March 2, 1954 – August 20, 2022

With broken hearts, we are sad to announce that Cathy Inskip of Kamloops, B.C. passed away at the age of 68, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

She was a loving mother to her children, Carrie, Ken, (Brittney) and Micheal Inskip, all of Kamloops, B.C. She was a proud grandma to her grandchildren Reid & Evan Inskip (Ken) and Quinn Kalverla (Carrie) and loved them with all her heart.

She will be sadly missed by her siblings, Mary Anne Cook (Howard), Brenda Herbert (Rod), Brian Vink (Lianne), sister-in-law Helen Vink (Gary Vanniere), and brother-in-law, John Eve (Shauna) all of Ontario. Also her sister-in-law Kathy Hill of Prince George, B.C., and brothers-in-law, Bruce Inskip (Gerry) & Allan Inskip (Dodi) of Salmon Arm, B.C. Fondly remembered by aunts & an uncle, many nieces, nephews, great nieces & nephews & cousins on both sides of the family from B.C., Ontario & Holland.

Cathy was predeceased by her husband Gordon, her parents, Cor & Betty Vink, her sister, Margaret Eve, brother Tom Vink, nephew Gregory Cook & brother-in-law Jim Hill. We should also mention, she was predeceased by her beloved and faithful little dog, Bella, who was her dearest companion and protector for many years.

Cathy was born on March 2, 1954 in St. Marys, ON and grew up on a dairy farm near Stratford, ON. She loved helping with the chores – milking the cows and working on her tan during the summer months helping drive the tractor and machines or hefting the endless hay bales onto the wagon. If we couldn’t find Cathy, we found her playing with her favourite cats and kittens.

Cathy was never afraid of a challenge and in 1973, she put her name in to run for Perth County Dairy Princess and won. The following year, she ran for Ontario Dairy Princess, and was one of the four runners up. She was an avid 4-H member & leader and a member of the Perth County Junior Farmers.

In 1974, Cathy moved out, on her own, to Prince George, B.C. to work for her Uncle Ben as his personal assistant at his construction company. Cathy met her husband Gordon at an evening of square-dancing and they travelled back to St. Marys, ON to get married on July 23, 1977. They were married for almost 31 years. They lived and raised their family at 209 Royal Avenue, Kamloops.

Cathy loved this one acre property on the Thompson River and took great pride looking after her gardens and tending to her fruit trees. She was so proud to share a bountiful crop of cherries and plums and made countless jars of jam! In the winter, her Christmas display of lighted figures on the front lawn grew bigger and bigger every year.

Cathy’s door was always open and friends and family alike knew they were always welcome and that there would be a piece of freshly baked pie or cake and a cup of tea, a home cooked meal, or their favourite beverage would always be available. In 2019, she finally sold her property and moved to the other side of the river which was a little less work for her.

Cathy worked at Weyerhaeuser for many years and then moved on to be a delivery driver for DHL and she loved working part time for the KXA – organizing the horse races & winter fairs. Cathy was involved with the Kamloops Girl Guides for 18 years and was proud to be Grey Owl and Commissioner and help to guide many young girls who still remember her fondly. She was always creative in thinking of different ways to make the activities and trips a fun experience for leaders and girl guides alike.

She was a member of the Overlander Women’s Institute for over 40 years and was president for the last several years. Again, she was always thinking of ways to keep her “ladies” active and productive raising money with craft and bake sales and other similar projects. She was also a member of the Kamloops C.W.L for many years and was involved there as well with numerous activities including the Christmas bazaars & making baptismal quilts for all the babies baptized at O.L.P.H.

Cathy loved to travel and in her later years, travelled to visit family in Holland and went on tours to Greece, Italy, Australia and Peru with family and friends. Cathy was an avid seamstress, and she loved sewing clothes for her children and nieces too. A few still fondly talk about a certain favourite outfit that Cathy had sewed for them. Later on, she started a new hobby – quilting – and this became her new favourite thing to do. She created many beautiful quilts and even had an online presence on Etsy called Grandma’s Quilts Studio and she sold several quilts to places as far as Ontario, Quebec, the U.S. and Australia. She enjoyed reading, crocheting, and knitting and created many beautiful afghans for her family.

In May, 2022, when she received the devastating news, that the cancer had progressed and her days were numbered, she took on the dauntless task of creating 21 beautiful quilts for her family which she proudly presented as legacy quilts. The last 8 weeks of her life was a steady stream of family from Ontario and B.C. who wanted one last game of cards with her.

Cathy was a loyal, strong, passionate, independent, and fearless woman and life became challenging for her when she realized she could no longer be in charge. It was not easy for her. We take comfort in knowing that she is at peace now.

Donations can be made to a Women’s Institute project that is near and dear to Cathy’s heart – the B.C.W.I. Forensic Nursing Bursary. Full information on this worthwhile project can be found at https://www.bcwi.ca/  Cheques can be made payable to B.C. Women’s Institute and mailed to B.C. Women’s Institute, Box 36, Barriere, B.C. V0E 1E0. Donations will also be accepted to B.C. Cancer Clinic.

Also, because Cathy benefited from so many blood transfusions, it would be awesome if you could donate the greatest gift of all and donate blood at your local Blood Donor Clinic in Cathy’s memory. Go to https://www.blood.ca/ to book your appointment.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Our Lady of Perpetual Hope Church, Kamloops. Full details can be found on the Kamloops Funeral Home Website when the Service date is finalized. A private family ceremony will be held at the Hillside Cemetery at a later date.

Condolences may be sent to the family at Kamloops Funeral Home.

• Date : 2022-08-20
• Location : Kamloops