Maureen was born in Edmonton, months before the outbreak of World War II. As an infant the family followed her father as he was posted to various military sites in Eastern Canada. After the war ended the family returned to Edmonton and were among grandparents, uncles, and aunts all of whom had immigrated from Northern Ireland. Eventually there was a brother and sister. Her mother always lamented that she did not have the good fortune to be born in Ireland.
Her father was with the Post Office and as he rose in responsibility there were moves to Prince George and eventually Vancouver. Maureen was a keen student and graduated, with honours, from Lord Byng High School and then started studying at UBC for a nursing degree. At a Canada day church picnic in 1958, she met a young, recently graduated engineer and for him, it was love at first sight. It took another six months for her to say, “I love you “.
Maureen was married at age twenty and became a homemaker, a career she cherished for the rest of her life. She was blessed with four children, Kevin, Trevor, Laura and Jennifer. Trevor died as a small boy from leukemia, a disease now mostly curable. The children grew up and all married: Kevin’s wife Ann, Laura’s husband Jeff and Jennifer’s husband Richard. From these happy marriages came eight grandchildren, Katie, Luke, Emily, Rachel, Jemma, Benjamin, Will and Anna.
Maureen’s days were spent caring for her family and the wider community mostly centered around the church. Meals together with flowers and candles, were a part of daily life and because I worked out of the home, we had lunch together most every day. Christmas, Easter, and birthdays were well celebrated and there were times the ping pong table replaced the dining room table so that everyone could be accommodated.
Maureen was a student at the first summer schools of the fledgling Regent college and the visiting teachers and their families were welcomed to Vancouver with a meal in our home. When the college purchased two fraternity houses at UBC she was there with mops and buckets to help prepare them for college use. For many years the dining room table was the ‘board room’ for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s planning sessions for their youth camps, Pioneer Pacific, and Chehalis. Those who were part of these meetings still remember her trademark almond wafer cookies.
As the children became young adults, we had the opportunity to advise and participate in the construction and renovation of many seminaries throughout the world. We always went together; Maureen was the secret to success. In the largely patriarchal societies that we visited I could read their minds, “With a wife like this, this fellow must have something to offer”. Her gentleness, serenity and beauty created a wonderful working atmosphere.
We had the good fortune to purchase an island cottage that we completely renovated and is now part of the family heritage. As Maureen reached her sixtieth birthday, she finally acquired a horse, something she had dreamed about all her life and became, not only a good rider, but versed in horse care. Grass, hay, fences and hoof picks, you name it.
Sadly, for the last decade of her life she was in the inexorable grip of Alzheimer’s, at the end unable to walk, speak or care for herself. Throughout this ordeal there was never a word of complaint. She is now safely with her Lord, running, laughing, and caring for others.
Farewell, my love, we will be together soon.
A Funeral Service for Maureen will take place on Thursday, February 10, 2022 at St. John's Vancouver Church, 5350 Baillie St. Vancouver, BC V5Z 3M5.
Livestreaming of the Service can be viewed via Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86927358902?pwd=ak1XbmprdFBUQnRZOWszWU91VHdyUT09
Meeting ID: 869 2735 8902
Passcode: 0