Betty passed away peacefully at the Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Memorial Hospice Home with her daughter by her side.

She will be greatly missed by her four children: Kelly (Frances) Duzsik of Lethbridge, AB, Carol (Kevin) Bigham of Kamloops, Randy Duzsik of Lethbridge, AB and Lisa (Shane) Halpen of Lethbridge, AB.

She will also be dearly missed by her four grandchildren: Damien (Bonnie) St-Amour, Carmen (Robbie) Gfrerer and Kayla (Mike) Yanosik all of Lethbridge, AB and Matthew ( Megan) Bigham of Grand Prairie, AB as well as five great-grandchildren, Alex Bigham, Aryanna, Landon and Tate Yanosik, and Shaelyn Gfrerer,

Her loss will be deeply felt by her brother Fred (Barbara) Barron of Sault St. Marie, ON and sister-in-law, Gladys Barron of Collingwood, ON, She is survived as well by sisters-in-law in Kelowna, BC and Washington State, USA as well as numerous nieces and nephews in BC, Ontario and the USA,

Mom was predeceased by her parents Frederick and Hendrika (Groenhuysen) Barron, her husband Leslie (1976) , Her granddaughter Kelley Bigham (2008), Her sister Dorothy McInnes (1970), and her brother Robert Barron (2016)

Mom was born in Thessalon, ON. She spent most of her school years in the small town of Webwood, ON where her father was the Presbyterian Minister and later became the principle of the school there. This made for some interesting times for Mom and her siblings. She always said she could write a book about the colourful people in the town and her experiences growing up there.

Mom worked unhappily at a candy factory for a few years after high school, although she said she never got sick of the candy and never gained any weight! She decided to start her nurses training at Brantford General Hospital. After becoming an RN in 1954 she and a few of her nursing friends decided to move “out west” to Vancouver for some adventure. A few years later she met our Dad. They married in 1957 and moved to Kamloops where they started their family and established deep roots- Dad in the hunting, fishing and flying communities and mom in her various workplaces (she never had time for hobbies!). Sadly, Dad died at a fairly young age and Mom was left to finish raising their three children still at home. We never heard her complain. She was our stability and we never thought how hard it must have been for her. Mom worked as an RN at numerous facilities in Kamloops throughout her life, the last being at Gaumont House in Kamloops from where she reluctantly retired at age 76- only because “the clients were offering to do my work for me”. She made many life log friends during her years in Kamloops. Sadly, many have predeceased her. Mom was devoted to her family. She was a vital part of all her grandchildren’s lives and helped us all in any way she could. All her grandchildren’s lives have been enriched by her presence.

Mom moved I with her daughter and son-in-law nine years ago to be there for her great- grandson Alex after her granddaughter passed away. Alex brightened her days and made her feel needed. She always made sure she had his favourite cookies freshly made and his favorite meals and snacks ready. Alex was a lucky boy to have her in our home. Sadly, Mom’s health began to deteriorate significantly over the last six months and she became more dependent on family for her care. This was intolerable to her as she was always fiercely independent. She did not wish to live like this and we are grateful she did not linger on in this way.

Mom was the best mom, grandma, and great grandma we could have wished for! We will miss her (mostly) unconditional love, her humor, her cooking (the grandkids made sure we got all the recipes), and her presence in our lives. We are truly grateful we had such a long time with her and are also grateful she is now at peace.

There are no words to express our thanks to the staff and volunteers at MWS Hospice. Mom could not begin to express how grateful she was for such loving and attentive care. She loved your teasing and jokes too! Thank you so much also to Dr. Sophie Weimar for her support and kindness to mom over the years. She could not have received better care. No matter what you had to say she always left your office feeling better. Also thank you to Barb and Stan Warsimage who were such caring, loving friends to Mom over the years. She looked forward to your outings for fish and chips and then the Casino-they kept her going. Barb, you were there to the end- a support to both Mom and myself- a true friend- we can’t thank you enough.

Mom requested no formal gathering and we will honor her request.

A private family gathering will be held in Lethbridge this summer.

Cremation will take place and her ashes will be placed with Kelley’s at Hillside Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers we would appreciate donations in memory of Betty to:

Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Memorial Hospice Home

72 Whiteshield Crescent South, Kamloops, B.C. V2E 2S9

Condolences may be expressed at www.myalternatives.ca

• Date : 2018-05-26
• Location : Kamloops, B.C.