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
12 Responses
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.
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.