Agnia Valentinovna Love
Obituary
Obituary for Agnia Valentinovna Love
December 19, 1949 – November 11, 2020
It is with much sadness that we announce the passing of Agnia Love (nee Shabaeff). She left us peacefully yet unexpectedly in the early hours of November 11, in the comfort of her own home. She is predeceased by her mother Grace (Dempster) Shabaeff, and leaves behind her husband David, daughter Alexa, cousins Karen (Dempster) Dzupina and Peter Dempster, and cherished dog Reggie, who was her constant companion. She was the life and energy in our family and will be greatly missed by her lifelong friends and relatives in BC and Ontario. Born in Montreal, P.Q. on December 19, 1949, Agnia spent her early life in Ontario, moving from Napanee to Kingston to Toronto where she lived in the Ossington, Yorkville, Kensington Market, and Cabbagetown neighbourhoods. As a young adult, she enjoyed leisurely evenings on the Toronto islands, where she would meet her boyfriend and soon-to-be husband for after work picnics. After raising young daughter Alexa in Toronto, Agnia and David moved their family out west to New Westminster, BC in 1988.
A talented artist and graduate of both Central Technical Art School Program and Humber College’s Interior Design Program, her creative spirit shone through in all aspects of life – her paintings of vintage carousel horses and drawings of Queens Park heritage homes, the Halloween costumes she came up with (Egg-nia), and her gorgeously wrapped Christmas gifts. Her affinity for the imaginative and unusual made our lives much more enchanting and colourful.
An avid explorer, Agnia was well-travelled and reminisced often about her favourite trips: touring castles with her mother in Germany, travelling with her husband around North Africa, visiting the Soho district in Hong Kong with her daughter, and braving the ruggedness of Iceland on her most memorable solo adventure, at the young age of 20. Her explorations continued at home, where she would regularly venture downtown, ready to try a new café or cuisine, visit a gallery, or photograph city life. Her adventurous spirit lives on in her daughter Alexa. Agnia was a loving mother who was a best friend to her daughter. She always supported and encouraged her to take on new adventures, even as her own travelling days had passed.
Young at heart, Agnia embraced and enjoyed the pop culture of each decade and refused to get stuck in the past. From seeing Elvis, The Doors, and John Lennon in concert to recording the newest music videos on MuchMusic in the 80s, she kept up with the times. She loved watching and discussing films (favourites included Good Morning Vietnam, Beetlejuice, Fargo) and would drop everything to play Jeopardy. As her vision declined over the past 8 years, radio played a large role in her life, and she became a regular CBC listener and a fan of Co-op Radio’s midnight reggae program. But nothing replaced the spirited and honest conversations she had regularly with her friends and family.
Agnia appreciated those with a sense of humour and reminded us not to take life too seriously. In her 70 years, she never grew old. We will miss her vibrant spirit, her enthusiasm for life, and especially her conversations.
To the nurses and doctors at Royal Columbian Hospital’s hemodialysis unit, your care and company meant more to her, and to her family, than you could ever know. Thank you for brightening her many, many trips to the hospital with your stories and laughter.
There will be no service at this time, but a celebration of life will be held at a suitable future date.
Memorial Donations
In lieu of flowers, donations in Agnia’s memory to any of the following organizations would be most welcome:
In Loving Memory
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Agnia Valentinovna Love 2021..
Death notice for the town of: Vancouver, Province: Colombie britanique