May 24, 1924 – July 23, 2015
Daphne died peacefully early Thursday morning following a brief stay at Victoria Hospice. She was predeceased in 1987 by her husband of 33 years, George Walter Baldwin (1928-1987), and is survived by her children Andrew (Karli), Elizabeth (Anthony), Matthew (Susan) and Jennifer (Michael); grandchildren Anastasia, Luke, Samuel, Ewan, Eleanor and Thomas; and cat Pepper.
Mum was born and raised in Oak Bay, graduated from Norfolk House (1941) in a class of 6 girls, attended Victoria College in Craigdarroch Castle (1941-1943) and, after a hiatus of five years, completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in History and English at UBC, where she met George. They were married in 1954 and moved to Prince George “for two years” – which became 47. Her time in Prince George was spent raising her family, to whom she was devoted, and caring for the many family pets over the years. She had a wide circle of friends, and maintained contact, by her indefatigable letter-writing, with relatives and childhood friends all over the world. Despite being, she alleged, shy and reserved, she was involved in a number of local activities, serving as chairman of the library board, Girl Guide commissioner, and in various capacities with the Alaska Music Trail, the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, the Concert Society, and St. Michael’s Anglican Church. She also served provincially on the Library Development Commission and the Heritage Trust, and was a judge for the Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for books on local history. She and George were also involved with the grassroots movement that led to establishment of the University of Northern British Columbia, and she was a loyal supporter of the university even after she left Prince George. In 2001, Mum moved back to Oak Bay, to the address of her childhood home, though she rebuilt the house. She enjoyed the intellectual and cultural activities in Victoria, and was a strong supporter of the Victoria Symphony, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Royal B.C. Museum, among many others, and a steadfast member of St. Mary’s Anglican Church (Oak Bay), which she had attended as a child. Throughout our lives, all of us received the benefit of her patience, her unstinting and unconditional love, her gently-expressed disapproval, her support, her impeccable manners and her wonderfully gentle sense of humour and fun. It seemed the kettle was always on in Mum’s kitchen, and the tins full of home baking for all who visited. She exemplified grace, dignity, and loving kindness.
We would like to thank the Royal Jubilee Hospital and Victoria Hospice staff.
A funeral service will be held at St. Mary’s Anglican Church in Oak Bay (Elgin Road) at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 31, 2015.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Mary’s Anglican Church, the BCSPCA, Knowledge Network, or Pacific Opera Victoria.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Bros. Funeral Home
www.mccallbros.com
32 Responses
I had the pleasure of doing Mrs. Baldwin’s hair for many years. What a wonderful woman. The word I would use to sum up who I saw her as, is a lady. She was very much a lady. She was proper and carried herself with grace and poise. She was also liberal minded and very clever. I’m a better person for having known her.
Dearest Elizabeth,
My sincere condolences to you and your family. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you at this sad time.
Sending lots of hugs,
Gadija
Dear Elizabeth and Family,
I am so sorry to hear about Daphne’s passing. I met Daphne during one of her visits to see Elizabeth in Leeds, England. She was a kind and sweet lady. I especially remember her gentle manner and friendliness toward me even though we had just met. She really made an impression on me at the time.
My thoughts and prayers are with you,
Katia
So sorry to read of the death of Daphne she will be missed. My condolences and sympathies to her family.
To the Family of Daphne Baldwin;
My most sincere condolences to all four of you, and your families, on the loss of your mother. A very sad time and my thoughts are with you.
I must, however, offer my congratulations to you on the beautiful obituary in today’s Prince George Citizen. Such carefully constructed writing. Your mother deserves every loving word. Such a rich life she lead! Blaine Rowe
To the Baldwin Family:
My deepest condolences to you for the loss of your sweet Mum. She was indeed a gentle soul who left a lasting impression on any of us who had the pleasure of being on the peripherals of her life. My thoughts & prayers are with your family at this time.
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your mother. I remember “Aunt Daphne” as a kind, soft spoken and caring woman. Aunt Daphne and Uncle George were my parents first friends when they immigrated to Canada and landed themselves in Prince George. In the Baldwin manner, they welcomed them with open and generous arms, embracing my parents as family. It is no wonder they stayed dear friends. My thoughts are with you.
Daphne was a role model and a mentor to me and I valued and enjoyed the time we worked together on local history and heritage maters in PG. She is missed already. My sympathies to the family.
My sincere condolences to the Baldwin Family. I was fortunate to know Daphne through her interests in local history and culture of Prince George and that of the creation of UNBC. We had many pleasant conversations about those early years and we are fortunate to have her holdings here in the archives.
May you be blessed with many happy memories of her.
Sincerely, Ramona Rose, Northern BC Archives, UNBC
I wanted to send a note and say I’m sorry for your loss.I have very fond memories of your Mom as one of my Brownie leaders,”Brown Owl”Your mother was a soft spoken lady with a ton of patience in dealing with some very active 8 and 9 years olds My childhood memories filled with working hard for the badges and remembering the alphabet in sign language( which to this day I still remember!!)
Your Mother did an amazing job raising all of you~
May you have many happy memories of her