Tribute

Lois Rhoda (Martin) Charlebois passed away quietly on Sunday morning July 5th, 2020. Her faith was a very important part of her life and we are grateful that she is now in peace.

Born and raised in Edmonton, she was predeceased by her parents, Mary and William, and older brother William. Lois was 12 years old when her family moved from Edmonton to Duncan. Lois graduated from Cowichan Secondary in 1952 and went to the British Columbia Normal School in Victoria the following year. Her teaching career started in Surrey and then she moved to New Westminster. Fortunately for her, a good-looking guy from Saskatchewan happened to arrive in New Westminster around the same time. Lois met Neil at a beach party in White Rock in the summer of 1957. They were married on December 28th, 1959. David, Mary and Michael arrived in the early and mid 1960s. Her teaching career resumed in Surrey in the early 1970s, first as a teacher’s aid, then as a substitute teacher and eventually as a full-time kindergarten teacher. In addition to teaching and raising her family, she spent many years going to night classes and summer school at Simon Fraser University. She earned her BA in Education from SFU in June 1982. She was very proud of this accomplishment, being the first person in her family to receive a university degree. She retired from her teaching career in 1995 and her grandson Marc arrived a few months later.

In retirement, Lois became very involved in the Catholic Women’s League (CWL). She held many positions with the organization including president of the parish CWL council, eventually becoming the diocesan president, the provincial president, and a Life Member. The CWL Life Membership meant a great deal to her, an honour she treasured in her final years.

Lois was a talented knitter, crocheter and seamstress. From socks as a youngster to full size crocheted tablecloths, quilts and comforters, she loved the challenge and satisfaction of her craft. Her hands were constantly busy, she could watch television, carry on a conversation and knit all at the same time. Lois’s version of multi-tasking before multi-tasking became trendy.

There are many fond memories of summer camping trips throughout BC, especially the “Shuswap years” which were shared with her brother’s family. She and Neil made many car trips to the Prairies to see relatives and friends. In retirement, they enjoyed several cruises and travelling in their truck and trailer.

In addition to CWL, Lois was very involved with the weekly bingo at St Bernadette, which she and Neil ran for decades and raised much needed dollars for the young and rapidly growing St Bernadette parish.

While her last few years were difficult, Lois’s faith and inner strength were never in doubt. Her family is grateful to all the staff at CareLife Fleetwood for the care she received.

A Funeral Mass in Lois’s honour is being celebrated on Tuesday afternoon, July 14th, 2020 with internment to follow at Gardens of Gethsemani. Her final resting place will be very close to Kensington Prairie Elementary School, where she started her teaching career those many years ago.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to Diabetes Canada or the Heart and Stroke Foundation would be appreciated.