Ann Bracey Whitehead

After a 10 month ordeal with a brain tumour, Ann passed away suddenly but peacefully in the North Shore Hospice with her husband Graham at her side. Ann adored her loving family - husband Graham, sons David (Kate), Paul (Judy), Stuart (Liane); daughter Vanessa (Klay); grandchildren Eli, Sophie, Gage, Marcus, Miranda, Daisy, Darner; brother and sister in law Lionel and Mary; many cousins, nephews, nieces; and friends galore.

Born in the UK, Ann grew up in Bournville attending Cadbury’s (yes, chocolate) school and in spite of being deaf from age 4-12 she gained a scholarship to attend the prestigious King Edwards High School for girls. Ann’s family loved to camp and dance and it was through folk dancing that she met her love in life Graham, and with him, her other love, sailing. She married Graham in 1963 and became a mother with the birth of David in 1966 and grandmother in 2000.

Herding 4 children onto a plane, Ann emigrated in 1975 to join Graham in their new life in Canada. First to Burlington and then settling in Bolton, Ontario in 1978. During her 27 years in Ontario she enjoyed many camping adventures with the family, especially at Killbear provincial park and boating in her beloved Georgian Bay. Baking bread at anchor was always sure to make new friends.

In her early working life, Ann was a laboratory technician where her meticulous nature and patience were essential to many studies: medical diagnosis, mathematical scatter modeling, long term medical studies, atomic particle collision analysis, geological sampling and more. Balancing work and family, Ann studied part time over many years, proudly earning her BA degree in Science, Technology & Society from York University in 1983 and her Associate Standards Professional (AStd) credential from the US Standards Engineering Society in 2009.

Ann truly came into her own with the founding of husband Graham’s robotics engineering firm Vadeko International. For 15 years, Ann’s efforts to build the team, to market the firm and to develop the connections needed to grow the firm enabled her talent and passion for community building to shine through.

Ann’s talent for connecting people and helping them overcome difference and find mutual interest continued throughout her working life. She spent 7 years as President of the Mississauga Technology Association, building Mississauga as a tech hub. As “Technology Connections” she worked with the National Research Council, Canadian Technology Network program to connect firms across Ontario and Canada. She and Graham co-founded and grew NASPO International from a loose network of security printers into an international body able to establish, maintain and certify to security, fraud and identity related ISO and American (ANSI) Standards.

Always early to laugh and late to frown, Ann’s gift was an ability to establish trust, bridge divides and build communities and she was generous in sharing that gift to the benefit of many a group of businesses, families and friends.

In 2002 she and Graham followed their children and grandchildren to British Columbia and made West Vancouver their new home. Here Ann continued her love of camping and boating but mostly she continued to make friends and take every opportunity to gather, celebrate and enjoy adventures with her family.

A member of the Murphy’s Rovers walking group, Ann was an avid sailor, camper, walker, scrapbooker, home decorator/renovator, gardener, family event organizer, and traveler.

A celebration of her remarkable life will take place at 2:00pm on June 10th at Sutherland Church 630 19th St. E. North Vancouver, BC.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations being made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or any Family oriented charity.

Arrangements under the direction of First Memorial Funeral Services, North Vancouver, BC.