May 21, 1976 – September 5, 2010
It is with great sadness we announce the loss of our Shelly after her courageous battle with cancer. She faced her entire journey with bravery, dignity and strength.
Shelly’s life took many interesting paths, from Kelowna through the Netherlands, Vancouver and Canmore before settling in Victoria. She found her passion at UVic pursuing her Master’s Degree in End of Life Care while also working at the Centre on Aging. Everywhere she stopped, she discovered many beautiful people that brought her so much joy. We will always remember her loyalty, her sparkly and loving personality as well as her courage and strength.
Shelly was pre-deceased by her father George, and is survived by her mother Alvina and her brother Shane.
Alvina and Shane extend our appreciation and gratitude to Dr. Leah Norgrove, Dr. MacLean and all their staff for the exceptional care they gave Shelly, as well as family, friends and Shelly’s co-workers who helped support us through this trying time.
A celebration of Shelly’s life will be held on October 30, 2010 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm at the University Club on the University of Victoria campus (http://club.uvic.ca/pages/about.html). Please RSVP to asenft@uvic.ca (250-721-6290) if you will be attending. Any shared memories of Shelly will be welcome.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice, or to the Elder Care Foundation (Lori.Mcleod@viha.ca 250-370-5646) who so kindly provided a grant to Shelly for her research.
20 Responses
Rest in Peace Shelly.
You are dearly missed.
Love, Claire, Darren, Mia & Liam x
Alvina and Shayne….we are so very sorry for the loss of your daughter, sister…. our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Shelly will be truly missed by all the lives she has touched and had yet to touch as she was so loving and kind to everyone. She always had a smile on her beautiful face that could brighten anyones worst day. I am so thankful to have had that time together this summer, what a wonderful memory I have of her. You will be forever in my heart and mind.
Your Big Cousin Christine
I want to convey my sympathy to Shelly’s family and close friends. She was an amazing young woman who touched many of us in quite special ways. She housesat for me and cared for my birds and dog Rocky. He adored her and when I brought him up to the Centre on Aging, he would get very excited and make a beeline for Shelly’s office. The next scene would be her down on the floor hugging him. We will miss her.
Shelly filled her space with joy, exuberance, enthusiasm and love. I have many memories of her laughter floating down the Centre on Aging hallway brightening up our day. I smile when I remember her showing me a video taken on her cell phone of Alvina and her jumping up and down on the trampoline in her backyard. It is then that I began to understand where she learned her sense of fun from!
I was not a close friend of Shelly’s..only a work colleague, yet she influenced me profoundly. Thank you Shelly for teaching me so much. I will keep the letters you shared. They will always remind me to:
Celebrate – live and love life to the fullest
Plan exciting things to do
Stay positive and go the Ice Cream Intervention Route when needed.
Work as a team
Be a Rock for others
Look for the Gifts each day
Enjoy the Moment
Don’t put off sharing something you want to share with others
Pay it Forward
Shelly is a bright star in my sky and I will set my compass to her when I get lost, need a kick in the pants, or when I face adversity. In the too short of time she was here, she shared so much of her beauty and made the world a much better place for all of us. You are an amazing family. My thoughts are with you and I send my deepest condolences.
Shelly was truly one of the most thoughtful, caring, enjoyable, intelligent, witty, compassionate, creative, beautiful, AMAZING individuals I have ever had the pleasure of calling my friend. She was a true gem.
Sending love and light to Alvina and Shane…and to all those who had absolute privilege of knowing Shelly…for we will all miss her smile and the absolute beauty of her spirit. If love could have saved her, she would have lived forever!
Love,
Julie xo
Aunty and Shane,
Shelly was the most loveable person we’ve ever met. We could all stand to put a little “Shelly ” into our lives because it would make all of us better people. She was the sun on a cloudy day and her frown was always turned upside down! 🙂 We wish that we had spent more time with her, but will treasure each and every memory we have of her.
We hope you both know that you were amazing support to Shelly during her fight, she couldn’t have asked for a more loving family. Please remember that we are only a phone call and a quick drive or flight away if you need anything.
We love you.
Adam and Tara
I met Shelley through her work with the UVic Centre of Aging, and I loved her enthusiasm, gigantic smile and even bigger heart from the first moment we met. She was a delightful, talented and caring individual, and will be greatly missed, most of all by her family, whom she spoke of with pride.
Please accept my sincere apologies in your loss.
Heather Cook
She was a lovely girl and we were so lucky to have known her and had her in our lifes be it for such a short time, She is greatly missed by us and we will always cherish the moments we had with her.
Thank-you for sharing her with us Alvina and Shane and we will always be here for you.
All our love always
Ray and Olga
Shelly
Because you were my friend,
my life has been enriched in a myriad of ways.
Like a cool breeze on a sweltering day,
like a ray of sunshine parting glowering clouds,
you lifted me up.
In good times, we soared,
like weightless balloons
over neon rainbows.
In bad times, you were soothing balm
for my pummeled soul.
I learned so much from you;
you helped me see old things in new ways.
I wonder if you were aware
of the bright seeds you sowed in me.
I’m a better person for knowing you,
so that everyone I interact with
is touched by your good effect on me.
You relaxed me, refreshed me, renewed me.
Your bounteous heart enveloped me
in joy and love and peace.
Your life was filled
with dazzling blessings,
just as I am blessed
by being your friend.
You will live on in my heart.
Alvina and Shane – I am filled with gratitude to have spent time with you earlier this month and my heart aches for your loss. You are forever in my heart and part of my chosen family. I love you both and please know that you can count on me for anything that you may need – just ask.
Love, Shelley B