Obituary of Mary-Elizabeth Kirby

KIRBY, Mary Elizabeth (Betty) August 15, 1938 September 28, 2008 After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Betty passed away quietly at home surrounded by her family. She will be missed deeply by her husband Bob, her son John and partner Christy, her son Wayne and wife Heather, her granddaughters Alex and Chelsey, her sister Shirley and husband Don, and her brothers Jim and wife Wendy, Allan and wife Gwen, and Ron and wife Marleen. In addition to her family Betty had many special friends in the community stemming from: her involvement with the Board and as a choir member at Trinity United Church; her volunteer work as past vice-president and treasurer for the Nanaimo office of the Canadian Cancer Society; her regular gatherings with the lunch bunch" at restaurants around the region; and, her paddling with the Pink Panthers Dragon Boat Team. She will be especially missed by her long-time Nanaimo friend and confidant Denise and by the Ademi family; Gjeva and Qamil, sons Brendon and Albon and daughter Herolina, as they have been a part of Betty (and Bob`s) family since immigrating to Canada from Kosovo. Born in Straithclair, Manitoba, Betty met Bob while working at Brandon College and they married in 1958 and over the next 50 years they raised her two sons while living in Armed Forces Bases across Canada and Germany; she returned to school in the early 80's to pursue her life long passion for books earning a diploma in library sciences, and worked at St. Paul's College in Winnipeg at the Learning Centre at the University of Calgary. She and Bob retired to Nanaimo in 1998 and quickly embraced the community and people and developed many close and dear friends, many who visited Betty throughout her prolonged illness. She inspired us, she cared for us, and she loved us; she was a loving wife, mother, sister and friend who we will hold in our hearts forever. The family would also like to thank the many home care support staff and nurses who assisted Bob and family in caring for Betty over the past two weeks, their caring manner helped Betty enjoy her final days with family at home. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 2:00pm at Trinity United Church, 6234 Spartan Road, Nanaimo. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations in Betty's memory to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Red Cross. 503129