Margaret Ann Whitford

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing on February 18th 2019 of Margaret Ann Whitford of Parksville BC.

Her commanding officer in the army wrote of 21 year old Corporal Margaret Reed: she was, " . . . very lively, very popular, and honest and trustworthy in all things". Margaret was all this and more.

Margaret was born in England Aug 25, 1928, and spent the first 24 years of her life there. After the war Margaret studied theatre arts for 2 years planning to be a professional actress. In 1948 she began a 2 year stint in the British Army where she met Corporal George Whitford. They were married on June 17, 1950.

After giving birth to their first child in 1951, Margaret and George decided to emigrate to Canada with a crazy plan to cycle on a tandem bike with a trailer for Jimmy, from Quebec City to Vancouver. They did it, cycling from early May 1953 and arriving in Vancouver at the end of August.

Two years later Margaret became 'a minister's wife', when George became a minister in the United Church of Canada. It was a role that she took on with devotion and energy for 25 years, side by side with the raising of 5 children.

Margaret published a number of short stories in the United Church national magazine The Onward and also in Chatelaine magazine. In 1967 she was named Chatelaine's Woman of the Year of Alberta.

Margaret actively engaged with the theatrical community in both Calgary (Theatre Calgary, 1964-72) and also in Vancouver (Vancouver Playhouse) when the family moved there in 1974. She took small parts in various productions in both theatres and created study kits of plays being performed.

Margaret was a prodigious letter writer. She wrote and posted throughout her life: weekly letters to her mother in England, monthly letters to her sister in Malta as well as several letters a year to lifetime friends in England.

In 1981 when George retired from the church they moved to Parksville, a place that they both loved. It was here that Margaret wrote her published novel the Winner and the Prize.

Margaret's retirement years included some winters at a naturist resort in California with George, a 3000 mile cycle ride across Australia, an African safari, and cruises to the South Pacific and the Galapagos.

Margaret was community minded and often attended meetings with local MPs, MLAs and city councillors. Margaret was part of the successful campaign to save the Parksville Flats from commercial development.

Margaret was an active member in the Spindrift Writers group for more than 30 years. She crochetted countless quilts for a Grandmother's quilting group. In 2014 she joined a local Tai Chi group and did Tai Chi every week from then on.

Margaret suffered a severe stroke on February 10th just hours after she'd played in a pool tournament with her beloved Parksville Women's Pool League, a group that she helped found 33 years ago.

Margaret is survived by, and missed terribly by her sons James, Philip, Martin, and Guy, by daughters- in-law Darlene, Catherine, Lisa, Carole, Colleen, Heather, Tab Itha, and Mahrie, by grandchildren Nathan, Felix, Jesse, Brody, Joel, Sarah-Ellen, and Sabrina, and great-grandchildren Isla, Summer, Autumn, Trexton, Sawyer, and Presley.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Margaret on Saturday April 13th, from 2 pm to 5 pm at the Parksville Legion. Margaret wished that this be a "light hearted and not morbid" event. Please come and join with family to share your fondest memories of Margaret.