Elizabeth was born in 1934 to Edith Mathilda Katherine and Frederick Thompson in Calgary. Also referred to by her friends and family as Betty, Beth or Liz, she was by all accounts a strong and intelligent child who loved school and sports. Pat Atkinson was her lifelong friend from grade 2 who she adored and who she spoke often on the phone with her entire life. She had many friends, from many social circles, too numerous to list. Some of the friends that she kept in contact with the longest were Loretta Pallot, Deloris Seifert and Virginia Wong. She loved sports from a very young age when she avidly played softball, basketball and track and field. As she became an adult she played tennis, badminton and both skied in winter and water skied in summer. She wanted to be a PE teacher but unfortunately, had to quit school to work as many did.
Elizabeth loved her family very much. She often spoke proudly of her oldest brother Frank who left home quite young to join the US military. He had several children, Frank Jr., Carolyn and Mark who kept in contact with Elizabeth right up to her final years. She was very close with older brother Gordon who retired from the Canadian Air Force. Gordon would visit Elizabeth quite often from his many adventures abroad from being station in the artic, Europe and the United States. As Elizabeth’s dementia advanced, Gordon was the one whom she often asked for and was very glad to see. The nurses were always relieved when Gordon came to visit because they knew Elizabeth was going to be happy. Elizabeth loved her sister Jo Anne. They moved to Vancouver together and both had one child. Elizabeth had Shelley and Jo Anne had Peter. Elizabeth would say that Peter was the cutest little boy and that she was so proud of what he accomplished in his life. Jo Anne often wrote Elizabeth during her year long trip to Europe but they shared many other things as well. Discussing suiters and potential husbands was a theme in a few letters and Jo Anne would later join Elizabeth in Europe. When Jo Anne’s husband Bill passed away, she and Elizabeth would spend many hours on the phone and time together.
Working as a clerk for CN, Alltrans and other companies was how Elizabeth made her living but it was not the career she wanted. CN was important in Elizabeth’s life because it was where she met her husband Edward (Ted) Ball. They had a world wind romance and were married only after a few years of courtship. Ted was the youngest in his family and was very charming. They like to have fun together. They were quite different people but as they say, opposites attract. Elizabeth looked after the home and Ted did the shopping and cooking, which was good because Elizabeth was very fond of microwaving. Elizabeth and Ted’s home was the place that most the Ball relatives came together the most often: June, Evelyn, Gerry, Billy, Teresa, Ann, Sue, Michael and Angie. They would bring bottles and smokes and Elizabeth and Ted would host. They made incredible meals, always had dessert and talked, laughed and debated until the wee hours of the night. The one relative that Ted and Elizabeth visited frequently in summer was that of Ted’s brother Al and his wife Marg. They were fond of the hospitality and the pool. It was a tough few years for Elizabeth when Ted passed away in 2008 after 42 years together. She honored his wishes with no funeral or fuss and having his ashes spread in the Indian Arm to join his brother Bernard and sister-in-law Helen.
Elizabeth had many adventures. She would often recall her trip to Europe, which was quite adventurous traveling as a single young woman in countries where she did not speak the language. Crossing the Atlantic on a ship must have been, in itself, quite memorable. She visited the birth places of her parents in Denmark and England but also toured France and Italy. There was the trip to Puerto Vallarta when Frank invited her and Shelley to stay with them in a hillside villa with a pool and a cook. There were many stories of the great view, food and lime margaritas. They would pass their time in conversation and playing cards. Elizabeth had adventures around home as well, Expos 86 in Vancouver was a highlight year. She loved the many pavilions and exhibits and would attend as much as she could. She played tour guide to all the family and friends who visited. It was hard to keep up with Elizabeth because she seemed to be able to walk forever. It was interesting attending with her though because she somehow always found a shorter line or a way to bypass the line that might make one blush. She was unapologetically feisty.
Painting was probably the activity that brought Elizabeth the most joy, which she started early in life attending the Emily Carr Art Institute and continued even when she had dementia. She painted in every medium: watercolor, acrylics, oils, charcoal and pencil. She did landscapes mainly and some portraits. She held a number of community arts shows and had inquiries about her paintings but she never wanted to part with any except as gifts. In the last few years, it was quite wonderous that Elizabeth would say that she didn’t know how to paint, due to her dementia, but as soon as a brush was in her hand, she would immediately paint with professional strokes. Even more amazing is that she would paint an image only from her memory.
Shelley was Elizabeth’s pride and joy. From the minute she was born in 1966, Elizabeth would dote on her every need. She would help Shelley with her homework all the way through school and every decision in her life. When it was time to choose a career, Elizabeth would do the research and present good options. She wanted Shelley to have the educational opportunities that she did not and the income to be independent. They were best friends and did almost everything together. Expos 86, Skate Canada, concerts, the Olympics, art shows and the PNE were just a few of the experiences they shared. They loved to travel together as well from cruises to summer and winter holidays. Elizabeth really enjoyed herself when there was a hot tub. The last cruise they took together a few years ago, Elizabeth would show off her table tennis skills and surprise everyone that was she still better than most a quarter her age.
When Shelley married Darrell, Elizabeth would soon begin a new chapter of her life as a grandmother, which she seemed to love more than any other. She doted on her grandsons Jeremy and Evan making them always feel special. They would say that the days and nights they spent at their grandma Ball’s were cherished. They would watch programs just for them, eat cake at night and go to playgrounds. Elizabeth and Ted used to take the boys to Walley’s burger for an extra special treat, which they still talk about. Elizabeth was also very generous to her grandsons with excessive presents every birthday and Christmas and also a big cheque. They were very lucky.
In addition to all the interesting things that Elizabeth did, she was a very interesting and determined person who did things her way and who did her best to live an interesting life. There was one spring in 2011 when the family was away and Elizabeth had a stay vacation with Gordon. Upon return, it was discovered that there was a new car in the garage. The 2003 Mazda protégé had been traded in for a supped up Mazda 2 with low profile tires, a whale tail spoiler and a noisy exhaust. Not exactly what you might picture a 75 yr old grandmother to drive but that was just one way that Elizabeth defied convention. That little sports car was given to her grandson in 2018 who was elated to receive it. Just another example of her love. We will all miss her everyday greatly.
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