Elizabeth Mary Ciceri (married name Doyle) passed away at Mount Tolmie Hospital in Victoria, B.C. at the age of 78 years on February 19, 2017. Elizabeth was born in Victoria, B.C. on April 20, 1938. She is predeceased by her sisters, Alexandra (“Lex”) and Madeleine; her twin brothers, Rod and John. She is survived by her children, Andrea Doyle, Lisa Doyle (Said Atiq) and Jennifer Doyle (Bruce Neatby); granddaughter, Antonia Neatby; sister-in-law, Shirley Ciceri and former spouse, Paul Doyle, along with many nieces, nephews and good friends.
Elizabeth attended 
St. Ann’s Academy in Victoria, and graduated from Seattle University with a BA in English. She later went back to school and completed a BSc in Microbiology at the University of Washington. She returned to Victoria in 1971 in order to set up the first immunology lab at the Royal Jubilee Hospital. Upon retirement, she frequented the Athlone Café (Eileen’s), continued her involvement with Pacific Opera Victoria and the Gilbert and Sullivan Society and always kept her swimsuit in the trunk of the car ‘in case she wanted to go for a dip’. Elizabeth had a wry wit, a gracious smile, and had a limitless compassion for others. She loved the Queen and once took her kids out of school and drove with them from Seattle to Vancouver to catch a glimpse of her. She was a top notch Girl Guide and once met Lady Baden Powell, upon receiving her Gold Cord. She dispelled myths and misconceptions of HIV and AIDS. She believed in education over fear. Elizabeth walked the picket line for her colleagues in the Hospital Employees Union (HEU), and walked during her own Health Sciences Association (HSA) union strikes. She spoke up for pay equity at the hospitals. She was really good at the stock market. She adored a good sing along. She loved thrift stores. She took care of the lonely. She never gossiped. She was seriously, very, very funny. She was an active member of her parish church St. Patrick’s in Victoria and St. Therese’s in Seattle. She was a good and generous friend and will be sorely missed by all who knew her.
Evening prayers will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, February 24th at St. Patrick’s Church. A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, February 25th at noon at St. Patrick’s Church, 2060 Haultain Street, Victoria, B.C. A celebration will immediately follow in Our Lady of Lourdes Hall adjacent to the church. Elizabeth’s ashes will be interred at Ross Bay Cemetery in the plot of her parents Jessie Irene Macdonell and Bernard Robert Ciceri at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, we request In Memoriam donations in the name of Elizabeth Ciceri to the the Victoria Conservatory of Music, 900 Johnson St, Victoria BC V8V 3N, 1 250-386-5311 or 1-866-386-531, http://vcm.bc.ca or the Alzheimer Society of Canada, 20 Eglinton Ave. W., Ste. 1600, Toronto, ON M4R 1K8, 416-488-8772 or 1- 800-616-8816 www.alzheimer.ca.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Linda Vasseur
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Peter C. Wylde Elizabeth was always a favorite of mine each time I returned to stage productions in the early years of Pacific Opera Victoria. So welcoming, so supportive, such energy and humour. Through her daughter Jennifer, once a student of mine, we had maintained contact right to the end. It was always a blessing to know that she was there. I feel her loss keenly, but but am grateful for every minute of her cherished friendship.
Peter C. Wylde.
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Sally Hannah Sincere sympathy to all the family. We so loved seeing Elizabeth at our weekly werageweweep art and music program.She was certainly one of a kind, and we miss her lovely smile.
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Judy Treloar Her children were my students at Glenlyon Norfolk school, and I directed her daughter, Andrea in “Elizabeth Rex”. They are a testament to her power, talent, and perseverance. My love to all.
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Maureen Fatin I was sad and shocked to read about Elizabeth’s passing. Unfortunately we lost contact with eachother when we moved from Victoria. I had the pleasure of knowing her for many years through VIHA, Pacific Opera, The Conservatory of Music, Gilbert & Sullivan Society and when she performed the alto part in our Victorian 4 part carolling group when we performed at the Union Club for many years She was a delightful lady who was so supportive of the arts and healthcare. She was respectful, kind, caring lady who always had a smile. She will be very much missed. I feel blessed and honoured to have known her.
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Anne Bowd I send my sympathies and love to Elizabeth’s family. I have known Elizabeth for the last 2 years and we had wonderful times together. We sang our favourite songs. We laughed together-Elizabeth had a great sense of humour. We went to the beach often and Elizabeth played the piano at Cattle Point several times. We visited the Chapel at St.Ann’s. We talked about the important role of women in the world. And we had many cups of coffee at Athlone Cafe. I will miss Elizabeth – she was a good friend.
Anne
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Christine Newton My condolences to Elizabeth’s family. I have many great memories of our time together at Pacific Opera. I will remember her fondly.
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Flori My husband and I sang in the opera chorus with Elizabeth many years ago. We have fond memories of a warm and gracious friend.
Flori & Jamie
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Terry (French) Harrison I remember Elizabeth from school days at St. Ann’s, where she was a couple of years behind me.
We re-connected after many years at Convent reunions, I watched for her in the chorus of Pacific Opera Victoria productions and counted her as a friend, even though we met infrequently. She was a lovely person and I’m sad she has gone.
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Sheila grigg Dear Bruce and Jennifer…what a lovely story of Elizabeth’s life. She was a wonderful woman to have known, and sung with. Sheila Grigg and Phil Rogers from The Newcombe Choir
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Florence Echtman My condolences to the family. She was truly a remarkable woman.
Florence Echtman
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Marianne Yoshioka A wonderful tribute to an extraordinary woman. Thank you so much for sharing this. I am wishing you all peace during this time. I am grateful to know that you had such an amazing woman in your life.
The whole city of Victoria reminds me of this amazing woman. When we went for drives, she talked about her memories and they became my favourite stories too. She was a brilliant, kind woman and she impacted me with those qualities. When she sang a song she was entirely full of joy.