Audrey Harpell (born Bonner) passed away peacefully in Sidney B.C. on April 23rd, 2024. Audrey was fighting fires from blitz bombs in England’s industrial heartland of Derby, where her father worked on engines for the Spitfire, when she met a dashing Canadian soldier, Joe Harpell. The love was deep enough to bring her to an Ontario farm after their marriage at war’s end and to keep them tightly bound for the rest of their lives on the farm, in Kingston Ontario and, in retirement, in Sidney, B.C. They loved exploring from Arizona to Alaska and across Canada in their camper van, with Saskatoon a frequent destination, and receiving visits in Sidney from their children and grandchildren.
Audrey lived to be a centenarian (1924 – 2024), to work as a farmer, medical secretary, and hospital administrator and to serve 24 years as a volunteer at Saanich Peninsula Hospital. She was the beloved mother of John and Valerie, mother-in-law to Sue and Bruce; grandmother to Stacey and Drew, Blake, Eric and Adam; great grandmother to Beth and June, Dusty, Alder, Severn, and Zephyr and great, great grandmother to Jack. She was full of love, life, intelligence, curiosity, enthusiasm, and warmth. She enjoyed her connections and correspondence with British niece Marie Slater, with Ontario niece Maureen and her spouse Mark Siegel, with John’s later companion Lin Heywood and some great friends. Literature and nature enriched her life. Joe once said ‘I saw a rainbow on my walk, but it was no good because you weren’t with me.’ All of our rainbows, full moons, perfect sentences, ice cream cones and dog tail wags will be missing something when we can no longer share them with the vibrant force that was our Audrey/ Mom/ Grandma.
Grateful thanks to Resthaven Lodge, Sidney, especially to the Maple team.
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