Marjorie Kathleen Ford

FOREVER THANKFUL

Mollie's three sons, Richard, Geoff, Peter and their families would like to thank several wonderful friends who supported Mollie over the years, especially following the loss of our father, Frank Ford in 2008.

First and foremost, we wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to Suzanne Kimpan, Mollie’s neighbor and dear friend, who was a steadfast presence through illnesses and operations, and always there whenever Mollie needed support or simply a warm conversation.

Also, Peter Gurney, Mollie’s longtime gardener and handyman who could always be counted on to take care of whatever needed doing around her home. Having the dedicated support of Suzanne and Peter, allowed Mollie to enjoy several more years in her dream home living alone until she reached 100 years old.

Her community at Christ Church Gabriola, and especially Paddy Waymark and the handbell group, who brought joy and fellowship to her life.

Heather Steele, who stayed in regular touch and gifted Mollie with the most beautiful handmade cards for every occasion — a gesture that meant the world to her.

The dedicated staff at Dufferin Care Center, who looked after Mollie with such kindness and care in her final years, ensuring she was comfortable and happy.

Anne Gallagher, Mollie's Neighbor who shared Mollie’s deep love of reading and kept her supplied with many wonderful books.

Wendy Hall, Jacqueline Westhead, Laarni (Lala) Lagman, and Maida Foucher who visited Mollie at Dufferin and provided such wonderful companionship each and every week for the past few years.

Mollie also cherished the friendships of Julie Falk, Marie Moore, and Margaret Taylor, among so many others.

Mollie was truly blessed with a rich circle of friends, and we know there are many more who touched her life in meaningful ways. If we have not named you here, please forgive the oversight and we warmly invite you to share your own memories of Mollie on this wall. She treasured each and every one of you.

Opening - Adam

A few weeks ago, Mikki, Brady and I sat on the porch of Nana’s old house in Gabriola, sharing some of our memories of Nana.
We smiled, we laughed, and we cried. But we also noticed something special.
Some of these memories were simple and sweet - little moments that you could be forgiven for forgetting. While others were grand, surprising and adventurous. Some made our hearts swell, while others inspired a sense of amazement.
What became clear though was a duality to the imprint nana left on us.
In those simple moments, Nana gave us a sense of belonging, of purpose, and pride. She was creating a welcoming place for us not only physically, but also emotionally. She grounded us with a consistency and stability that we grew to cherish deeply.
Meanwhile in the bigger moments, through both actions, and stories, she was inspiring us with a desire to be curious, to explore, and to continue growing as individuals with a purpose to bring to the world.
So as we sat there, the three of us, and shared these memories, we realized they seemed to follow these two somewhat opposing threads.
On the one hand, Nana provided us with strong roots, while at the same time she encouraged us to grow wings.

Roots - Mikki

Nana's life was not small. It crossed centuries, wars, and oceans. Yet some of the deepest family memories—the ones that truly embody Nana—are not the grand ones. They are the small and precious ones.
They are sitting at the pull-out table as kids, eating cereal.
They are picking blackberries in the garden and making jam.
They are learning how to clean a butter knife with a piece of toast so you don't carry the butter into the jam jar.
They are making daisy chains from the flowers in her garden.
They are Nana's hummingbird feeder and the deer in her yard.
And of course, none of us grandchildren will ever forget Nana blowing us kisses as we left the house—or ended a FaceTime call—and asking us to keep them safe in our pockets.
Nana had a way of recognizing the quiet courage in other people. Looking back, I think it could be because she understood it so well herself.
She never needed to announce her strength. She showed us that courage can be quiet, and that meaning is often found in the ordinary things we do for the people (and the animals) we love. It looked like making blackberry jam, filling the hummingbird feeder, and creating little family traditions.
Looking back now, those ordinary moments were anything but ordinary. They were the way she quietly shaped our family. Through those rituals and repeated gestures—the jam, the feeder, the summer visits, the conversations—she gave us something steady to return to. A place where we knew we were loved, where we belonged, and where the world felt just a little more certain.
Those are our roots.

Wings - Braden

As she grew into her later years, I often found myself telling friends about Nana. I’d tell them about her many activities and her wit, even as a centenarian. They were always amazed by her longevity. But then I’d tell them, the most remarkable thing about my Nana was never how long she lived—it was how fully she lived.
Nana built a life filled with adventure, resilience, and curiosity. Many of the stories that shaped us weren’t even our own. They were Nana’s stories, passed down through our family. Stories that amazed us, humbled us, and inspired us. Stories that encouraged us to explore, embrace the unknown and keep growing, even in the face of hardship.
Stories from growing up across three continents.
Caring for kindergarteners in a bomb shelter during the war.
Crossing the ocean to Israel to begin a new life.
Backpacking through Europe with Papa in her 60s, making friends with young travellers along the who would call them “Nan and Pops.”
And then some of those memories were ours to create.
Staying up past midnight on Nana’s 99th New Year’s Eve, watching her dance the cha-cha to Lady Gaga with Adam.
Posing for photos with her three sons in the silliest of costumes.
Closing down the casinos almost every night on our family cruise.
Sharing martinis and frog legs with Mik in the UK on her 23rd bday.
Clog dancing and playing the piano well into her later years.
Nana grew older, but her world never grew smaller. Even in her 90s, she was still travelling, still dancing, and building community here on the island. There is good reason we often called her the “Queen of Gabe”. And through her example, Nana taught US how to live fully: to be adventurous, remain curious, and keep our hearts open to the world.
Those are our wings.

Closing - Adam

Looking back now, we've realized that Nana spent our life giving us both roots and wings.
She gave us roots in those simple moments. And she gave us wings through the extraordinary ones. But perhaps her greatest lesson was that both matter.
She lived a big and full life, through wars, across oceans, and embraced more change than most of us can imagine. And yet somehow, she never lost her appreciation for the smaller, simpler things.
To this day, I still remember one quiet moment in Hawaii where Nana and I laid together in a hammock, simply listening to the doves. And nana said to me “ok Adam, we will always remember this moment.”
Nana knew that some memories do not just become special later. Sometimes, if you are paying attention, you can feel them becoming special right then. That was Nana. And I still remember.
As we stand here today, we think warmly of the woman who we loved so much and will miss so dearly.
But we feel comforted as we move forward, knowing we are walking on firm ground, with our gaze to the skies, and a pocket full of kisses to support us along our way.

It was an honor and a privilege to be a companion to Mollie each week for the last 15 months, in Dufferin Place. The sparkle in her eyes, her curiosity and stories will always be remembered and she will hold a special place in my heart.
Mollie enjoyed talking and reminiscing when we looked at her life story book, as well as books on dogs, English Gardens, Royalty, dolls and knitting. She enjoyed Bingo and loved the chocolate prizes!
Special memories of our times out in the garden, where she enjoyed the warm sunshine, fresh air and smelling the roses.
I was always greeted with a smile and at the end of our visit she would blow kisses. Mollie was a gem and will be truly missed.
Thank you to Richard, Geoff and Peter for the opportunity to spend time with a remarkable lady.

My family and I live in the States but Vancouver Island has been a special place for me to often visit dear friends since 2000. And until a couple years ago, I had no idea my Great Aunt Mollie, sister to my grandmother Barbara, was there, It felt unbelievable how close I had been for decades and never knew!
Within a few months of meeting Mollie and her sons on a video call, I knew I needed to drive to Canada to meet in person. I had no idea at the time that I would end up spending most of the past year or so on the Island and getting to have regular visits with Mollie. I remember on one of my early visits as she and I were taking a 'selfie' together and she said, while looking at the screen with our faces next to one another, "We look alike you and I!" I had not caught it, but she did, right away.
We all have our up days and down days and Mollie did as well over the time I knew her. And even so, she always wanted to do the crosswords together. I absolutely loved doing this with her and I was constantly humbled by her mastery of spelling! We would always have a good laugh because with longer words, she would not want to tackle it at first... but inevitably she would get those more easily than the shorter words. This was of course followed by celebratory sound effects from me and then her and I doing a 'high-five'.
I am smiling so much as I remember the joy of those moments. Or sitting in the garden watching the birds and smelling the flowers....Video chats with my mom/her niece (Sue)... or sharing videos of nature from my days between visits...sea lions, whales, eagles. She loved them all.
So many moments that I am just in awe that I was fortunate enough to have with her. It truly felt like the stars aligned and my gratitude is truly overflowing. My heart goes out to all of her family and friends...and all who were touched by Mollie.

Mollie was truly one of a kind, a radiant presence who could light up any room with a grace and warmth that came so naturally to her. We all leave traces of ourselves behind and Mollie’s light cleared the path for us to carry forward all the generosity that she shared so easily with everyone. She was born equal to the task and gifts of life with all its beauty and challenges. Her light will continue to shine through her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, each passing down some of the special sparkle that made her so unforgettable. One cannot meet the wonderful Ford family without feeling her legacy and that of her husband, Frank.

I feel deeply blessed to have known her. Her generosity of spirit, and the comfort and wisdom she offered me while I cared for my mother in her final years, will never be forgotten. Her home was always a place of peace, warmth, and renewal. I will forever treasure the time we spent together on her porch, talking about everything and nothing, sharing laughter, stories, and so much of the minutiae that made up our lives. Her heart was always so very open.

They just don’t come any better than dear, wonderful Mollie. I'm imagining her now deftly organizing Strawberry Teas and all special occasions of the angelic kind in the great cosmic beyond. I love you, Mollie.

Our family has known the Fords for as long as I can remember. My father Denis Cole and Frank Ford served together in Haifa in 1948. Denis and Jeanie emigrated to Canada not long after and encouraged Frank and Molly to do the same. The two families were located in Calgary (the Fords) and Red Deer (the Coles) but for many years spent some part of each summer at the Coles cottage on Sylvan Lake. Richard was born in 1954 as was my brother Tony. Geoffrey came in the middle and then Peter and I came along. I was the only girl amongst a bevy of boys.
After we moved to Calgary, Molly and Jeanie were able to spend more time together. Both were avid knitters and I remember that Molly crocheted a beautiful top for me which I wore to my high school graduation.
Even after Molly and Frank moved to Gabriola there were many visits with sailing adventures and evenings spent enjoying the infamous hot tub.
Molly is the last of the fabulous foursome and has left an amazing legacy in her boys, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Our earliest memory of Mollie was when we first moved to Gabriola Island and this car came roaring up the hill where we lived and us thinking who is that driving so fast, turns out it was Mollie, she was 95 at the time. Mollie always came to our annual Christmas party, we would sit her in a comfortable chair and serve her with a glass of sherry. We have lasting fond memories of Mollie, she was a wonderful interesting lady.

I can remember years ago around November Mollie was making her Christmas cake ,she would call me in from her yard. She would ask me to bless the un cooked cake fixings by stirring it a few times. It's little memories like that you remember the most!

I have many fond memories from the days when I worked for Frank in the early 1970's. A big treat for the staff was when Molly would bake Bran muffins and send them to the office. Fifty odd years later I still use the recipe marked "Mrs. Ford's muffins" MY deepest sympathy to you three boys and your families.

Mollie found out she was adopted at the age of 21. In her 70s she decided to hire a genealogy firm in England to track down her biological family. As this was before DNA testing was available, she was only able to find out who her birth mother was before her biological trail appeared to end.
However, with the introduction of several companies who used DNA testing to match relatives, Mollie was contacted by Sue Westhead in New Mexico a couple of years ago. Based on the match of their DNA and from comparing their histories, we determined that Sue’s Mother and Mollie were half sisters and both were put up for adoption in the early 1920’s. Neither of them knew they had a sister until Mum turned 103.
Sue is unable to travel but has kept in touch with Mollie via letters and FaceTime the past couple of years. However, Sue’s daughter Jacqueline has travelled up to Vancouver Island for several months during the past two years and has visited Mollie on a regular basis. Jacqueline has been a wonderful companion for Mollie and helped her solve crossword puzzles at 105 years old.