She will be profoundly missed by Alex her husband of 31 years, her son Michael (Megan) of Montreal, her daughter Meredith (Nathan) of Burnaby, and her step-daughter Jennifer of Peterborough Ontario. Cherished by her siblings Jen Purchase (Derek, deceased), Graham (Moira), Alan (Cathy), and Alex’s siblings David (Elizabeth), Colin (Susan), and Ingrid Nolan (Michael), as well as numerous adoring nieces, nephews, grand nieces, grand nephews, and cousins.
Born to William Edwin (Ted) Nixon, and Sybil Nancy Nixon in Johannesburg South Africa, Gillie immigrated with family in 1952 to Pemberton Heights in North Vancouver. After graduating from Carson Graham Secondary School in 1969, she began work with various organizations including The Department of Public Works and different architects associated with Arthur Erikson’s firm. At age 20, Gillie set sail around the world on P&O’s Canberra, stopping for seven months in South Africa to get to know her extended family. Over the next several years she sailed with close friends in Denmark, the North Atlantic, and in coastal waters around BC.
In her late 20’s Gillie flew internationally with Wardair as a flight attendant and eventually as an In-flight Service Manager. During this time, she married and settled in Peterborough Ontario and then briefly in Oakville. Gillie loved the family cottage, known as “Birdwood” near Parry Sound, and she spent quality family time at that retreat as much as possible. It was her healing place where she recovered from breast cancer treatments in 1999.
In 2000, the family moved to North Vancouver, and Gillie was able to be close to her beloved Sybil and Ted throughout their final years. She was a proud member of the Abreast in a Boat dragon boat team of Deep Cove and a fierce promoter and fund raiser for various cancer agencies. For each of the past 18 years, the family spent a week-long holiday at the Alders Beach Resort on Vancouver Island during the height of summer. Endless fun and frequent “happy hours” were shared with the amazing “Alders family” of North Shore friends, all of whom booked the same holiday week each year. In 2015, Gillie finished her career as an administrative assistant with the North Vancouver Board of Education.
Gillie was the “supreme networker,” befriending people both around the world and locally, making each person feel uniquely important and loved. In recent years, she embraced the power of social media to reconnect with old friends. She will be missed by many.
The most important part of Gillie’s life was her family, upon whom she bestowed unstinting love and guidance. After raising her children and seeing them launched, Gillie and Alex left the North Shore and built a retirement home in Sechelt on BC’s “Sunshine Coast”. She loved Sechelt and quickly made many new friends. For over three years she found peace and tranquility looking out over the Salish Sea from their new home. It was a special place and so well-suited for her end of life.
A special thanks to her outstanding GP, Dr. Charlotte Philippson, the amazingly caring surgeon Dr. Andrew Buczkowski, her empathetically supportive oncologist Dr. Sasha Smiljanic, the staff at the Klimo Oncology Clinic at Lions Gate Hospital, the ER staff, the lab team, and the nurses on the second floor at Sechelt Hospital – all of whom prove that “the best medicine is local”.
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