Dorothy Grace Brassil

She was born in Jamalpur, West Bengal, India on August 3, 1925 to Gladys Ida Rogers and John Alexander Fawcett. Sadly, her mother passed when Bunty was just one year old. We fondly remember dear her Aunt, “Granny Spratt” who stepped in and raised Bunty as if she were her own daughter.

After graduating from high school in Nagpur, Maharashtra in 1942, Bunty kicked off a life of adventure and travel by taking the journey to England in 1943. She signed up with the Woman’s Auxiliary Air Force unit where she served as a Captain in the government Code breaking and Cipher group.

Dorothy continued her education post WW2 with a secretarial course at Pittman’s College.

Then, after the end of the war in 1948, she joined throngs of Brits heading for the African sunshine land of Rhodesia. Soon after she met her sweetheart John and they married in Bulawayo on October 6, 1950.

Many wonderful years of hard work and family life unfolded. Peter was born in 1952 and Michael in 1963. This was a lovely period in her life with many lifelong friends made and adventures enjoyed. Travels included throughout the Southern Africa continent, and mail ship journeys to visit family and friends in the UK.

The next chapter begins with the departure to South Africa in 1976. After a brief spell in Petermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal, the family settled in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape in 1978. Here she found more work, travel and home building, always forging new friendships along the way.

In 1997, Dorothy and John made their last big move to North Vancouver, British Columbia. Once again, they embraced their new life with joy and enthusiasm, hosting visiting family from South Africa and UK and proudly guiding them around their new domain.

It was during this period that Dorothy flew to the Indiana, USA to meet her sister, Patricia in 2005. The two had last seen each other about 65 years previously!

Sadly, dementia affected Dorothy’s quality of life in her later years. She made the move to Evergreen House in 2017. She made the decision to be positive and did her best to be kind and cheerful, endearing herself to staff and residents alike.

Her dear husband John, also in Evergreen, passed in 2020. This was the ultimate test of Dorothy’s resolve - she passed with flying colours, opting to heal her broken heart by constant words of kindness to those around her. Dorothy showed us how to transmute grief and pain into love.

Dorothy is greatly missed by sons Peter and Michael, grandson Sean and wife Sarah, daughters-in-law Jan and Margot, sister-in-law Nora Costa, and other family members including Daphne Fawcett and Patricia Costa and their families.

Dorothy will live on through her exemplary qualities and strengths. She was well read, open minded, organised and courageous. She knew when to be patient and when to act. She was kind but firm and assertive when she needed to be. She spoke the truth without hesitation. She perfected the art of maintaining tight connections with family and friends throughout her life; Dorothy was a great communicator via pen and paper, telephone and email. No Christmas card or ‘thank you’ note was ever missed being sent on time under her watch. Heaven will be way better organised by now..........tea times will be punctual.

The family would like to thank the excellent teams at Evergreen House, Lions Gate Hospital, and her doctors, ministers, the kind people at Dignity Memorial, her friends and everyone who shared in and added to her positive life experience.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a charity of your choice in memory of Dorothy.