Wendy Burdon McDonald CM OBC LL.D. (Hon.) D.Tech. (Hon.) (1922 - 2012) Wendy B. McDonald (nee Stoker) born June 13, 1922, peacefully passed away December 30, 2012. From her childhood days growing up and working on the family farm in North Vancouver, B.C. to her days as a leading business woman, philanthropist and community leader, Wendy displayed her value of hard work while enchanting everyone she met with her sense of adventure, caring attitude and exuberant love of life.
One of her greatest joys was her family. Married and widowed three times, Wendy had 10 children and was known as Tutu to 27 grandchildren and as Nui Tutu to 36 great-grandchildren. Wendy served over 60 years as a leader in her family-owned international industrial distribution company, BC Bearing Engineers Limited, and later as BCB Corporate Services Ltd. for Norcan Fluid Power Ltd & BC Bearing Chile SA. Under her leadership, BC Bearing was recognized with a number of awards, including Power Transmission Distributor of the Year, twice as one of the Top 50 Best-Managed Private Companies in Canada, and Canadian Association of Family Enterprise's Jaguar Achievement Award.
The Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals were presented to her in commemoration of Her Majesty's accession to the throne and in recognition of Wendy McDonald's contributions to Canada. She was appointed a member of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of British Columbia. She received the Veuve Cliquot Award of Distinction as Canadian Business Woman of the Year, a YWCA Women of Distinction award, the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Award, and was inducted into Sales and Marketing Executives International's Academy of Achievement Hall of Fame. In her devotion to the community, she served as a trustee for the Schenley Awards, University Hospital at UBC, the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame and as a director of the B.C. Paraplegic Foundation, and the CH.I.L.D. Foundation. She served as President of Bearing Specialists Association, Chair of Pacific Corridor Enterprise Council, as Chair and, later, Governor for the Vancouver Board of Trade, Chair of the Canadian Council of the Americas (B.C. Chapter), as Governor with B.C Institute of Technology, and as a Director with Sandwell Inc., Zurich Canada, Canada West Foundation among others. Between all of her family, business and community commitments, she enjoyed swimming, gardening, fishing, golf, and tennis, often at her cherished summer home in Halfmoon Bay, B.C. Her passion for soccer was huge. Having been part of the ownership team of the original NASL Vancouver Whitecaps, she continued to be a proud supporter of Vancouver soccer up to its current MLS team.
She received an Honorary Doctorate in Technology from B.C. Institute of Technology and an Honorary Doctorate in Law from Simon Fraser University. When conferring the Degree on Wendy, the Chancellor at Simon Fraser University noted "in a world where so often profit seems the sole measure of a company's worth, Wendy McDonald has proven that, even in an exceptionally competitive business, loyalty to employees and personal integrity can be and are rewarded with success, the love of her family, the respect of peers, and with the affection of community.
Hugh Morris (1932 – 2012) Father, grandfather, great-grandfather, husband, geologist, business leader, and friend of the sciences - was born in Rangoon, Burma, to Violet (nee Reynolds) and Thomas Owen Morris. As a boy, living in Wales, he loved reading, travel, music, sport and sailing, past-times that remained dear to him throughout his life. He was admired and respected by all who knew him - for his integrity and for his love of family.
Educated at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa, Hugh came to North America on a geology scholarship from the South African Chamber of Mines. Over the years, he worked for Cominco, GeomexlE&B Metals, Imperial Metals and Eldorado Gold, achieving renown as an innovator of exploration and a visionary businessman. He served on numerous boards as a director and Chairman, and in 1989, represented British Columbia at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Hugh was a life-long friend of the sciences in Canada. In addition to his memberships in the Geological Association of Canada (GAC), and numerous other scientific societies, he served for seventeen years as a member of the Canadian Geological Foundation, a charitable foundation promoting earth science-related activities. For his extraordinary service to the GAC, Hugh was honored with the Ambrose J. Willis Medal in 1993. He became a 'Distinguished Fellow' of the GAC in 1995, and a member of the Royal Society of Canada in 1997.
Hugh's contributions to the sciences encompassed service on several committees for the National Research Council of Canada and the National Research Council of the United States. He chaired both 'Lithoprobe', a major seismic research project on the earth's crust, and the Canada Global Change Program, a joint initiative of the Royal Society of Canada and Environment Canada devoted to the study and mitigation of climate change. In addition, he was Chairman of the Pacific Institute of Mathematical Sciences (PIMS), and Chair of the Board of the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS), a Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence.
Following the death of Pat, his beloved wife of 47 years, Hugh established the Kimberley Foundation, devoted to the promotion of education and the geosciences. In 2011, he endowed the lecture series in mathematical sciences that now bears his name, through PIMS and the University of British Columbia. In addition, he was an enthusiastic patron of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
Daniel Evans Pegg (1923 - 2012)
Daniel was born in Oxbow, Saskatchewan, and passed away too soon after a short battle with cancer in the Cowichan District Hospital. He had only recently moved to Duncan to be closer to his son's family, Michael, Sibylla and cherished granddaughters Alexandra and Natasha. He loved sharing their busy lives and frequently accompanied them to watch them ski at Mt. Washington. His visits often coincided with massive snowfalls to the delight of his family and friends. Dan was predeceased in 2008 by his beloved wife May of 50 years, whom he met in an underground mine in the Yukon. He was also predeceased be seven siblings: Harry, Robert, Ada (Russell), Margaret (Cameron), Helen, Marion (Goodwin) and Edgar. He is survived by his brother Douglas (Nipawin, Sask) and many, many nieces and nephews and their families across Canada. Daniel loved his career as an exploration geologist which required him to be in remote wilderness areas first in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba and also in the NW Territories and especially in the Yukon and northern BC. He started with the Hudson's Bay Mining and Smelting Co. and later worked for Noranda and finally for the BC & Yukon Chamber of Mines. He passed on his passion for the outdoors to his son and was especially proud to see his granddaughters choose to take up back packing and wilderness hiking. Dan will be missed by all his big family and close friends who experienced his desire to stay connected and to celebrate family events near and far.
Robert Lucius Roscoe (1920 - 2012) Robert Lucius (Bob) Roscoe died in Chilliwack B.C. at 92 years. He was born on 12 October 1920 in Nickelton (Sudbury), Ontario. In 1944, in Noranda, Quebec, he married Delight Strickland, who predeceased him. In 1944, Bob graduated from Queens University with a BSc. in Mining Engineering. He worked for many years for Boyles Brothers drilling company until he decided he'd had enough of labour relations. He embarked on an independent career as a mining exploration consultant characterizing himself as a "Packsack Engineer". This was an adventurous life in isolated northern Canadian mining sites. He had endless stories of hair-raising bush-pilot flights, colourful characters in the mines, and wilderness experiences. Bob was always a devoted and loving father. He is survived by sister Jeanne Sheridan and his daughters Kerry Langley, Shelley Roscoe, and Holly Roscoe. Grandchildren Talei, Joshua, Kaytlynn, Kila, Wyatt, and Christina, and great-grandchildren, Ché and Silas, all remember "Grandpa Bob" fondly. His legacy is the love and respect for the natural world he fostered in his children and grandchildren. A celebration of life will be planned for later in 2013.
Barbara Soucie (1938 - 2013)
Barbara journeyed home peacefully on January 4 after a short battle with lung cancer. She is survived by husband Al Soucie; and three children, Holly McNeil-Hay (Jeff Hay), Roland (Tracy Anderson) and Daniel (Becky). Also by seven beloved grandchildren: Shani Wendell, Tyson and Curtis McNeil-Hay; Shaelyn, Brooklyn, Jayme, and Devin Soucie; and two great-granddaughters. Barbara is also survived by her best friend, sister Gloria Hecimovic; and many other friends and family in Stewart and Terrace.
She was predeceased by two other dear sisters, Shirley and Beverley; and her parents Vera and Allan Lawrence.
Barbara was born in Vancouver but moved to the small northern mining community of Stewart, BC, at the age of 8. She stayed for a lifetime. A quintessential generous, hardworking, energetic northerner, she raised her children there and then took an enthusiastic hand in the raising of her Stewart grandchildren. She was office manager for the family’s heavy construction and deep sea port companies until a couple of months before her death.
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