Born in Ottawa, ON to Jeanne Poulin and Edward O’Leary, Denis was brother to Brian, Janine, Elise, and Michael. Denis served in the Canadian Air Force from age 17 through his mid-twenties, where his love for gadgets began with a training in electronics. His further careers included realtor, notary public, and night auditor.

Throughout life’s challenges, singing provided Denis with a constant source of joy and solace. He participated in the Campbell River Singers, the Victoria Police Choir, and, most recently, the Silver Threads Singers in Saanich. At 89, Denis was still the one to start off karaoke at his long-term care residence. He also enjoyed listening to jazz music, enjoying live music and festivals when he could.

Denis possessed a natural charm and enjoyed friendly banter throughout his life, from hosting radio shows in his 20s, to laughing with friends at parties, 7 decades of MCing and singing on stage, and finally, joking with staff and residents at Aberdeen Hospital. His big smile and warm greetings will be remembered.

Denis is survived by his son, Sean, his daughter, Erin and five thriving grandsons.

 

On February 24, 2025, Rose Marie Jeffrey, born March 24, 1936, found the peace she was waiting for. Rose was surrounded by her daughters and their spouses/partners, Laura (Tom), Tracy (Doug) and Randi (Chris).
She also leaves behind, with great pride, her three grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Andrew (Lynn) and their children Alice and Henry, Shannon (Logan) and their son Kash, and Christopher (Julia).
During her career Rose was a very successful sales representative with Quaker Oats and Richardson Vicks before finishing as a supervisor with Proctor and Gamble. After retirement, while still in good health, Rose volunteered at the Royal B.C. Museum in the gift shop for many years. Once a salesperson always a salesperson! She also loved spending time in the garden and tending to the many birds that would visit the yard.
We will miss her greatly but remember her through laughter and music and memories.

It is with love and sadness that we announce the passing of Allan Brian Ward of North Saanich, BC.

Allan was a smart, caring neighbor and friend who loved spending time outdoors and in nature. He was always quick to offer help when needed and enjoyed the simple things like a visit in the driveway or catching up with friends over dinner. Allan’s closest friends held a private celebration of life in February of this year.

Born in Fort William, Ontario to Ruth (Young) and Harry Tuckwell, Paul grew up with lots of family around, particularly at the family cottage at Loon Lake. Summers were spent carousing with cousins. When he reached an age to be sent off for summer employment, uncles with road crews around the north shore of Lake Superior were enlisted to keep Paul
busy. He was, however, quite resourceful in finding ways to get back to Loon for weekends, be it by train or hitchhiking. Following in the footsteps of his father, Paul loved and played all sports and as a member of the Fort William Rowing Club, met with success on rowing crews in the late 1940s and early 1950s. After leaving Port Arthur Collegiate Institute, Paul set off for higher learning. He sampled a number of institutions including RMC before finding a fit at Ryerson where he completed a diploma in Architectural Technology, and parlayed that into a long career in construction and real estate development, retiring from PCL Construction in 1994.

Unbeknownst to Paul, a fellow Loon Laker had apparently set her sights on him when she was 7, and some 15 years later, Lynda (Knights) snagged him and went off to Edmonton where Paul had moved after school. They were married for over 68 years, most of it speaking. They had three children; Cathy, Todd and John. All three were deeply influenced by Paul’s love of sweets, pranking people and travelling, be it to the cottage at Loon, Hawaii or more distant shores. The attached picture is from Maui in March 2024.

Paul and Lynda moved to Vancouver Island in 1994, settling in North Saanich. They commuted to Loon Lake with only a few misses in the last 30 years, even getting there for a month in summer 2024. Paul was a long time volunteer with the Anglican Church in Edmonton and a founding member of the Uplands Probus Club in Victoria.

Several months ago, one of Paul’s doctors told him he had another 10 years but some of the other systems didn’t get the memo. He went into hospital on December 23 with a suspected stroke and other failures were triggered. After several weeks of being in hospital, Paul elected to exercise a right his son John had been a stalwart advocate for, and died
peacefully with Lynda and Cathy and long time family friends by his side.

Paul is survived by Lynda, Cathy, his sister, Mary Sabiston and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his sons John and Todd. We will celebrate Paul’s life with a gathering in the spring.

We are heartbroken to announce the sudden and unexpected death of Barbara Stitt.

Barbara was born in Saskatoon and had a happy and friend filled upbringing with many family trips and visits with relatives. She attended Brevoort Park Elementary in Saskatoon before moving with the family to Lethbridge in 1972 where she made many friends and attended LCI High School. She also had a horse for a few years. After Lethbridge she traveled to Calgary, Olds, and several other places for school or employment. In the late 1980’s she lived in Greater Vancouver and Chilliwack area before moving to Victoria in the late 1990’s.  She married Tim Hamill in 1989 but soon separated and later divorced.

Barbara was an intelligent woman who enjoyed sharing her sense of humor with her friends. Over the last 40 years she had an ongoing struggle with her demons, but her heart was good and she never stopped trying to win.

Barbara was predeceased by her partners, Kerry Gallant and later, Mel Brown, her parents Gene and Bill and brother Ted.  She is survived by her son, Clayton in Nelson, BC and brother, Mark in Victoria as well as several cousins in AB, BC and WA. She will be sadly missed but fondly remembered.

There are no plans for a Celebration of Life.