December 1, 1934 - August 9, 2024
Beloved wife, mom, grandma, mother-in-law and friend.
Rene passed away peacefully at The Cascades Long Term Care Facility in Chilliwack, B.C. following an extended battle with vascular dementia. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Jack, and her son, Clay.
Rene was always a force to be reckoned with. She was born in Vancouver, B.C. and attended Charles Dickens Elementary and King Edward High School. She became a hairdresser after graduation and then married Jack, accompanying him through the province as a B.C. Forest Service wife. She became a pioneer woman.
Together, they experienced the whole of British Columbia, living in Alert Bay, Surrey, Campbell River, Vancouver, Pemberton, Squamish, Prince Rupert, Prince George and Langley until finally settling in Chilliwack in 1980. Rene stood beside Jack in his work and his passions, even recruiting firefighters in Pemberton while in the final stages of pregnancy!
She kept the home fires burning while he fought the big ones in the forests, but Rene was much more than a supportive wife and mother. She took on administrative jobs in each town they lived, all while pursuing a Bachelor of Education at Simon Fraser University, going on to teach primary children in Surrey and Chilliwack.
She was a crack shot (a B.C. summer games blackpowder medal winner), a master fisherwoman, a talented golfer, a fabulous cook and a skilled woman with a needle. She sewed, knitted, crocheted, quilted and became a prolific crafter of dolls and stuffed animals. Rene was a modern renaissance woman, mastering any craft she turned her hand to!
Rene's family extends sincere thanks to the staff at The Cascades. They have cared for and supported Rene in the kindest and most respectful way as she progressed through a terrible disease.
Rene is survived by her daughter, Maureen Carradice, and her son-in-law and granddaughter, Michael and Kate Fairley. We will so miss her for her gentle sense of humour, inspiring spirit, and never ceasing "can do" attitude. So much more than a woman of her time, she was a woman for the ages.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada or the Alzheimer's Society of British Columbia.