Muriel Mabel Stewart (neé Burkinshaw)

February 8, 1921 – April 11, 2013

Muriel passed peacefully into the presence of her Lord and Saviour on April 11, 2013. She was born in Berry Creek, Alberta to Edgar and Olive Burkinshaw, two years before brother Ken. Muriel lost her mother Olive during a thyroid operation in 1925. She and Ken lived with relatives in Berry Creek, joining Edgar and his new wife, Evelyn Easton in Victoria, in 1930. Brother Bryan was born in 1935. Muriel biked to high school from their dairy farm in Gordon Head, and went on to become a teacher, taking Sr. Matric at Craigdarroch Castle, and a year at the Provincial Normal School, the precursor to UVIC. Her first assignment was the one room Highlands School, preserved today in Caleb Pike Park.

Muriel married John Stewart, a Victoria firefighter, in October of 1943. She then, in April 1945, became a full time Mom with the first of their four children. Many years later there were five grandchildren, which led to eleven great grands. Muriel was a strong Christian and along with raising a family was a wonderful support to her husband and church families at Victoria Gospel Chapel, Lambrick Park Church, and Oaklands Chapel. In later years she returned to the classroom, teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). She was a whiz at crosswords, a terrific home maker and decorator, a member and chair of the Christian Woman’s Club, managed a ladies prayer supper in her home for 30 years and looked after her grateful kids during visits to the Stewart Family Pender Island property, and her Dad’s Shawnigan Lake cabin. She hosted a zillion extended family dinners, loved to travel to sunnier climes, pampered her flower garden, and lived a long life on faith and love with her rock, John.

Muriel, pre-deceased by her husband and brother Ken, will be lovingly missed by brother Bryan (Sylvia), children Andrew (Anita), Roy (Carol), Nina (Brian Craig) and Greg; Grandchildren Dale (Kelly), Chris, and David (Alana) Stewart, Jonathan (Shena) and Jamie (Stephanie) Craig, Leah (Danny) Cooper, Carl Westlind and Louis Warren; plus Great Grandchildren, Sean, Jenna, Paige-Marie, Tyler, Ada, Brooke, Riley, Brooklyn, Pearl, Bronwyn, and Jaxon; sisters-in-law Elaine Burkinshaw, Phyllis Aitken, Jeannie Cooke, Bea and Maureen Stewart, as well as many nieces, nephews and friends.

A graveside service will be held at Royal Oak Burial Park on Saturday, May 11th at 1:15 pm, followed at 2:30 pm by a Memorial Service and reception at McCall Bros. Funeral Home, 1400 Vancouver St., Victoria. Special thanks for the amazing care given to Muriel by Christina Scott and her exceptional staff at Craigdarroch Care Home. Condolences may be offered to the family below.

www.mccallbros.com