Obituary for Yvonne Gunhild Nimmo
Yvonne Gunhild Nimmo (nee Olson)
June 1, 1935-October 31, 2017
Born in Canwood, Saskatchewan, Yvonne grew up amongst a large and beloved extended family of Swedish immigrants. Her father Bror homesteaded a farm in Stump Lake, where she and her siblings Helga, LeRoy and Larry began their lives on the prairies. Later, the family moved to a farm in Valbrand, closer to Yvonne’s grandparents Per and Sigrid Person, to whom she was very close and with whom she spent a good portion of her childhood. Yvonne, a lover of books, boarded in nearby Shellbrook to complete high school, which at the time was unavailable in Canwood. After attending teacher’s college in Saskatoon, Yvonne, with her customary determination and keen intellect, set her sights on a Bachelor of Education Degree and attended the University of Victoria. She taught at several small schools before moving to Lake Cowichan, BC with her young son Brent (from her first marriage in Victoria to Wallace Malcolm) and eventually became the Principal of JH Boyd Elementary School. Yvonne’s sister Helga (Irving) had already moved to Lake Cowichan, and their mother’s vivacious cousin Linnea (Bloom) – who ended up being like another sister – was also raising a family in that small Vancouver Island logging town. It was in Lake Cowichan that Yvonne met Dick Nimmo. Yvonne and Dick married on December 28, 1965 and had three children, Carrie, Rod and Kirsten. Yvonne was always actively involved in community organizations and in her children’s activities, driving them thousands of miles over the years to participate in skating, dance, music, and hockey. And, to ensure they received a cultural education, she drove them to the « big city » to attend theatre productions and ballets. She enjoyed travelling with her family in their motor home south to Disney Land and Mexico, north to the Yukon and Alaska, and to various locations on Vancouver Island to camp and enjoy nature. Yvonne was a loyal daughter-in-law to Adam and Muriel Nimmo, and although she spent hundreds of hours with her kids on their dock on the lake, she was a true prairie girl and despite efforts, never did learn to swim! She also took her kids on road trips to Saskatchewan every other summer to spend time on her parents’ farm and visit with her many aunts, uncles and cousins in the Canwood area. Pit-stops in Calgary to spend time with her brothers and their families were always highlights. In the 80’s, Yvonne travelled to Sweden to connect with her roots, and it was around that time that she became fascinated with family history and embarked on what would be a decades-long obsession with genealogy. Connecting with relatives from Sweden, and with those who had emigrated to various places in the US and Canada, she began to trace her family tree in earnest, and eventually made a trip to Scotland to pursue the Nimmo roots with her customary detective sleuthing skills. Through her love of genealogy and connection, she made many new friends, which led to continued travels and research. She was a treasure trove of information for both the Person, Olson and Nimmo families. Yvonne’s love of family extended to the past but her real focus was on present and future generations. She adored her grandchildren, and travelled wherever and whenever she needed to to be present at their births and at as many major events of theirs as possible. After retiring, Yvonne moved to White Rock and enjoyed doing the things she loved most: spending time with her family, gardening, listening to music, researching more family history, and travelling throughout North America, Europe, and even Australia. Yvonne was always a woman of deep, unwavering faith, and after surviving cancer and living gracefully with Alzheimer’s disease for the past few years, she was comforted in her last moments by Pastor Peter from Mount Olive Lutheran Church, where she was a devoted member of the congregation. A teacher to many, in many ways, Yvonne left us with lessons in kindness, compassion, courage, strength and grace. We are forever grateful for her presence in our lives. Yvonne is predeceased by her parents Bror and Clara, and her first-born daughter Catherine Mary Malcolm. She is fondly remembered by her siblings Helga (Ken) Irving of White Rock, BC, Larry (Mary) Olson and LeRoy Olson, of Calgary, AB, her husband Dick, her children Brent (Jennifer) Malcom, Carrie (Tom Gould), Rod, and Kirsten (Todd) Harkins, her grandchildren Nicklas, Jansen, Jonas, Regan, Markus and Adam, and many cousins, nieces and nephews – all of whom she loved dearly. Yvonne’s family would like to thank Pastor Peter, the staff at Normanna Care Home in Burnaby, and Luz Bornilla for their kindness and compassion, and for making Mom’s final phase of her life a peaceful one. Donations can be made in Yvonne’s memory to the Alzheimer Society of BC or the Canadian MPS Society.
Please honour Yvonne’s memory by living your life with love.
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Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Yvonne Gunhild Nimmo – 1935 – 2017.source
Décès pour la Ville: Vancouver, Province: Colombie britanique
avis deces Yvonne Gunhild Nimmo – 1935 – 2017- avis mortuaire Yvonne Gunhild Nimmo – 1935 – 2017