In the early morning hours of August 17, 2022, Colleen Walsh Hearne passed away at Talarico Place in Castlegar, British Columbia after suffering a stroke the week prior. She was 89 years old.
Colleen was born in Los Angeles, California on February 4, 1933. She moved with her mother to Oregon as an infant and lived there for most of her childhood. She attended Seattle Pacific College starting in 1951, and received her Bachelor of Education in 1955. Shortly after her graduation from SPC, she married James (Jim) Russell Hearne and they moved to Dubuque, Iowa and lived there until after the birth of their first daughter. They then moved to McGregor, Iowa where two more daughters were born.
In 1962 Colleen and Jim moved their family to the Kootenays, where they lived in various locations in that area from 1962 to 1969 – Warfield, Trail, 8 mile on Kootenay Lake, & Queens Bay. In 1969, the Hearne family moved to Golden, British Columbia and lived there for 7 years. They then moved to Lacombe, Alberta in 1976, and Colleen and Jim lived there until 1993, at which time they moved back to the Kootenays. After retirement, Colleen & Jim split their time between Creston and Queens Bay while renovating their beloved Queens Bay home. In 1998 they moved back to the Bay permanently. Jim passed away in 2017, and Colleen moved to Talarico Place in Castlegar, BC in 2019.
Colleen was a primary school and music teacher, and during her teaching career taught hundreds of students at various schools in Washington state, Iowa as well as at James L Webster Elementary (1963-1964), Balfour Elementary (1965-1969), Nicholson Elementary (1969-1976), and J. S. McCormick Elementary (1977-1988). In 1988 she retired from full-time teaching and began her own business in Red Deer, Alberta, Bonding the Senses, which focused on helping adults with learning disabilities learn to read, a personal passion of hers.
In addition to being passionate about literacy for others, Colleen was an avid reader herself; her daughters remember her reading stacks of books from the library each week. Colleen’s deep faith in God was an integral part of her identity. As the wife of an Anglican priest she was always active in the local church, with much involvement in ACW groups, Guilds and leading (& singing in) choirs. Lifelong learning was a focus of her life, and she attended many courses for her own enrichment over the years.
As an accomplished seamstress and knitter, Colleen created many of her children’s and grandchildren’s clothes when they were young. She also kept a fantastic vegetable garden and loved her flowers. Colleen will be remembered for her generosity, kindness, and deep faith, as well her ability to enjoy the silliest of moments. She had a beautiful smile and infectious laugh.
Colleen was predeceased by her parents, Gary & Martha Walsh, and Helen & Bert Rose; her sister, Dixie Smith; her sister-in-law, Jan Hearne; her darling eldest daughter, Helen Cubbon; and her beloved husband, the Reverend James R. Hearne. She is survived by her daughters, Caitlin Hearne Olson (Robert) and Leah Hearne; six grandchildren, Jeremiah Benbow (Takaia), Amanda Clifton (Travis), Lara Synette (Nathan), Tyrel Benbow (Rosanna), Katelyn & Caroline Olson; and eight great-grandchildren, Molly, Kullen, Ivy, River, Sam, Sadie, Francis, and Henry; as well many cousins, nieces, and nephews in the United States.
Mom/ Grandma Coco was deeply loved by all and will be terribly missed by her family. In lieu of flowers they invite you to send any gift you desire in her memory to either the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, Talarico Place in Castlegar, British Columbia or the Anglican Healing Fund.
“God made a wonderful Mother;
A Mother who never grows old,
He made her smile of the sunshine,
He moulded her heart of pure gold;
He made her as nearly as an angel
As anyone ever could be;
God made a wonderful Mother
And He gave that dear Mother to me.”
– Anonymous
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Colleen Hearne Wednesday August 17th 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Castlegar, Province: Colombie britanique