A Season of Colour, Connection and Remembrance

Autumn arrives gently on Southern Vancouver Island. The mornings become a little cooler, leaves begin to gather along familiar walking paths, and shorter days invite us to spend more time with the people and places that matter to us.

It is also a season that naturally lends itself to reflection. We remember traditions, revisit favourite places and find comfort in the small rituals that connect one season of life with the next.

In this edition, we are sharing a few ways to enjoy autumn around Greater Victoria, along with thoughtful information about planning ahead, supporting families after a death and the people who make McCall Gardens what it is.

From all of us at McCall Gardens, we hope the months ahead bring you many opportunities for friendship, discovery, and time together.

Autumn Outdoors: Discovering the Forest Floor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the pleasures of autumn on Vancouver Island is seeing the forest change almost week by week. Fallen leaves soften the trails, rain brings fresh colour to moss-covered logs, and mushrooms begin appearing in remarkable shapes and shades.

The Capital Regional District is offering several nature programs this October, including guided and self-guided walks. On October 25, a CRD Regional Parks naturalist will lead Road Trip to Mushrooms at Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park. Designed as a beginner-friendly introduction to fungi, the outing focuses on observing mushrooms in their natural habitat rather than harvesting them. Transportation from Victoria is included with registration.

Even without joining an organized walk, autumn can be a wonderful time to revisit a favourite regional park. A slower pace often reveals the details we miss during the busier days of summer.

 

A Journey Through Art at the AGGV

Sometimes a journey does not require going very far.

Opening October 3 at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, On the Road: Journeys through Japanese Woodblock Prints explores landscapes, celebrated routes and scenes of travel through works from the Gallery’s collection. The exhibition considers the enduring appeal of journeys, pilgrimage and changing seasons, and continues through April 4, 2027.

The Gallery’s autumn calendar also includes Family Sunday on October 18 and a new season of exhibitions beginning in November. For anyone looking for a peaceful indoor outing as the weather cools, an afternoon with art can offer a welcome change of pace.

 

An Autumn Visit to the Royal BC Museum

The Royal BC Museum has a particularly full calendar this season.

Its feature exhibition, Ancient Egypt: Obsessed with Life, continues through January 3, 2027, providing an opportunity to explore how people in ancient Egypt understood daily life, community, culture and the passage of time. On October 20, the museum’s Story Collection: Stories from the Threshold will explore stories about death, dying and the thresholds people cross through life, drawing inspiration from themes within the Ancient Egypt exhibition.

Later in the season, the museum will host Fungi Fest on November 1 and Folktoria on November 21 and 22, a free multicultural festival featuring music, dance, food, crafts and song.

Museums have a special way of reminding us that, although generations and customs change, people have always found ways to tell stories, preserve memories and make meaning of the lives they share.

 

The Simple Pleasure of an Autumn Walk

Not every memorable autumn outing needs a destination or an agenda.

Greater Victoria’s parks, waterfront paths and neighbourhood streets become especially beautiful at this time of year. A walk can be as simple as watching the changing leaves, listening for birds or stopping somewhere familiar for a cup of coffee afterward.

For those who enjoy learning while they walk, the Capital Regional District’s October calendar includes nature programs exploring woodpeckers, owls, fungi and the changing forest understory.

Whether the outing lasts twenty minutes or an afternoon, spending time outdoors can be a lovely way to notice the season rather than simply watching it pass.

A Season for Local Arts and Learning

As outdoor summer festivals give way to cooler evenings, Greater Victoria’s galleries, museums and cultural organizations provide plenty of reasons to keep exploring.

At the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, autumn programming includes performances, family activities, artist talks and the opening of new exhibitions. Into the Wosk Collection: Discovery & Wonder, opening November 7, brings together photographs, prints and etchings from a wide-ranging collection.

Meanwhile, the Royal BC Museum continues to offer free online programs for people who prefer to participate from home. Upcoming topics include Indigenous Veterans Day on November 5 and, later in December, a program exploring how animals survive winter.

Autumn is a good reminder that curiosity has no age limit. There is always another story to hear, another place to discover and another opportunity to learn something new.

 

Funeral Education

What Happens After the Funeral?

When a funeral or memorial service has concluded, families often discover that another set of responsibilities is just beginning.

There may be government benefits to address, insurance and pension matters, bank accounts to update, vehicle or property-related paperwork, credit cards to cancel and other notifications to make. For someone who is grieving, even straightforward administrative tasks can feel like a great deal to manage.

That is why McCall Gardens provides an Aftercare Program to every family we serve at no additional cost.

Our Aftercare Concierge can help families understand many of the practical tasks that follow a death, including Service Canada applications and claims, Canada Pension matters, pensions and retirement benefits, life insurance policies, bank and brokerage accounts, automobile insurance and transfers, and other important notifications.

Aftercare can also help connect families with grief counsellors and other appropriate professionals when additional support would be helpful.

This service is not a substitute for legal advice. Instead, its purpose is to provide practical information, organization and direction at a time when knowing where to begin can make a meaningful difference.

Our care for families does not end when a service concludes. We remain here to help with the days that follow.

 

Planning Ahead

A Conversation Today Can Be a Gift Tomorrow

Many people spend years carefully planning the important parts of life. We make wills, discuss retirement, organize important papers and tell family members about the things that matter to us.

Funeral and memorial wishes can be approached with the same thoughtful spirit.

Planning ahead provides an opportunity to consider personal preferences without the pressure that accompanies an immediate loss. It can also create a natural opening for conversations with family members about traditions, music, gatherings and the ways we would like to be remembered.

The process does not have to begin with every answer. Sometimes it begins with a simple conversation: Would you prefer burial or cremation? Would you want a traditional funeral, a smaller gathering or a celebration of life? Is there a piece of music, a reading, a photograph or a family tradition that holds particular meaning?

Writing down those wishes and letting the appropriate people know where they can be found can provide valuable guidance later.

At McCall Gardens, our Advanced Planning team is available to help individuals and families understand their choices and consider arrangements at a comfortable pace. Planning ahead is ultimately about communication: making wishes known and giving the people we love a clearer understanding of what matters to us.

 

Seasonal Feature

The Beauty of Keeping Traditions

Autumn seems to bring traditions to the surface.

Perhaps it is a Thanksgiving recipe written in a parent’s handwriting. Maybe it is a drive taken every October, bulbs planted before the first frost, a favourite sweater brought out of the cupboard or a family meal where the same stories somehow find their way back to the table.

Traditions do not have to be grand to become meaningful. Often, their importance comes from repetition. We remember who taught us the recipe, who always sat in a particular chair or who insisted that the family take one more photograph.

When someone we love is no longer with us, continuing a familiar tradition can become a gentle way of carrying that person forward. Traditions can change, too. A new generation may add something of its own while keeping a small piece of what came before.

That is one of the quiet gifts of autumn. As nature changes around us, we are reminded that change and continuity can exist together.

 

Staff Spotlight

Meet Cathy Dunfield, Licensed Funeral Director

For Cathy Dunfield, caring for families has been at the heart of a funeral-service career spanning more than two decades.

Originally from Bathurst, New Brunswick, Cathy moved to Victoria in 2002 as the result of a military posting. That same year, she began working in the funeral profession and went on to gain experience across many areas of funeral service.

In 2015, Cathy earned her Funeral Director and Embalmer licences through the Canadian College of Funeral Service. Her years of experience and professional training are part of the steady, compassionate care she brings to families at McCall Gardens.

Away from work, Cathy enjoys an active life. She loves sports and cycling and has participated in the Hospice Cycle of Life Tour four years in a row, helping raise funds for hospice organizations on Vancouver Island. She is also an enthusiastic hockey fan.

Cathy and her husband, Peter, have two children, Caitlin and Alexander.

We are grateful to have Cathy as part of the McCall Gardens family and for the experience, energy and care she brings to the families we are privileged to serve.

Around Our Community

Dates for the Autumn Calendar

October 3 — On the Road: Journeys through Japanese Woodblock Prints opens at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and continues through April 4, 2027.

October 18 — Family Sunday at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria offers an afternoon of creative exploration, with free admission for visitors 25 and under.

October 20 — The Story Collection: Stories from the Threshold takes place at the Royal BC Museum, exploring stories connected with death, dying and life’s thresholds.

October 25 — Road Trip to Mushrooms at Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park offers a guided introduction to fungi with a CRD Regional Parks naturalist. Advance registration is required.

November 1 — Fungi Fest comes to the Royal BC Museum, with hundreds of identified macrofungi on display and experts available to answer questions. Admission to the event is free.

November 7 — Into the Wosk Collection: Discovery & Wonder opens at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and continues through April 25, 2027.

November 21–22 — Folktoria returns to the Royal BC Museum with multicultural music, dance, food, crafts and song. The festival is free.

Event details can change, so readers may wish to confirm times, admission and registration requirements with the hosting organization before heading out.

 

Upcoming Events at McCall Gardens

 

From Our Family to Yours

As autumn settles over Vancouver Island, we hope you find time for the things that make this season meaningful to you: a walk beneath changing leaves, an afternoon with an old friend, a favourite family meal or simply a quiet moment at home.

At McCall Gardens, we have been privileged to be part of the Greater Victoria community for generations. That connection continues to shape the way we serve families today, through funeral and cremation services, advanced planning, aftercare and the many conversations that happen before and after a service.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your community.

May your autumn be filled with warmth, meaningful moments and good memories.

The McCall Gardens Team