Alice was born in Vancouver and moved to the Prairies when she was a young girl. She lost her father at a young age and was raised by a single mother during the Depression. Mom was a devoted student who regularly made the honor roll with straight A’s and excelled at Art. In those days bright women did not have doors opened for them. Alice eventually joined Siemen Brothers, the Winnipeg headquarters of a communication company, as a stenographer. In the late 1940’s a handsome Englishman arrived to work there on a two year contract. He never returned to live in SW England. In 1950, Alan Broadley married Alice Kumin. They resided in Winnipeg, then the Okanagan, back to Winnipeg where their three children were born and finally moved to Vancouver in 1963.
Alice loved to draw, play bridge, bowl, garden and dance. She was successful in achieving the 300 pin in Bowling. Alice was a competitive square dancer in Winnipeg and continued her love of dance in Vancouver with ballroom dance lessons. She was also a partner to her husband in many of his ambitious projects. Alan and Alice would load up split granite rock into the trunk of the Jaguar MK10 and then build skookum rock walls at their homes in North Vancouver.
The rock wall building continued when they built their waterfront retirement home in Garden Bay, Pender Harbour. Alice liked to plant things amongst the boulders in the front yard and along the driveway. She was even grew a 3’ grapefruit tree from a pit! She was a wonderful baker and always had at least three cookie tins full at any given time. Like many homemakers of her day she was adept with the sewing machine and darning needle. Not content to just stay home with the children she took a part-time job at Oreck’s variety store on Lonsdale and later became an inventory clerk for Carlton Cards. She enjoyed the bus travel over town to visit her trap line of drug stores. God forbid if you ever gave her a card that wasn’t a Carlton.
Alice suffered from dementia in her later years and was lovingly cared for by her husband until his death in 2014. For the most part she recognized her children when they visited Inglewood Care Centre which was a blessing. She is survived by her three children Pamela (Gary), Patricia (Hans), Grant (Margaret). She also leaves behind five grandchildren – Ian, Karyn, Vanessa, Byron and Kate. She was a great grandmother as well to Brandon, Aubrey, Matthew, Madison and Layla. Her great grandchildren did not get the chance to know Grannie but her children will keep the stories alive. Her memory will always be in our hearts.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MeM.com for the BROADLEY family.
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