Shirley Anne Bamford

Shirley Anne Bamford passed away peacefully in her home at Beechwood in Sidney and is together again with her loving husband of 65 years, Stanley Bamford, her parents, Harvey and Viola Johnson, and her brother and sister Ted and Lenore. She is survived by her sister Maureen, her 4 sons and their spouses, George and Lorraine, Don and Jennifer, Bruce and Michelle, Jim and Leah, her daughter Janet, 18 grandchildren (and their spouses) and 14 great grandkids.

Shirley was born and raised in Vancouver and after graduating from high school she worked downtown in a bank. She and Stan married in 1952 and moved to Vernon where their five kids were born. Returning to the coast in 1971, she and Stan set down new roots in Sidney.

In addition to raising her family Shirley worked for local businesses as a bookkeeper, and for over 20 years she was a cheerful volunteer at the Beacon Thrift Store. She will be fondly missed by her longtime friend Shirley Tomsett and by her Beechwood family with whom she loved sharing meals, participated on several committees, and played countless mean games of Scrabble over the past 4 1/2 years. Mom was an avid reader, a fun bridge partner, and she loved her Beechwood garden; when you walked by her patio door she was ALWAYS passing out cherry tomatoes! Mom also had a real knack for knitting beautiful sweaters, as well as thousands of socks and slippers for family and charities.

Mom and Dad travelled across Canada and cruised and toured many parts of the world. They also loved camping and spending time on Galiano Island. Recent highlights include her 90th birthday celebration last summer where she was surrounded by family and friends, and got to meet her newest-born great-grandchildren. She also attended two grandchildrens' weddings, one in Vancouver and the other in Jasper (her last road trip!) and was so thrilled to see almost all of her 50+ family members. Mom will be remembered for her warm giving personality, her gingersnap cookies, reading to grandchildren, and especially for the joy and pride she held for her huge family.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Shirley at her Beechwood home on Saturday, March 16 from 1 pm to 2 pm for family and from 2 pm to 4 pm for the public. Flowers are gratefully declined but Mom would be honoured if you made a donation in her name to a charity of your choice. Our family would also like to thank all the kind and caring staff at Beechwood who helped make Mom's final years so special!