Ann De Gruchy Tighe

Tighe-Ann De Gruchy, 67, after a courageous battle with progressive supra nuclear palsy, was granted her angel wings on Thursday, November 12, 2015 in Victoria, BC.

Ann is survived by daughter Tara (Jason), grandson Joshua and many other relatives and friends.

Born in 1948 in Toronto, Ontario, Mom spent her formative years in Fonthill, Ontario with her mother Frances Elizabeth Tighe (nee Sloan-1998) and Frederick William Tighe-1984). Often, she would visit with her Aunt Sheila and Uncle Desmond, and enjoyed the company of her two favourite cousins, Michael and Paul. The family moved to the west coast in the 1960s where Mom started to pave her way in to her career as an archaeologist through Simon Fraser University, graduating with a Master of Arts in Archaeology in 1973. It is here that she met her first husband John, in 1966 and got married in 1969.

From the mid-70s to mid-80s, Ann worked at the Royal British Columbia Museum working on archeological site information for BC in the Canadian Heritage Information Network. She later furthered her career by accepting a position at the Vancouver Museum as Registrar in 1984, then returned to Victoria in 1986 to accept a position at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, first as Registrar, then Collections Manager. Through her tenures, she met many beloved friends, many of those whom remained so for decades.

After her retirement from the gallery in 2003, Ann embarked on a new chapter in her life and began a new partnership with a fellow biblioholic and music lover, Terry. Consumed with mysteries and whodunnits, classic tales and poetry, she had always dreamed of running her own bookstore, and wanted to learn to sail. With that she set forth and opened up Compass Rose Nautical Bookstore in Sidney, BC with Terry where they provided to seafarers and lovers of the ocean all things nautical. Hand in hand, they learned to sail with the help of a their good friend John after purchasing their first boat, “Sam”. Later, they decided to live aboard the larger “Wings”, then downsized to “Haiwada” when they purchased their little blue house near Roberts Bay. There, they enjoyed gardening, cooking, and entertaining friends and family.

Ann was always a faithful lover of music who sang with the choral society of Victoria and participated in other choir groups in the city. It was at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Sidney, BC, that Mom met her second family and was surrounded by the warmth and support of the congregation. Attending Sunday services as often as possible, as well as practicing and performing with the choir, there was a joy and comfort to her and would become more so when she was diagnosed with her illness. Without her own courage, strength and tenacity, and the advocacy, love, strength, and support lent by her long time friends, advocates from the congregation at St. Andrews and her circle of family, this would have been more difficult and disheartening to witness.

Her final days were surrounded by family and friends that Ann had touched throughout her life. To many, it would seem that Ann’s life was too short. Those who were touched by her understood that quality of existence far exceeds the quantity of time in which one lives.

Special thanks to the many staff at the Heights at Mount View whose wise and caring words and actions brought much comfort to Mom, and provided support to her family and friends.

A celebration of Ann’s life will be held at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, 9686 Third Street (the corner of Third Street and Oakville Avenue) in Sidney on Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. with the Venerable Bob Baillie officiating.

Condolences may be offered to the family below.

McCall Bros. Funeral Home
www.mccallbros.com