July 20, 1923 - October 22, 2021
"Lead Foot" Lillian Bohn has left us to join the love of her life, Paul, whom she has been missing for over 50 years. She will also be reunited with daughters Maureen, Pat, and Karen, grandsons Jimmy and Chris, her parents, brother, and many of her sisters. The reunion is bound to be a loud one.
Left behind to grieve are her sons Roy (Sandy), Billy (Ina) and daughter Pauline along with her 12 remaining grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and 4 great GREAT grandchildren.
Lil was sister to Pat, Archie, Joyce, Rita and Rae and favourite Aunty to their progeny.
She grew up in Fort William and after marrying Paul, moved with baby Roy to a shack on the beach in Union Bay where she promptly had 3 more children in 3 years, all without running water or indoor plumbing. Maureen and Pauline came along a little later and soon Lil and Paul had built "Bohn's Machine Shop" and "the big house". Life threw every possible joy and tragedy it could at the Bohns and they grew closer and more resilient as a result. Lil's family was the light of her life.
After Paul passed, she went back to school in her 40s and became a nurse. This took her throughout BC to Williams Lake, Duncan and back to Comox where she retired in the 80s. Eventually she moved into a basement suite in her granddaughter's house and spent 19 years helping Gail and Stan raise their 2 sons while mercilessly bossing Stan around. This past year she lived at Yucalta Lodge.
Lil was a voracious knitter, reader, baker of fine treats, and collector of stray children... some of them well into their 40s. She drove too fast, was quick to swear, and never stepped away from a challenge. Anyone who knew Lil has a story about her. In fact, if you were to ask any old fella who was part of Roy and Billy's gang in the 50s or 60s, he will likely tell you a story about her confiscating his pants to prevent any drinking and driving.
She was someone you could count on for a "swift kick in the arse" and while she meted out her sympathy carefully - "go ahead and cry, the more you cry the less you'll pee" - her shoulder was always available to cry on.
She liked dogs, hated cats and had many opinions. The strongest one being that kindness should always prevail. She was fond of saying "Remember, you're no better than anyone else, but you're every damned bit as good".
Her mantra was "take it one day at a time" and she passed this and so much more wisdom along to all who knew her. Her life was long, full of stories of heartache and joy and as we who remain take her loss one day at a time, we will miss her very, very much.