We are deeply saddened to share the passing of Maureen Elizabeth Dunlop after a 5 year battle with Alzheimer's. She passed away in the loving arms of family at home, which was her ultimate wish. She was the kindest, sweetest, and most patient person there ever was.
She was born in Moffatt Scotland in 1933 to James and Ethel Simmons. Her Sister Shirley and her brother Stewart followed. In 1954 she qualified as a Registered Nurse, following her training at the Royal Infirmary in Dumfries, and in 1957 she qualified as a Registered Midwife, working at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh. It was working at the hospital in Torquay where she met Anthony (Tony) Dunlop, who was a Doctor and who she would marry in 1961.
They went on a working adventure in Nigeria, Africa. One of her biggest fears was snakes. She would walk an unlit path from their residence to the hospital. One night, she was walking to the hospital for a night shift, swinging her gas lantern from side to side so she could see what was ahead of her. The light shone on something stretched across the path in front of her and when she raised her lantern it lit up a large cobra, sitting up in the air with its hood flared. What followed was a scream, a smash and very fast footsteps all the way back to her residence. It's not clear if her fear of snakes existed before Africa or because of Africa.
In 1963 they returned to the UK, where her first son Donald was born in Dumfries, Scotland, followed By Dugald, who was born in 1965 in Inverness. They then moved to Glenelg in the Western Highlands of Scotland, where Tony was the village Doctor. Nicky was born at home, in Glenelg, in 1969.
In 1972 the family immigrated to Williams Lake. While the kids were young she dedicated her time to them. She was an active member of the Sacred Heart Church, the local downhill ski club, the tennis club, and always loved the big group of friends she had.
When the kids were older, she returned to work as a nurse and worked for Dr. Noel Donnelly in his private practice and then at the Cariboo Memorial Hospital in the Maternity Ward and the Operating Room. She was an incredible nurse and she loved her work and the people she worked with. It was her true calling.
She was an incredible gardener and an outstanding cook. She had the most beautiful flowers and everything she cooked was from scratch, from her turkey soup following holiday feasts to her pavlova and honey ice cream. She loved trying new recipes and there was no shortage of willing testers around.
Her focus was always on her kids and after they had all left Williams Lake, she knew she had to follow at least one of them. She moved to Vernon and eventually her other 2 kids followed with their families and she finally had everyone around her again. She loved her role as Granny Mo! She was very active her whole life. In Vernon she had a good group of friends she would golf, hike, bike, snowshoe, and cross country ski with. She was in book clubs, dinner clubs and regularly attended lectures and movie club nights. She took art classes and was a talented painter. She was an avid reader and a master of the crossword. She was incredibly smart and had a great sense of humour. Until the very end, if there was a social gathering you could find her in the middle of it all, in her element.
She was incredibly independent, but following her diagnosis of Alzheimer's, living alone became too difficult for her and she moved in with Nicky and her family. Her wish was to live her days out with family and it was a true gift to be able to give her that. Alzheimer's takes so much from you over time and can be an incredibly scary and frustrating journey. She handled it with grace and courage and although there were moments of fear and confusion, she remained the same sweet, beautiful, patient and lovely person she always was.
She was a true animal lover and always had a cat to keep her company. Her cat Tessie was always curled up beside her and when she wasn't feeling well, she seemed to sense when she needed some extra love.
She was a true gift in every way imaginable and she will be missed dearly. To celebrate mum and raise a glass to cheers her life, an open house will be held Saturday, July 19th in Coldstream BC, at Nicky's home. Anyone is welcome to drop by between 1-5pm to raise a glass of something chilled, sit in the garden, which was her happy place, and share a story or two. If you would like to join us, please click on the following link to let us know you will be coming.
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Service Details
1:00 PM