Nécrologie
Hilda Bowley
1919-2020
«Sweetness of a Lamb, Courage of a Lion»
On Monday, February 24, we lost our Mum, Gram and Great-grandma. She was just over a hundred, and for all but the last month or two, always in good health and independent in spirit. All four foot eleven inches of her.
The daughter of a prosperous Liverpool merchant, her childhood was a privileged one, with private schools and long vacations in her mother’s ancestral Wales. Foreshadowing the life she was to lead, it was always Hilda who was the first to dive off the sea ledge, rescue an errant football from a gated estate, lead the charge in field hockey, or break up a dog fight. To her last day she had scars to testify to these things.
When war broke out, she served her country in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (the “WAAFs”). It was at a service dance that she met a handsome young Canadian soldier and her life changed forever.
The Ontario farm which became home in 1946 had few amenities– heated by the kitchen wood stove, water from a hand pump at the kitchen sink, and an outdoor privy, it was a far cry from the genteel Liverpool home with its conservatory, chauffeur, and maid. And there were cows to tend, threshing crews to feed, fruit to pick, but never a vacation.
I’ve read my Mum’s letters home written during those hard times, and they were universally upbeat and joyous, with never a hint of hardship or privation. In part, because Mum wanted to shield her family from the harsh realities of farm life, but mostly because she found deep joy in the daily adventures, the wonder of newborn calves, the bounty of the fruit trees, and the warmth and generosity of neighbours.
To Mum, it wasn’t about surviving. To her, every morning’s sunrise was a time of beauty, of hope and of promise. Learning to drive a team of horses, or the family’s first tractor, was an adventure. When she helped in hay season, she didn’t complain about the back-breaking work, but rather savoured the scent of the fresh-cut hay. Every cow and every horse had a name and was her friend. To Mum, it wasn’t a question of the glass half full or half empty– to her it was always full and overflowing. She just knew where to look for God’s bounty.
Her only disappointment was that her dream of a large family was not to be. Miscarriage after miscarriage, she never lost hope, and when she finally delivered her only child, a son, in the middle of a Canadian blizzard, she gave him all the love she had been saving up. I was spoiled, not materially, but spiritually.
Mum’s spirit continues in her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, for they too possess the same indomitable courage and boundless love of life. She lives on in the hope and promise of their lives.
The family’s gratitude to the staff of the Perley and Rideau Veteran’s Residence– you all treated her as if she were your own Mum, and she loved you in kind.
We will honour Mum on Wednesday, March 18 at two o’clock in the afternoon at Lupton Hall, Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Residence, 1750 Russell Road, Ottawa. Parking passes will be provided and a light buffet will be served afterwards. All are welcome. If you will be attending, however, please just drop me a quick note so we can be sure to have enough sandwiches and coffee! norm@purposeful.ca
Gauche
Détails des funérailles
Service commémoratif
Lupton Hall – Perley & Rideau Veterans’ Residence
1750 Russell Road, Ottawa, ON, CANADA, K1G 5Z6
mercredi, 18 mars 2020 14:00 – 16:00
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Lupton Hall – Perley & Rideau Veterans’ Residence
29 juin 1919 24 février 2020
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Hilda Bowley 29 juin 1919 24 février 2020..
Décès pour la Ville:Ottawa, Province: Ontario