Mrs. Brenda Clark

(Strutt, Class)

May 3rd, 1925 - August 4th, 2019

Our beautiful mum “fell off the perch” on Sunday

evening August 4th. She was in my sisters arms at

the time. Mom would often say, “When I drop off

the perch”, or “if I was a dog, you would put me

down” and “l ‘m ready for the bone yard!” I think

she had a premonition in the last couple of years

that she may not live a lot longer. Heart failure set

in, as well as back pain. She could no longer do the

things she loved to do…all the activities at the West

Vancouver Senior Centre. She was a choir

member and an avid Rambler!

Mum loved music! She said she always had music

in her head. She loved to read. She would get

through three or four books in two weeks. And she

loved the American news! Especially with that “ass”

Trump fouling up American politics. “Happy Hour”

and the news went hand in hand…a vodka martini

in one hand and the remote in the other.

Mom was born in London England in 1925. She

had three older siblings. She always said her

childhood was idyllic. She loved her father so much

but was very wary of him at the dinner table. He

would have a wooden spoon on hand if anybody

dared to not mind their manners and then he

would give his signature cross eyed glare.

WW2 began and mum was sent to Midhurst to

attend school in the country. London was being

bombed! Little did she know that her future

husband was pi loting one of those German

Luftwaffe planes… most likely dropping bombs on

English soil! She joined the WRENS at 19. She loved

being with the young women, stockpiling bombs

on English bombers. She often talked about that time

and I think it was one of the best times of her life.

She studied physiotherapy and got her degree.

Physiotherapists were in great demand at the time

because of the polio epidemic. She and three

other girls came to Canada to ski. Medicine Hat

Alberta was their first stop but the mountains were

too far away! So one year later they moved to

Vancouver British Columbia where she worked at

George Pearson Hospital with polio victims and

then later Lions Gate Hospital.

She met our father on Hollyburn Mountain in 1952.

He was a ski instructor and a handsome one at

that. His English wasn’t perfect because he had

just moved to Canada from Germany. He zeroed in

on mum immediately! He showed up unannounced

at the girls’ doorstep on Nanton Avenue after only

a couple of ski lessons. They were married in 1955.

They had two daughters… me, Fiona and my sister

Sabrina. They were very very proud of us. And I know

we both think we had the best parents in the world!

Mum didn’t want anything special when she

“dropped off the perch” but she did say that if we

were to do something she would like her friends to

get together at the Senior Centre. So we will be

having a gathering in the Marine Room at the WV

Senior Centre on September 28th, 2019 from 2-4 pm.

We have heard some of you have already been

reminiscing so please do bring your stories to share.

Mum LOVED animals. In lieu of flowers, a small

donation to the SPCA would be nice if you wish to

give something.