Dorothy Isabel McDougall

Dorothy Isabel McDougall passed away peacefully on Monday, September 12, 2022, a life of 100 years, 5 months, and 17 days well-lived to the end. The world is a better place for having had her in it. We are, all of us, fortunate to have known and loved her.

Dorothy was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta on March 26, 1922 to Richard and Kathleen Pratt. Like her mother, Dorothy loved dogs. She stopped to pet all she met and carried dog treats in her pocket. She especially loved her dachshunds, Bambi and Boy. Dorothy grew up in Medicine Hat and learned kindness during the Depression, watching her mother feeding the men who were riding the trains to try to find work. She adored her half-brother, James, and half-sister, Eleanor.

When Dorothy was 19, she went on a blind date with a man from Quebec called Donald McDougall. He was training for the Air Force, and even though she could tell that he had false teeth, she kept going out with him. They were married on April 26, 1941. He went overseas on December 13, 1941 and returned December 26, 1944. While he was away, Dorothy worked for the CPR and dreaded, as many did at that time, the telegram that might come with bad news. Fortunately, it never came, and Dorothy worked until Donald came home. They started their civilian life in Etzikom, where Donald worked as a station agent. Etzikom was a small hamlet in southern Alberta with no running water or electricity, which was very different for both of them, as they had both lived in cities. Dorothy always forgot to put the oil in the lamps before dark and then had to fumble around to get them lit. They did have that TWO-holer outdoor toilet as well as a chemical toilet inside.

They had three children: Kath, who was born in 1945, Dawn, who was born in 1950, and Robert, who was born in 1953. They were do-it-yourself people and the house got changed many times. One time, Dorothy ordered a plastic modern living room set off of the back of the Star Weekly Magazine without telling her husband, who was quite surprised to find all of the boxes in the living room.

Dorothy was fun and vibrant, and she loved dancing, singing, and chatting. One time, the kids came home from school and Dorothy had Dawn's Beatles record playing and she was dancing to it as she was ironing. She became the telephone exchange operator for Etzikom and enjoyed talking to the people on the telephone. She was also an avid reader, and had books sent to Etzikom as it did not have a library. She set a good example for her children, who all became readers. Dorothy always kept up with the news, reading newspapers from front to back, and she fought for the things she believed in. She was an adventurer. Dorothy and Donald travelled across Canada twice and went to Europe twice. They gave their grandchildren many happy memories of camping in their trailer at Hummingbird Resort. While travelling they met many people, who Dorothy kept correspondence with. Dorothy loved clothes, quite often buying them without telling her husband, and, later, without telling Rob.

The family moved to Kelowna in 1966 to be close to Dorothy's mom and dad and they bought a house in Glenmore. They enjoyed living there very much, and, after retirement, they volunteered at the Red Cross and Dorothy volunteered at the hospital snackery. In 2005, they phoned all of their grown-up children and told them that they had been driving around and had seen a sign to come in for a free lunch and tour of a new development, which they did, and they decided to sell their house and to move into Missionwood Retirement Home, which became a home that they loved. They took part in all the events, loved the food, and Dorothy loved meeting new friends and having old friends and family over for lunch or dinner.

After staying with Rob and Jen, in June 2020 Dorothy moved into Parkview Place, which she loved, and they loved her. She had a great sense of humour and was always polite. The family would like to thank the staff at Parkview Place for their kindness and care for Dorothy.

She is dearly missed by her children, Dawn McDougall and Robert McDougall (Jennifer); her son-in-law, Richard Ehnes; grandchildren, Dianne Taylor (Jeff), Patrick Ehnes (Anne), David Ehnes (Requal), Wynn Deschner (Kevin), Jillian Ward (Aaron), and Pamela Keating (Sean); great-grandchildren, Lindsay, Jeffrey, Kyle, River, Paige, Grace, Leah, and Avery; and great-great-grandchildren, Reid, Smith, and Zoey. She was predeceased by her husband, Donald McDougall, daughter, Kathleen Ehnes, son-in-law, Tom Deschner, and great-granddaughter, Hannah Ward.

A memorial service will be held in Kelowna in a warmer and more joyful season better fitting her personality and the way she lived. The date will be announced and all who knew her are invited to attend.