Patricia Stanley Beck

October 1, 1940 - December 25, 2024

In Loving Memory ~

Patricia Stanley Beck, née Patricia Doreen Stanley, passed away peacefully on Christmas Day, Dec 25, 2024, aged 84 years, in Parksville, BC, after a brave and difficult struggle with AML leukemia. Her family and friends will remember her courage, love, quick wit, dry sense of humor, love of travel and entertaining, and passion for literature, art, and politics. She will be deeply missed.

Patricia was born on Oct 1, 1940, in Souris, Manitoba. Her family had a farm nearby and moved into Brandon, Manitoba while she was still a small child. She had many memories of living in a boarding house that her parents, Margaret and Frank, owned and operated in Brandon, and there developed her interest in food, entertaining, and the wide world outside Brandon that the lodgers brought news of.

She attended high school in Brandon then became the first member of her family to go to college, receiving her degree from Brandon College in 1962. She won several medals for academic excellence, including the silver medal in Sociology where she received the second highest mark in Manitoba. She read voraciously and developed a deep love for literature that nourished her through to her final days. CBC Radio was a constant background in all of her homes.

At Brandon College, she met Glen Beck. They married and moved to Edmonton in 1962. She worked in social work for four years prior to the birth of their first child, Lisa, in 1966. Patricia's work experiences there gave her a lifelong passion for politics and social justice.

In 1966, the family moved to Saskatoon, and Nigel was born there in 1970. In 1972, the young family went on sabbatical to England, their first trip outside North America, where they suffered the tragic loss of their infant son, Jonathan Michael, at the age of 9 months. The family was supported during this difficult time by friends and family, including Patricia's mother, Margaret, whose strength was to prove inspirational to Patricia throughout her life.

In 1975, their son Andrew was born, and shortly after, in 1980, the family went on sabbatical to Palo Alto, California. California was the epicenter of coming major technological, political and cultural change. Upon their return to Saskatoon, Patricia became involved in the computer industry through Lawtek, a computer company Glen had begun, and in politics.

She was very active with the Liberal party, serving in the federal Liberal Party as National Women's Liberal Commission Vice President, and ran for office in 1988. She joined the executive of the National Council of Women, advocating for equal rights for women, successfully influencing such legislation as the Matrimonial Property Act. She was an active member of the Saskatoon community in business, the University of Saskatchewan, arts, and politics, and developed cherished lifelong friendships.

In the 80s and 90s, Patricia traveled widely, both in Canada as well as further afield in Western Europe and China. She travelled to Beijing in 1995 for the World Conference on Women as a member of the Canadian Delegation. She also served as Chair of the Board for the Centennial Auditorium in Saskatoon, where she rarely missed a show. Throughout her travels, she furthered her deep interest in art that she nurtured throughout the rest of her life, working at the Darrell Bell Art Gallery in Saskatoon, as well as serving on the board of the Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canada.

In 2004, at the age of 63, Patricia continued her love for adventure, and moved to Parksville, BC, where she spent the rest of her life. She developed a profound affection for the island, loving the ocean, forest and the wonderful community of friends she built there over the years. She became very active in Parksville, joining the Newcomers Committee; a local book club; working at the Tourist Bureau; and serving as President of her Strata Board for several years. She rarely missed a local concert, event or theatre production. An avid walker, she spent many hours on the local boardwalk and trails in the area.

She is survived by her three children, Lisa, Nigel (Yulia), Andrew (Nina); her grandson, Aaron; and her former spouse, Glen; and predeceased by her brother, Douglas (Pearl); sister, Gloria (Gordon); and son, Jonathan Michael, who died in infancy.

A memorial service will be held at Yates Memorial Services, Parksville, BC at 11:00 am on Saturday, March 29th, 2025. Rather than flowers, the family requests that any donations be sent to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada), and/or the Trillium Hospice Lodge in Parksville, BC (specify "Trillium Hospice Lodge" in the "Private message to us" field of the Oceanside Hospice Society).