day”.

Our gratitude to the amazing staff at Kamloops Trinity Hospice. A Celebration of Life will take place when circumstances permit. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Mollie’s memory to the Kamloops Elizabeth Fry Society.

You may express condolences at Alternatives Funeral & Cremation.

• Date : 2020-06-11
• Location : Kamloops, BC