Born in Victoria on November 29, 1911, Hilda died peacefully in her sleep on September 13, 2010 at Mount St. Mary. She will join her loving husband, Eddie, who predeceased her in 1987. She will be lovingly remembered by her niece, Ina Wallace and her husband, Weldon and their family, Trish (Steve) Sierzputowski, Marie (Dale Westby) and Don (Heather) Wallace; nephew, Gary Corbett and wife, Consuelo and their family, Marilyn Corbett and Daryl Corbett; plus 9 great, great nieces and nephews. She will be sadly missed by her many friends and cousins, who spanned 4 generations. She was affectionately called Auntie Hilda by many. She loved them all. She graduated from St. Joseph’s School of Nursing in 1933 and was Emergency Room, head nurse, there, for 22 years, retiring in 1972. We wish to thank the loving staff at Mount St. Mary for their care and affection.
A Celebration of Hilda’s Life will be held at MCCALL BROS. FLORAL CHAPEL, Johnson & Vancouver Streets on Saturday, September 18 at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mccallbros.com.
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Connie (cownden) Mckenzie
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Al & Wendy Tippett We knew Hilda for about 29 years–she was a great friend of my husband’s father, Bill Tippett, whom she met in Kindergarten.
Always interested in everything we did and always “up”- she was a wonderful woman–we will miss her when we next come to Victoria. We so enjoyed those many cups of tea on Deal Street and her exquisite home and garden. Glad she is reunited with her beloved Eddie–she always spoke so fondly of him.
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Brian H. Sabiston I note that the Obituary says that many called her “Auntie Hilda”.
Yes, that was true but when she used to hold me when I was 2-4 years old, I could not pronounce an “H” so I always called her ‘Lil” and for some strange reason, she and Eddie always called me ‘Buzz”. Have no idea why.
Her passing has really affected me because both she and Eddie were like second parents to me. After my Dad died in 1953, I used to go to them for breakfast, every Sunday for a number of years until I went away to university and got married.
It was Eddie that introduced me to horse-racing; The Irish Lottery; and, to music because he and Lil had this most magnificent record collection, and that is where I first ‘met’ Irish music and Vera Lynn ~ sitting in the den, listening to those records. Also, a really neat horse-racing and betting game!!!
It was Hilda that introduced me to ‘pressure cooking’ and ‘porcupine meat balls’. I still have her recipe and just a couple of weeks ago, I bought a new pressure cooker!! I haven’t used it yet, but I will do so, with her recipe, and in her memory!!
Also, during World War II, she set up an ARP First Aid Station in their basement at 1045 Deal St. ~ fully equipped as a Nursing First Aid Station.
And then, in the 1950’s, she set up an Immunization Clinic for Polio in her kitchen at 1045 Deal ~ Line-ups of kids (and Parents) going through her kitchen, for god’s sake!!!!
And then, when she went back to work at St Joe’s, she oversaw stitching me up on two occasions; fixing my broken wrist; fixing my broken BIG toe; and checking on my Tonsellectomy. She also mentored my best friend, Dr. Alan McLean, during his internship (as she had mentored many). In the eyes of many, “CORBETT” was “The Best”.
Amen on that! She was the best, and I, and many others, loved her dearly.
Go with God, my dear! Go with God.
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Roland and Pat Gilbert The era of great hands -on nurses is drawing to a close and Hilda was surely a marvelous example. She was fair,strict and all of her students benefited greatly. She certainly won’t be forgotten and her giving ways will always be remembered. Pat and Roland.
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Debbie Smith I am so sorry to hear that we have lost Hilda. She was an amazing woman and will be missed .
Debbie
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Linda Potts (Nobbs) Hilda and Eddie were very dear friends of my parents Flora and Arnold Nobbs. Always in my memories as my parents are both deceased, hopefully they will all now meet up again .
love Linda
Many years ago my grandparents, Connie and Jack Lawless, lived on Deal St. a couple of doors from the Corbetts. During the post war years, while my father was away at sea in the Navy, my mother Lucille would go back to Deal St with my sister and I. Hilda was my first vision of a nurse. She left such a lasting impression that in the early 60’s I entered St. Joseph’s School of Nursing and eventually became an EMR nurse. I met Hilda over the years mostly at aluminae gatherings where we always talk of my early years and her memories of my grandparents. It was always a delight to see her.
My thoughts and prayers of gratitude for her many years of nursing in the Victoria community at St. Joe’s.