It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Eleanor Bonin on February 6, 2024.
Eleanor was born in the small town of Newmill, Moray in the highlands of Scotland in 1936 to Isabella and Douglas. After graduating from school, she got her first job working in a woollen mill. She met her husband, Jim, while he was doing carpentry jobs around the mill. Jim had to complete his compulsory Army training in London, in the Scots Guards, who were stationed at Chelsea Barracks. During this time, Eleanor worked as a legal secretary in a law office in Keith, Moray. They dated for six years before marrying and made a stunning couple on their wedding day as Jim wore his Scots Guards uniform, complete with bearskin hat. A year later, their only child, Louise was born.
Eleanor and Jim owned several houses in Keith before eventually moving to Brighton, England where Jim was, by now, working as a Site Agent in charge of building sites at various locations in the south of England. They had a good life in Brighton for the next twelve years with their dog, Keeno. Sadly, Jim passed away suddenly at the age of 44, leaving Eleanor a widow. Eleanor decided to emigrate to Canada in 1981 in search of a new beginning as her two brothers were already Canadian citizens and her mother was a Canadian citizen by birth, so there was a strong connection to Canada. She settled in Vancouver and a year later, her daughter, Louise, also emigrated to Vancouver.
Eleanor lived with Louise for a few years when her grandchildren, Sarah and Ryan, were young and helped with school drop- offs and pick-ups. She was a kind and compassionate person, who cared about others. She lived with, and cared for her mother, Isabella, throughout most of their years in Vancouver. She was truly selfless when it came to family and was always willing to lend a listening ear and offer good advice. She was a strong advocate for people facing hardship and had a very kind heart.
Eleanor developed a passion for the French language during her time in Canada and studied it extensively. She read books that were written in French to sharpen her skills. She volunteered with a French club in Maillardville (the French quarter of Coquitlam) where she did crafts, like crocheting, knitting and making greeting cards, dreamcatchers and other ornaments which were sold at their events and was instrumental in starting a French writing class for the ladies with whom she socialized in the club. She met and married her second husband, Paul, who was a French Canadian and who was a collector of classic cars and other interesting antique memorabilia. One of his prize possessions was a beautifully restored 1938 Packard Roadster. She really enjoyed being driven around in the Packard whenever he was exhibiting it at an event. Together, they travelled to a number of places in the U.S., including a lovely trip to Hawaii, and made frequent trips to his cabin at Fawn Lake. She was always intrigued by the pioneer life and enjoyed reading about the lives of early pioneer women.
After taking ESL courses through Douglas College, she became a Teacher Aide, who home-schooled students in ESL. She also studied foot reflexology and her family members were sometimes the beneficiaries of a reflexology treatment when she visited. She was a good cook, always interested in trying out new healthy and delicious recipes. She enjoyed walking as her preferred exercise.
Along with her daughter, she joined the 78th Fraser Highlanders, best described as a military historical society. She was later inducted as a M’Lady, along with her daughter, and they enjoyed attending formal dinners at the Fort Fraser Garrison in Vancouver and hearing the resident Piper in attendance at these dinners. During their time with the Frasers, Eleanor and Louise took a trip to Montreal and Quebec in 2007 where they attended the “Dinner under the Stars” hosted by the 78th Frasers (Fort York Garrison) and witnessed a magnificent fireworks display afterwards. Eleanor had lots of fun practising her French in every coffee shop and store she visited during the trip.
Eleanor was a true romantic at heart and always had a story to share about someone special that she met. She carried her romantic dreams wherever she went and believed in fairy tales. She had a sweet, naivety to her nature. One of the questions she often pondered was “Do you make the journey, or does the journey make you?”
She met her partner, Jan, in 2016 and ended up living in Sidney and Saanich on Vancouver Island for the past eight years and when Jan passed away in late 2021, she shared an apartment with Renata in the same building. She was a frequent visitor to the Shoal Centre and could often be seen shopping in Sidney or having lunch at Beacon’s Landing, the Shoal Centre or the Waddling Dog Pub in Saanich. Eleanor was a truly beautiful soul, with a good heart, and is missed so much by her family and the people who knew her and whose lives she touched, even for a brief moment.
Eleanor will be lovingly remembered by her daughter, Louise (Doug), her grandchildren, Sarah (Pav) and Ryan, her brother Stewart (Lorna), sister-in-law Joan and her nieces and nephews, Shoana (Tom), Celena (Dean), Douglas (Debbie), Colin, Ewen and Willis. She is predeceased by her father, Douglas (1940), who died in battle in WWII, her mother, Isabella (2005), her brother, Douglas (2023), her first husband, James (1980) and her second husband, Paul (2011). Arrangements are being made for a small gathering of family and friends to celebrate her life. Anyone wishing to honour Eleanor are invited to make a donation in her name to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Association or the Shoal Centre in Sidney.
