December 2, 2020
1031-2020 ~ Marie Barbara (Barb) Corley (nee, Murphy) lived a full and rewarding life. She passed away peacefully in her 90th year on December 2, 2020, surrounded by her loving family.
Barb was born in Leask, Saskatchewan in 1931 to Francis Nicholas and Anne (nee, Noonan) Murphy. Growing up as the second youngest of five siblings during the Depression years, often away in boarding schools, helped shape the caring, nurturing and very pragmatic person she was.
After graduating, Barb went into psychiatric nursing and eventually moved to Prince Rupert, BC. There, in 1954 she met the love of her life, James Robert (Bob) Corley. Bob was a young RCMP officer posted there at the time. They married in 1955 and spent the next 64 years happily together until Bob's passing in July 2018. During those years they raised their family, moving to the Lower Mainland, then on to Ottawa in 1958.
There they bought property and together built the family cottage at Lac Clair, Quebec, where many life-long family memories were made. In 1967, they moved on to Winnipeg, and then to Brandon, Manitoba in 1973. Five years later, they moved back to British Columbia, first to Prince George, and then to Chilliwack in 1983 where they remained.
In their retirement years, they travelled and explored all corners of Canada, the USA and western Mexico - most often in their RV. They made new, often life-long, friends wherever they went. In 2000, they fell in love with the coastal town and people of La Manzanilla, Mexico, making it their winter home for the next 14 years. They returned one last time in 2017 to see old friends and close that chapter.
Barb's wit and good humour were hallmarks of who she was - and she kept both firmly intact to the very end. For instance, on her admission to hospice, the doctor asked if she knew where she was. Looking at him with a twinkle in her eye, she smiled and replied, "Yes, I'm one step away from heaven!"
Barb was devoted to family. She is survived by her three children, Cal (Eva), Shane (Dayna) and Kim (Bill) Riddell. She is greatly missed by her grandchildren, Kristen (Brian), Dale (Alex), Sarah, Lee (Kirk), Katherine and Paige; and by her six great-grandchildren - Claire, Natalie, James, Tyler, Nicholas and Amelia.
No longer one step away from heaven...
Barb's family extends its heartfelt appreciation to the nurses, doctors and staff at The Cascade Hospice in Chilliwack - and to her family physician, Dr. Jan Kroeze - for the kindness and support they provided Mom.