May 26, 1940 - July 22, 2022
Dorothy Helen Garbet was born in Saskatchewan on May 26, 1940, to Helen and Peter Wiens; a sister to Lillie, Nancy, and Irvin. Following soon, Victor, Ruby, Sylvia and Ron were born. The family then moved to Mission, BC. Sister Gloria and Brother Ken then came along making them the "family with 10 kids living in 'the woods' of McConnell Creek".
Dot graduated from Mission High and moved to Lulu Island (Richmond, BC) with her family where she worked an office job in Vancouver. Along came a young, handsome sailor, Jim Garbet. They married on October 15th, 1960 and lived in Victoria for most of the next 48 years.
The military life took the family to Halifax and Thunder Bay for short exciting periods, but Esquimalt was always home. Brent was their 1st child, followed by Lance and Janine. Brent (Terri) and grandchildren, Courtney and Spencer (Caroline) live in Thunder Bay. Lance lives in Nanaimo and also had a career in the army. Janine married Chris Rasmussen. Their children are Ryan and Matthew, along with Scott (Sean), and Collin (Jin) with great grandchild, Alexandra.
Life in the Cowichan began in 1983 when Jim retired from the Service and together, they made the move to Cobble Hill, and then Mill Bay, 4 years later. In Mill Bay, Dot ran the Maple Tree Bed & Breakfast from 1991 to September 2005. Over the years, their many homes underwent renovations, were sold and new adventures began. Their final home was from scratch. "What fun! A challenge!"
Then, came the landscaping. Dot, an active member of the Mill Bay Garden Cub had many ideas that brought pride and joy in the fruits of her labour. When Jim sadly died in December 2008, Dot kept buy with the garden, travelling, hiking, and volunteering for South Cowichan Community Policing in their Friendly Phones Program. Her travels attracted more friends who joined her in touring Europe, England, South America, Cambodia, Vietnam, France, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, USA, Cuba and China.
Dot's health deteriorated in 2019 and Janine's family moved in to care for her.
On July 26, 2022, we celebrate Dot's extraordinary life with heartfelt "goodbyes and farewells". Please join us in sharing memories from 2:30 - 5:00 PM. RSVP by emailing jras0722@gmail.com.