Lois passed away peacefully on January 4, 2021 at her home in Victoria, BC, surrounded by her four children, after a short illness. Born February 7, 1929 in the small town of Wolseley, SK, Lois was the youngest of David and Jean Chatterson’s 5 children. Lois remained connected to her Prairie roots all her life, fondly recalling a happy childhood growing up on the family farm, which included riding her horse Rosie to the one-room schoolhouse.
Lois graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1951 from Holy Cross Hospital in Calgary, very proud to have won the Surgical Medal awarded annually to a graduating student for efficiency in the operating room. She had wonderful memories of her 3 years of training and the lifelong friendships she formed while living in the nurses’ residence attached to the hospital, learning on the job, working 12-hour night shifts, and enjoying rare time off with her roommates.
Lois loved nursing and moved west to pursue post-graduate training at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, where she met her future husband, Dr. Roy Sutherland. Lois and Roy married in 1954 in Vancouver before moving to Victoria in 1956 where Roy started his medical practice. Victoria became their forever home, where they raised their 4 children in a beautiful old granite house set amidst Garry oak meadows along with their small menagerie of animals.
Family was at the heart of Lois’ life, and she delighted in bringing everyone together. She was endlessly proud of her 4 children and adored her 3 granddaughters. Predeceased by husband Roy in 2013 after 64 years of marriage, Lois is dearly missed by her beloved family: children Dawn Sutherland, Ian Sutherland (Wendy), Heather Sutherland, John Sutherland (Katherine) and grandchildren Lauren Sutherland (James), Robin Sutherland, and Ana Birliga Sutherland, as well as many relatives and friends.
Lois’ most passionate concern outside her family was the environment. Growing up on a farm in the Depression years taught a young Lois the value of thrift and saving; she wasted nothing that could be kept for reuse and became a lifelong recycler and conservationist. She was an early advocate for nuclear disarmament and environmental issues; she connected these concerns deeply with her love for family and generations to come.
Lois was also a wonderful homemaker! With her nurse’s calm efficiency, attention to order and cleanliness, and her ability to work hard and appreciate a job well done, she happily created a comfortable and attractive home for her family. She joked that she didn’t know how to boil an egg when she married, but she will always be remembered for bringing family together around the table for celebratory dinners that she cooked until she was nearly 80. Her fresh berry pies and her roast beef and Yorkshire pudding were legendary! She was always game to try new things and developed a taste for spicy food later in life: family members remember her trying pho and fish tacos for the first time at age 90.
Lois enjoyed dancing, played a fine game of bridge, curled for many years like a good Prairie girl, knitted beautifully, and loved classical music and costume dramas. She had a fine sense of style and was always well turned out. In her later years, her raspberry-coloured beret was her trademark, recognized by many on her daily walks.
Lois joined Roy on many of his medical service trips to out-of-the-way places in the Maritimes, the Arctic, New Zealand, and Saint Lucia, where they both greatly enjoyed meeting the local people. Lois wrote many letters home vividly describing her experiences and also made memorably adventurous trips to the Soviet Union, Cuba, and China. Lois also treasured the many wonderful times she and Roy had at the family cottage that Roy built in 1970 in East Sooke, where they made many dear friends. Later she loved to walk at Willows Beach with family members. Early in 2019, Lois found a new home at Berwick House where she made friendships that helped sustain her through the past year.
The Sutherlands offer their heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the marvelous Dr. Ted Rosenberg and his Home Team Medical staff, especially Stefanie and Sarah, for their outstanding, compassionate care; and to the wonderful staff of Berwick House, Lois’ home for the past 2 years, especially Heather Nyhagen and Linda Hickman whose kind care helped Lois so much in recent months.
The family invites those wishing to do so to remember Lois with a donation to the environmental charity of their choice.
Plans are in the works for a virtual Celebration of Lois’ Life. Updates will be posted here.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Ellen Lois Sutherland nee Chatterson February 7 1929 January 4 2021..
mccall gardens funeral and cremation service
Décès pour la Ville: Victoria, Province: Colombie britanique