Doreen was born in Grand Forks, B.C. the youngest of 8 children to Fred and Rose Redding. Her family relocated to Trail, a city she loved and formed life-long relationships with still today. After graduating from J.L. Crowe Secondary School she landed her first job as a telephone company switch board operator. She soon attracted the attention of a handsome new RCMP constable relocated to Trail, Edward Malinowski - within months they were dating. Fast forward 5 years, they married and later produced 3 wonderful children. In the early years of her husband’s career, Doreen had to endure transfers across British Columbia - relocating her young family from the interior to the west coast with stays in Nelson, Coquitlam, Nanaimo and Golden. Despite the turmoil of being uprooted every few years and having to re-set her families lives in a new community, she always looked beyond what she was leaving to focus on the positive of what was new and lay ahead. It became very apparent that her inherent outgoing nature became a trademark of her personality.
In 1972, Doreen & Ed purchased Willow Beach Resort at Christina Lake establishing the most welcoming, family-friendly resort on the Lake that still to this day endures the values they built into its foundation some 50 years later. Willow Beach gave Ed the homestead he yearned for from growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan. For our mother, it gave her a new career as the ‘director of customer relations’ - meeting new people, socializing with the old timers and making sure everyone was enjoying their stay was what she did best.
Her world changed in September 1985 with the sudden passing of Ed. After 25 years of marriage, Doreen was unjustly widowed at 48. At first, she struggled – her life had been so connected with her husband and we were not sure we would ever again see that spark and zest for life she had again. With time and the support of her extended family and friends, she emerged a more confident and newly independent woman. She realized there was a whole world out to see and over the course of the next 20 years, she embarked on adventures with her ‘widow network and lady friends’ as she like to call them. In total, she traveled across 5 continents and over 20 countries – from Sydney to Paris, Bangkok to Moscow, and Istanbul to Berlin. AND how she LOVED to tell us the stories of her adventures, always with a bated breath for her next upcoming trip.
Doreen really came into her own in 2003, she decided to resettle her retirement years in West Vancouver to be closer to her children and grandchildren. Being present and part of her granddaughter’s lives was enormously important to her. She loved watching them grow and excel in all they did, whether it be learning a new dance routine or trying a new sport – she made a point of being there whether it be soccer or ballet, modern dance or ringette. Her dear friends, Fred and Elda Bodnarak, made it their mission to help her settle into her new Vancouver life as she hadn’t lived in the lower mainland for 30+ years. How she loved the city and all it had to offer – re-immersing herself with walking the seawall, taking in the annual fireworks, and reconnecting with old friends and new to play bridge or curl. Vancouver also introduced our mother to new interests – from its vast & varied ethnic restaurants, symphonies and musicals, and just a few weeks ago on her 86th birthday, she attended her 1st major league baseball game. How she loved to be entertained, wined and dined in this wonderful city. And although her life was rich with a full social agenda, she always made a point of making the time to give back – whether it be through her community or church. And she wasn’t afraid to challenge herself with new experiences too - from rolling up her sleeves serve the less fortunate in Vancouver’s lower East End soup kitchens or volunteering at West Vancouver’s Community Centre to support the needs of her fellow seniors. Doreen found the time and made it a priority in her life - it defined her as a person and gave her a purpose.
Doreen always dutifully loved attending her high school reunions to rekindle the relationships she had built with her friends over the years. In 2011 at one of these events, she reconnected with an elementary school mate, Larry Wolfe, a widower, and retired oil executive from Calgary. After a few months of exchanging notes and calls, they soon became an item. And although they never lived in the same city – Larry could not leave his beloved Calgary – they endured a most loving, new second life together as travel partners and companions to one another. We all felt sorry that Larry had to endure our mother’s fierce competitiveness when it came to cards, board games and scrabble – oh how she loved winning and relishing in its victory.
Doreen leaves behind a legacy of love & laughter and will be sadly missed by her three loving children: Leanne & John MacMaster of Vancouver, their daughters Alison of Edmonton & Kelly of Calgary; Mark & Phillip of Toronto; and her youngest son, Grant & Karen, their daughters Chloe and Stella also of Vancouver, and her partner Larry Wolfe of Calgary. In addition, the hundreds of Redding & Malinowski relatives spanning 5 generations along with her life-long friends who made her life as rich & wonderful as ever could be.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in our mother’s name to one of the many charities she loved to support:
- Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada: www.heartandstroke.ca
- Covenant House Vancouver – Youth in Need: www.covenanthousebc.org
- West Vancouver Senior’s Centre – Feed the Need Program : https://westvancouver.ca/parks-recreation/community-centres/seniors-activity-centre/feed-the-need
Funeral: Tuesday, July 26th at 10:00am, Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church, 599 Keith Road, West Vancouver, B.C.
Burial: Mountain View Cemetery, 2044 Washington Street, Rossland, B.C.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hamiltonharronfunerals.com for the Malinowski family.
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