Margaret "Holly" Olivia Martin

She was born in Red Deer, Alberta on October 16th, 1916 to Clarence and Mary Alice Hamilton. She grew up in Red Deer where she met and married husband, William (Bill) Martin who pre-deceased her in 1990. During their marriage, they spent many years in Red Deer, Calgary, Vernon, and North Vancouver with Holly finally settling back in Vernon in 2010.

Holly was an avid seamstress; often telling her children that she never bought a dress in her life. She kept sewing and knitting well into her nineties creating wonderful gifts for her family. In her younger years, she spent a good deal of time volunteering for the Girl Guides of Canada and was a dedicated member of her church Guild.

She was a child of the depression and wasted nothing. This benefitted her children as she always seemed to have that thing that was needed, somewhere in her basement. Holly was moderate in all things except perhaps her consumption of chocolate.

She loosened the purse-strings later in life and began travelling in her seventies; going to Hawaii, New Zealand, Fiji, Europe, and finally New York (at 92!). She even camped her way to California with family.

She put her husband and family first and lived life with patience and a sense of humour. To the end she seemed to always have a joke. “I’m getting old, you know” “I’m almost over the hill.” She stayed young until she couldn’t anymore; driving her coveted Saturn until she was 94. “I have to drive the old ladies to church.” (The old ladies were younger than she was.) Holly never lost interest in life; always wanting to know what was going on in everyone’s life and in the world.

Holly will be greatly missed by her daughters and their husbands, Dale and Laurance Donovan and Jane and Keith Morrill; grandchildren Natalie Morrill, Andre Morrill (wife, Hannah), and David Donovan, and great grand-daughter, Penelope.

The family would like to thank the dedicated and loving caregivers from Kimberlee Care who made their mother’s life so comfortable. Also, the family would like to thank Canterbury Court and their staff for providing their mother with a home that truly made her happy. A special thank you to her friends Billie, Pat, Norah, Kay and Jean from Canterbury Court, and to her artist friend Jo-Ann.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Vernon Food Bank would be greatly appreciated.