Elizabeth Anne Brown

She was born to the late Raleigh and Hazel Marshall, on April 18th, 1934, in Middleton Nova Scotia. She attended school in Bridgetown and started her first job as a bank teller for the Bank of Nova Scotia.

She met Roy James Brown, a navy seaman and they were married on Oct 31, 1952. They moved to Saskatchewan where they were blessed with 6 children, 5 daughters and finally a son. Bette taught her life’s lessons to her children instilling great family values with a kindness and caring that built the foundation of a very close knit family not often found in families of this size and was highly respected and loved unconditionally by everyone.. She always put her family first and dedicated her time and love to raising her family that provided a life full of adventure and memories that will be cherished forever.

Bette and Roy beat the odds as survivors of a plane crash in a single engine Cesna in 1966 but endured being lost in the mountains in winter for 11 days before being rescued. They were both on the TV show, “Front Page Challenge” as survivors of this plane crash. This changed the course of their lives forever and they decided to buy a farm and relocate to Surrey British Columbia in 1967.

Bette became active in the community and taught Sunday school which was one of her fondest memories. Bette filled their farm with animals of every sort and engaged her children to become active in so many functions including girl guides, brownies, music lessons, sports, play days with horses, 4-H cattle, equestrian jumping, and provided her children with the most incredible and memorable childhood anyone could ever ask for.

Bette was an entrepreneur, opening her own BB Video Store in Cache Creek and Cloverdale for many years. She had a sweater party and ice cream bike sales business as well.

She was selfless, strong willed, never complained about anything, with a unique spirit and was always there when she was needed providing guidance, support, love and friendship to us all.

In her earlier years she and Roy were fortunate to have been able to travel to many places in the world and they both shared a love of dancing and music, her favourite being the tunes of the 40’s. Bette loved her team sports such as golfing, curling, bowling, and hockey. She loved the Blue Jays and wouldn’t miss a game. Bette enjoyed going to auctions and yard sales to find special treasures and collected coins, antiques and more dish sets than you could imagine. Her favourite theme was frogs and she compiled a unique collection of them which will remain with us in her loving memory.

She was very intelligent and loved her crossword puzzles, word games, news, CNN and crime shows and challenged herself continually. She was always the one to go to when you needed help or advice but remained encouraging, neutral and caring……no matter what.

Bette was an avid gardener and loved planting her flower beds and vegetable garden every year. If you ever needed to know anything about gardening, she was the Encyclopedia Brittanica. She also loved sitting for hours watching the squirrels and birds as they enjoyed her many bird feeders and peanuts. It is for certain that even the animals she fed for years will all miss her generosity.

Bette loved a good bargain and taught her kids that thrift stores could be fun and was always up for a weekend away at the casino with her kids. Lots of laughs and great memories were made over the course of her life and Bette was always the glue to keep the family together.

Bette is survived by her loving husband Roy (90), Sister Tara and brother Fred (Diane) , her four children: Diane Gillespie (Gord) of Abbottsford, Laura Sampson (Ralph), Pam Welch and Brian Brown (Jane) of Langley, grandchildren Kimberly, Bradley, Bryan, Daryl, Trevor, Carrie, Christine, Holly, Danielle, Lacey, Ashley, Sydney, Michelle, 22 great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and many close friends. She is pre-deceased by her daughters Ajah and Shelley.

Bette remained a devoted, loyal and loving wife for 68 years right up to her passing but her appreciation of life was passed on to all her children and she was immensely proud of her family and their successes throughout life. Her most cherished moments were family gatherings and celebrations.

Bette leaves behind nothing but beautiful memories and a life well lived.

She will be so deeply missed by everyone but her smile and sparkle will shine in our hearts forever.

The family will be holding a private “Celebration of Life” service to honour Bette on Saturday July 10th, 2021.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the BC Cancer Society or a Charity of your choosing.