Sunday, July 3, 2022
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Donna and I enjoyed many years of fun and laughter. Walking the seawall at 6 in the morning before going to work. Dancing to the Powder Blues Band, R and B All Stars and Wager. Taking in the Cultural Crawl, Harmony Arts Festival, the Fringe. Getting together with friends at Ambleside for potlucks. Surprising her in Mexico for her 70th. Meeting up in White Horse for a visit at Peigi’s.
She was always full of energy singing in choirs, playing the piano, Go Go Grannies, zumba, cats.
While working fulltime she took Insurance courses, towards accreditation that enabled her to be the mediator for all insurance matters at the City of North Vancouver working with management and lawyers to settle claims.
Upon retiring, Donna sold her apartment in North Vancouver and uprooted to Kimberly starting a new chapter in her life. She was so proud of her home, garden and community. She quickly became part of the community, making new friends to share adventures.
She loved her children and all her grandchildren and spent time between Vancouver and Kimberly cherishing every moment.
In the early 90’s Donna started a Christmas tradition that continues to this day, which was to give back to the forgotten and homeless. It started by wrapping gifts for the patients at Riverview, which we would deliver to them before Christmas. The staff at Riverview were very appreciative of the gesture and looked forward to receiving parcels to be distributed to the patients living there.
On our first delivery to Riverview, we couldn’t find the building to drop the items off at. We could not believe how many buildings were on the grounds. We spotted a door that had been propped open and thought someone might be able to help. I stayed in the vehicle and Donna went in. It didn’t take long before I saw Donna almost flying down the stairs with a look of panic on her face. She hadn’t seen anyone she could ask directions from, only patients that flocked towards her and encircled her. We both just laughed so hard when she got back into the car. Every time we delivered our parcels, we always had a good giggle. Once the institution closed, we morphed the giving to homeless shelters.
She leaves a hole in many peoples’ hearts and her warm smile will be with me forever.
Nicole Poirier
