Mrs. Vera (Peggy) Ethel Huzy

Peggy’s life had many challenges but keeping family close was very important. She was a foster child who was taken in by the Smithers family in 1945. She grew close to them including the sister she now had but always felt the loss of her foster father a few years later.

My mom did not finish high school as she met my father and fell in love and was married when she was only 17. For the next several years, my dad worked as a logger and they lived wherever he worked throughout British Columbia.

During this time, she spent a lot of time on her own and to occupy herself she taught herself how to crochet and knit. She has shared doilies, table cloths, sweaters, baby outfits and Barbie clothes with friends and family over the years. Including a blanket she crocheted for me when I was young that my daughter now has. This is something she enjoyed up to the last days of her life.

My mom and dad tried very hard to have children. While my mom was not able to carry a child she very much wanted a child or two. Fortunately for me, they decided to adopt. I was brought to them in 1966 and my brother in 1967. My mom would tell me it was a very challenging time with two young children and a husband but that she was happy to finally have children. I always knew I was adopted but my mom made me feel as if she gave birth to me.

She met two people during this time who would be come life long friends, Betty Carlson (Harris) and Meredith White. Meredith and mom had lost touch when I was young but reconnected when mom took a chance and called a listing in the phone book. They have stayed in touch since then. Much of the same with Betty, while they would loose touch, they always seemed to find each other. The families and children got to know each other and I considered them cousins. As we got older we have grown apart but my mom still remained in touch and provided updates on our lives and always considered them her dear friends.

When my mom and dad divorced my mom worked very hard and sacrificed a lot for my brother and me. We moved to northern British Columbia and she obtained her GED, which she was very proud of. She proved that with hard work and determination you can get the things that you need. We did not have a lot growing up but she always made us feel important and loved. Christmas was always difficult but by saving what little money we had and my mom going without things (I did not know this until I was older) she always provided a wonderful Christmas morning for us. My father was not apart of our lives so mom always felt that she had to make up for this.

During this time, my brother had many troubles growing up and when he was a young teenager my mother sought help for him and he lived outside of our home. This was very difficult for everyone but my mom loved him very much and had much regret and guilt in the outcome of my brother’s life.

After I was married my husband and I welcomed our daughter, Kasandra. This was a new and happy beginning for my mom. Being a grandmother was something she always wanted to be and had hoped she would be alive to participate in.

On the day our daughter was born, she travelled by the transit bus for several hours to be there when Kasandra was born. When she held her I had never seen the look of peace and pride on my mom’s face before. When mom would spend time with her granddaughter, I saw aside of my mom that I had not seen in a long time. She would make funny faces, sing her songs and let her do things and be as messy as her granddaughter wanted to do or be. Kasandra and mom (to be known as Nana) became close and mom would do anything she could to spend time with Kasandra. She would travel by bus for two hours to babysit her each week day so I could return to work.

In 1994 my family was relocated to Toronto. This was a very difficult and emotional time for my mom. She missed her family and her granddaughter even more. She would call often and send things that she had made to Kasandra and even came to visit, her first cross country flight, for a couple of months.

It was during this time that she met her husband, Pat Huzy. The following is written by him.

“I met Peg in November 1995 in Maple Ridge B.C. We went out on a couple of dates; we both did not want to get married but just wanted friendship. However, on February 14, 1996 I asked Peg if she would be my wife, she said yes which made me very happy. Peg always talked about her daughter and her family especially her granddaughter. So I got to meet her granddaughter Kasandra in late July of 1996 just before her 6th birthday. In early August I met Kasandra’s parents Lisa and Theo Torrance.

On August 17, 1996 Peg and I were married, and I joined a great family. For the next few months Peg and I loved to go down to my friends cabin near Mount Baker in the USA. Peg was at peace when we were there. But like all good things it had to come to an end as my friend sold the cabin in November 1996.

In early January 1997 Lisa and Theo invited us to live with them. This really got Peg excited, because we would be with the people she really loved. So in April of the same year we, with Peg’s cat Charger, packed up a truck and my car with everything and left BC for Pickering, Ontario. We arrived about a week later. Lisa and Theo made me feel like I was always part of their family.

On July 05, 1997 our second grandchild, Nicklas was born. When Peg held him you could see the joy in her heart through her eyes. From that day Peg tried to spread her love all around, she had lots to give. One thing Peg liked to do was to work in the garden or bake something with the grandkids. We went every where with the kids. One place the kids and Peg loved to go was the Oshawa Zoo.

In the year 2000 I thought I was going to loose Peg. She got sick and Toronto Hospital had to sedate her for a week, of course she pulled out of it. Peg did not seem herself for a long time. With the family and especially the two grandkids Peg started to feel like her old self.

In 2002, Theo was offered a great job in Texas. They talked to Peg and I about it and we both told them that they have to do what was best for their family. So Theo took the job in Texas and Lisa and the kids followed a couple months later.

Peg and I with our cat Charger loaded up a truck and my car and moved back to BC. I got a job working in a Casino. Peg looked happy but I could tell that she was missing the kids especially the grandkids. So late November we went to visit Lisa, Theo and the two grandkids in Texas. Peg was very happy for the two weeks, sadly we had to leave and come back home.

In May of 2005 my job moved to a new site and in July we moved to Langley, Peg enjoyed the new apartment. The family came to visit and eventually the grandkids would visit on their own for a couple of weeks before her daughter and husband came. Peg would look forward to it and would be sad after they left.

Then on November 1, 2006 Peg went into the Royal Columbian Hospital for a bypass in her upper left leg. Her operation was scheduled for November 11, but she had an ultra sound done and she had an emergency operation to have her small bowel removed. She was not expected to survive after the surgery but she did. After all that the circulation in her leg was very poor, gangrene had set in her left foot. On November 17 she had a bypass done to try and save as much of her leg that they could. Peg lost her leg 4 inches below the knee. She was in the hospital until January 28, 2007.

In July 2006 Peg had her first appointment to be fitted with her artificial leg. On the drive there Peg was very nervous but excited at the same time. On the next appointment they had her standing up on her new leg. I could see the tears in her eyes which were happy tears. Peg tried very hard to be able to walk without help and to have her grandchildren see her accomplish this.

This was another thing that I loved about Peggy, she did not know how to give up on anything.

For that year and the years to come she was in the hospital more then out. In January 2008 Peg had heart failure and had a triple bypass in February 2008.

“I will sorely miss Peg she was my every breath in life, love you babe.” Your husband Pat.

During all of this, my mom had a strong will to live and spent a lot of quality time with her grandchildren. We visited Vancouver often and spent time with her at home and it seems we spent a lot of time at the hospital entertaining her.

When she lost her foot my son Nicklas was playing around with the rubber gloves that were kept in her room. Using a rubber glove he pretended to be a rooster, he made Nana laugh so hard that she had tears streaming down her face. Even though she was facing a life changing moment she would focus on her family and enjoy each moment to the fullest.

In February 2009 she and Pat travelled by plane to Atlanta to spend three weeks with us. Her granddaughter Kasandra was able to spend a week with us during this time. She was so excited to see as much as possible and even travelled to Tennessee for the day. She played Nerf guns with her grandson even though she was in a wheel chair and would spend time talking with Kasandra about what was going on in her life. She liked to help with dinner and any regular house chores. She loved to wave goodbye to Nicklas in the morning when he caught the bus to school and was there waiting when he got home in the afternoon.

We took mom to the Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta. It has many viewing areas where you can feel apart of the fish exhibits and interactive areas where you are able to touch the exhibits. We entered one of the first main attractions where you enter a clear tunnel and the fish swim over you as if you were swimming in the water. Mom was overwhelmed. At the end of the tunnel you can enter a cave like viewing area with a large clear bubble window. We stood there a few minutes watching the fish and I looked down at mom (she was in her wheelchair) to ask her what she thought. She was crying. She said that this was one of the most beautiful things she had seen and it felt like she was swimming with them.

Through the rest of the aquarium she would go through the kids crawl areas (she could do this as she was in her wheelchair) with Nicklas and Kasandra and at the end of the tour we stopped at an interactive station where you can touch the stingrays. As soon as mom put her two fingers in the water several of the stingrays came over to her and were very playful with her. Mom looked young at that moment and the smile stayed on her face for a very long time. It was magical for all of us.

She was making plans with her granddaughter Kasandra to visit them in Langley during this summer and was hoping to see Nicklas her grandson play football in the fall.

For the past year and a half I phoned my mom at 2:00 pm at least 5 days of the week to see how she was doing and talk about whatever came up. If I was late she would tell me that she was sitting by the phone waiting, I thought she was teasing me. She wasn’t, I found out that she looked forward and would wait for my call. At the end of every call I would tell her that I loved her and would call her tomorrow. She would respond by saying I love you too and look forward to tomorrow. These calls were very special to us.

I believe my mom did look forward to tomorrow and this attitude helped her throughout her life and these past few years. She had a strong will to live and defied many medical odds these past years by living life and taking enjoyment out of the simplest things life had to offer and in some cases defying the predictions of her doctors. She encouraged us to live life and enjoy ourselves in the same way.

She was very open about how much her grandchildren, Kasandra and Nicklas meant to her. She loved her grandchildren unconditionally and was always interested in everything they were doing.

We all miss her so much already but she will always be apart of each us and many of the memories and conversations we have of/with her will continue to be shared.

“Love you mom and call you tomorrow…….” Your daughter Lisa

Arrangements under the direction of Henderson's Langley Funeral Home, Langley, BC.