IRVING – William (Bill) & Phyllis (nee DREW)
Four days apart, Bill & Phyllis Irving, married over 68 years, died in peace - leaving a large hole in the lives of their four children and spouses, seven grandchildren, five step-grandchildren, nine step-great-grands and infant great grandson.
William Lowther Irving - Bill, (born in Dumfries, Scotland March 4, 1917) with the KOSB (Kings Own Scottish Borderers), traveled to India to join the Royal Engineers as WW II broke out. Phyllis Lilian Drew (born in Vernon, BC November 14, 1915 to English immigrant parents) after RN training at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, chose India to ply her skills as a Missionary Nurse. Once war was declared she became an Army nurse, eventually meeting Bill hospitalized with malaria. On March 4, 1942 they wed in Bombay, India.
The Irvings lived in Scotland, Victoria, Haney and Hammond, Seattle (Bill was in the Canadian Army and also spent nearly two years in Korea), Kitimat (where Bill worked for Alcan), Brentwood Bay (operating Belgrove House Rest Home), Victoria again, retiring to Sidney’s Summergate Village about 25 years ago.
Over the decades, Bill worked to preserve peace, had happy clients as a Trust Officer for Montreal Trust, and played numerous golf courses around the world. Phyllis was a super homemaker, a nurse, caregiver to the elderly, and member in several art clubs, which included art trips to China and France.
Many relatives and friends, in this country and the UK, predeceased them. The survivors are: Phyllis’ youngest brother Graham Drew; and Kay Arnott sister-in-law; children: Susan (Christopher Morbey), John (Janet), Robert (Donna) and Chris (Debbie); grandchildren: Nicholas (Megan) and Matthew (Lindsay and wee Max) Irving; Lisa, Sean and Ryan (Kim) Irving; Nathaniel (Andrea) Morbey; and Rebecca Irving; step-grandchildren: Jennifer Wear, Geoffrey Morbey, Yolanda Guglielmo, Carolyn Filiatrault, Christine Armitage, and their families; many nieces and nephews in Canada and cousins in England; Bill’s nieces and cousins in Scotland.
Bill died December 30, 2010, aged 93 and Phyllis died January 3, 2011 aged 95.
We honour their devotion to family and country – and will do so again with a Memorial –
date to be announced.