Mary Alice MacDougall

When our mom, Alice (Fraser) MacDougall, was born in Brennan Creek, BC, just over a century ago, she was two months premature and weighed just one and a half pounds. Family and friends doubted that she and her twin brother, Joe, would survive. But God had a plan for His treasured child: 100 years of a life most beautifully lived.

At her passing last Friday morning, Mom left behind so many people whose lives she had touched. These include her children, Nan (Rod) Wolney, Charlie (Barbara), Rob (Terri-Lee), Tim (Claudia), Libby (Jeff) Oulton, Mary (Jake) Klaver, Joe, Pauline (Albert Balbon), 20 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren. As the last surviving member of our branches of the Fraser and MacDougall families, she was surrogate mum to many nieces and nephews who will miss her comforting presence. She also leaves behind loving friends and the hundreds of students whose lives she helped shape through her teaching career and beyond. She has now gone to be with her husband Alan, son William and so many family who went before her.

Mom was the sixth of Bill and Jane Fraser’s seven children. The Frasers moved to Chase in 1930 so the children could go to school. Mom attended Chase Primary (then Chase Superior School) until Grade 10, then finished her high school diploma by correspondence. In 1942, shortly after graduation, she was hired to teach at Monte Creek, beginning a teaching career that lasted well into her 80s. She eventually started her formal teacher training at Normal School in Victoria in 1945. She taught in Surrey then moved to Darfield, where she met Dad. They married in 1947 on Saltspring Island and settled in Clearwater. Nan came along the next year, followed swiftly by … well, see list above. The growing family lived in several North Thompson communities before moving to Brennan Creek, where Mom took up the position as the first teacher at the Brennan Creek School. As she recalled, of the 10 students in the school that first year, six of them called her either Aunty Dint or Mom.

The family came to Chase in 1959 and, shortly after, moved into Mom’s forever home, where she had first lived from 1936 to 1942 and where she spent her remaining decades. After Pauline’s birth in 1964, Mom returned to Chase Primary, this time as a teacher. She spent the next two decades there, sharing her passion for reading and writing and arithmetic (except, perhaps, geometry) with generations of learners. Mom’s official retirement in 1984 certainly didn’t mean the end of her teaching career. She volunteered with in-school reading programs and tutored children after school. She also taught adults English as a second language. At the same time, she took courses through Open Learning Institute, receiving her bachelor’s degree in 2003, at the age of 79. She continued her studies with Open Learning and with Great Courses for many years after. As late as last year, she was talking about doing her Masters degree.

In addition to family and education, Mom’s faith was the guiding star of her life. She was a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish throughout her years in Chase. She served as sacristan for decades, preparing the Church for every Mass and service, doing the linens and flowers, and overseeing everything from baptisms to weddings to funerals. She and Dad were also instrumental in building the new Blessed Sacrament at its current location. Where Mom’s faith truly came into play, however, was in the way she treated people, with kindness, understanding, generosity and humility – with, quite simply, love.

Mom loved living in Chase and actively contributed to the community. Over the years, she served with the Catholic Women’s League; she was one of the founders of the Christmas hamper program (now the food bank); she worked for many years as a volunteer at the museum; she did the history challenge for the Chase Queen Pageant. She and Dad were recognized as Citizens of the Year, which humbled her greatly, as she never sought recognition for her contributions. At home, Mom loved reading, puzzling (jigsaws, Jumbles and cryptics), playing cards and games, listening to music, knitting, and visiting with family, friends, and the former students who dropped by to see her right up to her final weeks.

They say it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to provide a precious person with the peaceful and pain-free passing Mom was able to have. We extend our sincere and loving thanks to this wonderful village and everyone who helped us keep Mom in her beloved home to the end. We would especially like to thank Dr Cornel Barnard and everyone at the Chase & District Health Centre, Lana and the staff at Chase Home and Community Care, Ellen and the staff at PharmaChoice, and a very special thanks to our honorary niece, Dr Laurren Rodgers, for her loving care, guidance and reassurance to Mom and all of us in Mom’s final weeks. Heartfelt thanks also to Shelly and Ken, Sue and our much-missed Donald, and Allan and Shane, for the kindness and care they provided Mom for so many years.

Please join us to celebrate Mom’s life at a funeral mass at Blessed Sacrament Church in Chase at 3 pm on Friday, August 23, 2024.

In lieu of flowers, we gratefully ask that you donate to your local food bank or the charity of your choice in Mom’s memory.