Lorna May Shaw

It is with great sadness we announce that Lorna May Shaw (nee Craigie) has passed away peacefully in the early morning of Wednesday, February 21, 2024. Mom is survived by her devoted and loving husband Brian, daughters and sons in law Corinne, Philip, Kelly and Jason, grandchildren Andrew, Sarah, Nicholas and Jenna, sisters Mary and Kathleen and many loved nieces and nephews.

Mom was a beautiful, intelligent, loving person whose life was filled with love and family. Through her passions of reading, gardening and family she created a beautiful home that she hosted and shared with all the family that holds so many happy memories. Born on December 6, 1942 to Hugh and Stella Craigie in Wetaskiwin, Alberta she was the first girl born into a family of three older brothers Bruce, Hughie, and Dennis. A few years later her best friends for life would come along with the birth of her three much loved sisters Mary, Kathleen and Barbara. Her brothers and sisters were one of the most important parts of her life . Whenever they were all together hilarious stories of the old days would be told and there was always so much love and laughter when they were together. Mom’s hilarious and loving stories of family and the past will live on in our hearts and will help us to hold onto our family memories.

Mom moved to Delta, BC at the age of 12 and fell in love with the ‘best’ coast amazed at the beauty and plant life after living in the prairies. After graduation she moved to Victoria and began working for the province in the department of motor vehicles before working for the federal government at the naval base Esquimalt where she was an executive assistant to the admiralty’s office and the navigation and direction school. While living in Esquimalt and working at the ND school mom met the love of her life and best friend sailor Brian Shaw when a mutual friend introduced them. In November 1965 they married and began their wonderful life together. She and Brian were blessed with two daughters that she raised with so much love, warmth and strength . She was so supportive and encouraging in all their endeavours, but the most loving and supportive role was when she became the best grandma/nana in the world. She loved her grandchildren so much and couldn’t wait to be with them whenever she could. They adored her and will miss her so much .

Her family was always her most important part of her life and her passions and hobbies reflected that. As an avid reader and lover of books her home was filled with books and she instilled a love of reading in her children and grandchildren through fondly remembered trips to libraries or bookstores and volunteering in her children's school library. Gardening was another passion and when she and Brian moved into the home that they would build and that would hold so many happy family memories for over forty years, her love of gardening grew as they planned and created a paradise over the decades. Their beautiful home and garden would hold many family picnics, Christmas parties , birthdays and showers. She created such a beautiful home, where there was always a pot of coffee on, filled with stories, laughter and love. One of

her many legacies to all of us will be cherished memories of happy times spent with family. While not a fan of flying Mom became a bit of a frequent cross country traveller starting with trips across Canada to watch her talented daughter play in Softball championships. Later trips would have Mom getting all the way out to PEI, Nova Scotia and Ontario to spend precious time with her grand children. Her furthest trip was to Orkney, Scotland with her husband and sister Kathleen to visit her father’s family and see his home .

While the last few years have been heartbreaking and stole parts of Mom away from us we will always be grateful for the time we got to be with her while she lived at the Lodge, where she became known for her loving pats on the arms and shoulders of her neighbours, dancing with the nurses in the hallway and going for long walks.

There are no words to express how much we will miss her and the huge loss we have experienced to our whole family. But we find comfort in knowing she is with her mom and dad, brothers and sister in heaven . A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s society or the Salvation Army Lodge, Victoria BC.