Elsie May Chandler

Elsie was born in London, England on February 1st, 1919, and looked forward to celebrating her 104th birthday on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, with her many friends and surviving family members.

Elsie and husband Frank emigrated from England following WWII, with Frank’s two young children, John and Gabriel. Unfortunately their mother, Frank’s first wife, passed due to illness while still in England. Frank and Elsie met in London and were married there in 1946. The following year, the family moved to Canada. John joined the RCAF and made the military his career rising to the rank of Colonel. Gabriel married and settled in the lower mainland where she and her family remain.

By 1960, Elsie and Frank had two more children, Susan and Stephen, and they had relocated to Kelowna.

With the exception of a brief hiatus after her husbands passing, Elsie lived in Kelowna continuously for the next sixty-two years.

Unfortunately, Elsie has lost many of her friends over the past several years, but still has a wide circle of people who have enjoyed her lively spirit which belied her age. Elsie continued to live on her own until the last year, when sadly, a fall precipitated a sudden decline in her health, requiring some constant support. As a result, in January of 2022, Elsie moved into David Lloyd Jones extended care facility, where she soon became one of the staff’s favourite residents and made a new friend -Evelyn, who was a source of constant love and support to Elsie, until the day she passed.

Covid-19 restrictions dictated that she celebrate her 103rd birthday with many of her friends gathered outside the building, holding up colourful banners, and wishing her a Happy 103rd.

Similarly, a recent respiratory disease outbreak at DLJ lead to renewed visitation restrictions that prevented more friends from seeing Elsie over the past few weeks as her health declined, but she welcomed and appreciated everyone who came to visit as often as they could and did so much to make her final weeks more enjoyable.

Elsie is survived by her grandson Justin Harris and his wife Bridgette (Mexico), by her son Steve Chandler, daughter-in-law Jill and grandson Josh (Red Deer), and by her nephew Michael and his family in England.

There are too many amazing people to list here but some of my mother’s friends include Don, Keri, Barbara-Jo, Agnes, Ken and Helga. God bless each of you for the kindness and selfless way in which you cared for my mother for many years.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Interior Health and to the staff of David Lloyd Jones home for the loving care they provided to Elsie throughout her stay there.

Private memorials are planned for family members in Mexico and in Alberta, as per Elsie’s wishes.

Locally, friends are encouraged to gather at their convenience and remember Elsie in their chosen way.