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Mae Elizabeth McKenzie (nee Jarrett)

April 27, 2019

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May 13, 1925 - April 27, 2019
Mum passed away peacefully at Nanaimo Hospital following a brief illness. She was 93. She was predeceased by her husband Thomas (Tom) Roman McKenzie and son Daniel (Dan) Melbourne McKenzie. She is survived by her son William (Bill) Arthur McKenzie (Marijke) and daughter Christine Nicholls (John), as well as 9 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren.
She was born in London England. Soon after her birth, her family moved to Worthing by the sea where she grew up.
When she was 18, she joined the British Land Army where she met Dad who was a Canadian soldier sent overseas for WW2. Prior to her passing, she was one of the few remaining Canadian war brides.
In 1946, she traveled to Canada with her 2-year-old son Bill on the Queen Mary courtesy the Canadian Army. Mum and Dad moved to a beautiful spot on the Shuswap Lake where they owned a small hobby farm and operated a lakeside campground. Years later they moved to North Vancouver. Mum owned and operated two successful dog grooming parlours, one in West Vancouver and the other in Vancouver's West End. They retired to Qualicum Beach in 1973.
Mum was a kind and gentle person. She will be remembered for her compassion and generosity. She loved all animals especially dogs and took outspoken stands against abuse of any kind. She lived in her own house right up to the day she got sick and looked forward to daily visits with her grand dogs Sox, Barbosa, Boo and Wobbe. Chris's grumpy old cat Chevy was a constant companion during her final months. They loved her as much as she loved them.
Family and friends enjoyed her self-effacing humour and her amazing story telling. Her stories got better with age and always had the right amount of embellishment. She frequently made us roar with laughter; knee slapping laughter that brought tears to our eyes.
In lieu of flowers, Mum wrote in her list of final wishes, "It will be great if people donate something to the SPCA in my memory, but I love flowers too."
We miss her.


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