Mrs. Doris "Doll Doll" Sylvia Pitt Crisp

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy can be shared with the family in the condolences section below.

The arrangements entrusted to the care of First Memorial Funeral Services, 1155 Fort Street, Victoria, British Columbia. V8V 3K9 Phone 250-384-5512

Our Mum, Doris Sylvia Crisp, was born on the Autumnal Equinox of September 23, 1935 in Southwark, London, England. Her mother was Caroline Eliza Pitt (nee Banks) and her father, Thomas Robert Pitt. Doris, also known affectionately as 'Doll Doll' or 'Dolly', was the youngest of twelve children, seven brothers and five sisters: Caroline Eliza 'Kitty', Thomas Robert 'Tom', Charles Richard, Henry John 'Harry', Alfred William 'Alfie', Richard 'Dick', John Edward 'Johnny', Leonard 'Lenny', Rene Florence, Florence 'Florrie', June Ellen. She had a happy family life growing up in a big family and everyone looked out for each other. She developed a love for animals and cared for cats and dogs and in her later years owned budgies.

Mum attended John Ruskin School in Camberwell, London and she said the teachers were very strict there. Mum was left-handed and whenever she went to write, the teacher would hit her knuckles hard with a ruler so that she would stop and write with her right hand. Despite this, throughout her life Mum always used her left hand to write.

When Mum was around four years old, in 1939, World War 2 broke out. London was being bombed consistently, and there were very hard times with food rationing and shortages. Mum walked to school carrying her Mickey Mouse gas mask, passing bombed-out neighbourhoods; some neighbours she knew who had lost their homes or, indeed, their lives. One time, she and her mother were caught outside during an air raid and as they ran towards a shelter a German plane was shooting down upon them. Mum's mother instinctively and protectively covered Mum under her coat, which shows their will to survive in such terrible and dire times. The war years had a big impact on Mum's childhood and it gave her a great capacity of empathy and caring towards others that went beyond her own needs.

After the war and when Mum had completed her schooling, she started working at The Institute for Electrical Engineers in London, which was located by the grand Savoy Hotel. She said that when she walked past the Hotel to work every day, the doorman would raise his hat to her. She enjoyed her time at work and met her first love, Colin, there, but it wasn't meant to be. Mum joined a netball team with some of the employees where she was goal keeper. I later found out when I was a child and we had a race, how fast a runner she really was!

Mum met our Dad, Brian, a Structural Engineer, at her sister's wedding. They were married September 8th, 1962 in a beautiful church wedding and settled into a home in the area. Mum lovingly cared for her mother who had had a stroke and was partially paralyzed and bedridden. She was very close to her mother. Mum sometimes helped and worked in her brother Dick's greengrocer shop in London. Their son, Mark, was born in 1963 in Camberwell, London and she was devoted in nursing him through an illness in infancy. After they moved to Sidcup, Kent, daughter, Gillian, was born three years later in 1966. Doris was always an attentive, loving and caring mother who was very proud of her children throughout her life. She always made a lovely, caring, inviting and warm home for us, as well as lovely cups of tea! This extended to friends and family who were always welcomed and treated to a cup of tea and a chat.

In 1970, Brian and Doris bought and moved to 'Chestnut Villa' a semi-detached, brick house on Kneller Road, complete with a stone Griffon or Dragon high on the roof in Whitton, Twickenham, Greater London to be near to Brian's work. Mum made firm, lifelong friends with her neighbours and her favourite thing to do was go to the shops on the bus in surrounding towns, Hounslow, Richmond, Twickenham and Kingston. She made our house into a lovely home for us all, enjoying family life and cooking lovely meals, baking, sewing her own clothes and Gillian's too, listening to the radio or 'wireless' as she called it or her favourite Johnny Mathis record, 'Warm', which she sang along to merrily whilst doing the ironing on a Sunday afternoon, decorating and painting rooms and gardening. She had a wonderful talent of arranging flowers and she truly loved them. She arranged the flowers for her wedding. She loved to go to dinner dances with neighbour friends and always dressed quite glamorously in long dresses for the occasion. Doris was never afraid of hard work. She also worked part-time and full-time as a receptionist and enjoyed working at The Beryl Richards Organization in the heart of Twickenham in the late Seventies until 1982. She was known for her lovely telephone voice. It was soft, yet so clear.

In 1981, the opportunity came along for Brian to work in Calgary, Canada and so, after a summer holiday in Canada, it was decided that we would emigrate to Calgary in 1982. Brian and Mark, 18, left to go there in February and Mum and Gillian, 15, stayed to sell the house and pack the furniture and possessions and followed in April. I remember sitting in the dining room on the carpet in the empty house and we had had a busy day helping the packers pack and take the last items for overseas transport. We both sat on the carpet with a well-deserved cup of tea and biscuit. Decades later, Mum would tell me that she nearly decided to stay in England at that point. Mum found it hard to leave her brothers and sisters and friends behind and she missed England very much once we had moved to Calgary. She kept in touch with so many people there, though, with phone calls and cards. She was quite brave to change her lifestyle so drastically and she got a job working at The Bank of Montreal where she worked in the Southland branch in Customer Service and then later in the Downtown office. She made friends with whom she remained in contact with throughout the rest of her life.

Mum enjoyed a few trips back to England to see family, which she really enjoyed, with family gatherings with her brothers, sisters and nieces and nephews. They all meant the world to her. She would bring us back British sweets, packets of crisps and other gifts, which gave her much joy to do.

In May 1993, Brian passed away and this is one of the many times in life when Mum was her most bravest. Despite her sorrow, she kept working and was always determined to remain independent and pay her own way. She showed so much grace and courage during that time. It was very bittersweet, as three weeks prior to Brian's death, Mum became a Grandmother to Rochelle. Mum kept going and she would look after Rochelle whilst Gillian worked and when her Grandson, Daniel, came along, she did the same. She enjoyed being a Grandmother so much. She loved and adored both Rochelle and Daniel and kept every painting and drawing they drew for her and every card. One of her favourite things to do was to take them both on the bus Downtown to the shops and for lunch. Rochelle and Daniel gave her so much happiness.

In the later years, Calgary's harsh winters were hard on Mum's mobility issues and so she moved to Sidney, British Columbia where the climate was better. She loved the big trees, flowers and rain. She met some lovely friends at Legion Manor Senior Home and then at The Cridge Seniors Centre, a beautiful brick building in Victoria, in a setting of old Gray Oak trees and beautiful gardens, which was so reminiscent of England for her. She made even more friends with residents, carers and staff alike. She was known for her beautiful, welcoming smile and beautiful skirts and clothes. One resident said that she lit up the room when she entered with her smile and demeanor. She had a beautiful way of including everyone and called everyone by their names. She was always so well-mannered and a true lady, kind, caring and trustworthy. She was a friend who many could confide in and she always showed empathy and had a wonderful sense of doing the right thing. We were told by the carers, residents and staff at The Cridge that Mum never complained about the pain she was in and was selfless when it came to reaching out to help people. That was Mum throughout her life. She showed so much courage and determination through her pain and discomfort. She will be so greatly missed for her big heart, her smile, her beautiful dress sense, her funny sense of humour, her wit, her strength and courage through difficult times, her wisdom and good judgement, her empathy and concern towards others, her voice, her graciousness. She was a true Mum in every sense of the word.

One of the things Doris enjoyed in her last year was colouring. A friend had bought her a colouring book and pencils as a gift and Mum found so much pleasure in colouring the pictures. She would describe to me on the phone what she was colouring on any particular day....a flower, a dragonfly, a butterfly....and when I saw the colouring books after she had passed, I remembered all she had described so colourfully. She truly did colour the world with kindness.

Thank you for everyone who cared for and befriended our lovely, Mum. She truly appreciated you all!

Doris loved greatly and she was greatly loved! She will be missed so very much by each and everyone of us!