Phyllis May Smith

It is with great sadness that the family of Phyllis May Smith announces her passing in the early hours of May 9th, 2024 in Kelowna, B.C. in her 92nd year. She will be lovingly remembered and dearly missed by her three children, Lorraine (Don Merkel) of Kelowna B.C., Howard (Mary Babcock) of Coquitlam B.C. and Ken (Elisa Jordan) of St. Catharines, Ont., and her four grandchildren, Sarah, Ethan, MacGregor and Ronan. She is also survived by her half-sister, Jeannine Skead of Lakefield, Ont. and many nieces, nephews and friends in Ontario and B.C. Phyllis was predeceased by her husband Kenneth Allan Smith (1991), her half-sister Beverley Bradley (2013), her half-brother Fred Small (2018), her mother Viola Larkin (nee Wittnebel) (1998) and her step-father Howard Larkin (2000).

Phyllis was born on March 23, 1932 in Toronto, Ont. to Viola Wilhelmina Small (nee Wittnebel) and Frederick Charles Stephens, their first child. The couple had another child, a brother to Phyllis, Leonard, who was born in 1934 but died of heart complications at the age of one in 1935. Her parents divorced a few years later and her father moved to California. Phyllis’ greatest regret in life was that she never had a chance to know her father.

Viola married Howard George Larkin in 1942 and he became a caring step-father to her and her older half siblings. The family loved cycling and spent many happy hours together riding their bicycles through High Park and around the Toronto area. When Phyllis was a young teenager, she along with her mother and sister, Jeannine, rode their bicycles along country roads from Toronto to Kitchener, Waterloo, a distance of about 110 kms.

After graduating school, Phyllis worked in the offices of the IT Shoe Polish Company where she made the acquaintance of a shy young man who delivered their printing items. They began dating and loved to go to the dances held at Sunnyside. Trying to save a few nickels, they preferred to walk home instead of taking the streetcar. Love bloomed during those long walks and they married on Feb. 14th, 1953 in Toronto.

Phyllis and Ken raised three children in Mississauga, Ont. and enjoyed 38 years together before he died in 1991. A few years later, Phyllis moved to St. Catharines, Ont. to be closer to her parents and sister, Beverley. After their deaths, she moved to Kelowna, B.C. to be with her daughter.

A warm, compassionate and engaging person, Phyllis quickly made new friends and enjoyed activities such as card games, reading and tried her hand at playing a digital keyboard. Desiring more independence, she moved to The Highlands Retirement Residence and was an active participant in all of the activities. Unfortunately, the creeping signs of Alzheimer's Disease began to appear precipitating her move into Long Term Care at Glenmore Lodge and then to Mountainview Complex Care where she died. We would like to thank all the people who helped care for Phyllis along her journey; Lisa, Tony and her friends at the Highlands, her support workers at Interior Health, the Senior Health and Wellness Clinic especially Dr. Spencer, and the staff at Glenmore Lodge. Special heart-felt accolades to Dr. Mackay for his dedication to his patients above and beyond, and to the staff at Mountainview for their kind and gentle care of our mother during her final days.

As per her request, Phyllis will be cremated and her ashes buried at a later date with her husband, Ken, in Mississauga, Ontario. There will be no service at this time in Kelowna. If you wish to make a donation in memory of Phyllis, the family requests they be sent to the Alzheimer Society of B.C. who were wonderful in providing information and support or your local S.P.C.A. as Mom dearly loved animals.