Susan passed away peacefully in Victoria, BC, just four days after celebrating her 100th birthday. Born in Cologne, Germany, Susan immigrated to Canada with her family in 1931, arriving through Ellis Island, NY. She grew up in Montreal where she met the love of her life, Eric Gill. After marriage in Montreal, they settled in Victoria where they built a beautiful life and family.
Susan’s greatest love was spending time with her family, followed closely by her cherished dogs. She was a longtime member of the Uplands Golf Club and found joy in golfing, hunting, and fishing. She had fond memories of time spent with Eric and loved ones at Qualicum Beach and Shawnigan Lake, creating memories that will be treasured by her family forever.
Predeceased by her beloved husband Eric in 2011, Susan is survived by her children, Greg (Karen) Gill, Rick (Diane) Gill, and Debbie (David) McCall, along with 10 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Susan’s remarkable life spanned a century of love, adventure, and dedication to those she held dear. Mom/Oma will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by all who knew her.
A Funeral & Celebration of Susan’s life will be held at 12 Noon on Saturday, February 1, 2025, in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens, 4665 Falaise Drive, Victoria, BC. The family would like to thank the wonderful care team at Mount St. Mary Hospital. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Sue’s memory to the BC SPCA in Victoria. Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
17 Responses
Dear Debbie and Family,
Please accept my heartfelt condolences.
My thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.
As a volunteer at MSMH I was fortunate to meet your mother. She was a sweetheart and made the amazing 100 years.
God bless to all of you,
Mike Clermont
Our sincere condolences to all the family.
This world has lost a beautiful elegant lady.
Love Nicole and Leslie
Remembering Sue with great fondness. Always gracious, beautiful and kind.
Our families had wonderful memories with the Westdowne gang. We loved visiting Shawnigan.
So many wonderful memories.
Incredible that she celebrated her 100 Birthday. She will always be fondly remembered.
Sending love to all of you Greg, Rick and Debbie and your families.
Dear Debbie, Rick, Greg, Trevor, Stacey and all of your families,
I am sorry that you have lost Sue, such an integral cornerstone of your family. I have not known a more elegant, kind, thoughtful and positive person and I am grateful to have seen and talked with her many times over the past decades. There has always been a twinkle in her eyes to match her active mind!
Please accept my and my family’s sincere condolences.
Best Wishes,
Ross McKay
Dear Debbie and family,
Our sincere condolences to you and your family on the loss of a wonderful mother.
She had a remarkable life filled with so much love.
From Jane & the ladies at Fine Floral Designs
Debbie
My sincere condolences to you and your family on the loss of your beautiful mom.
Auntie Sue was a huge and cherished part of my childhood. Every summer my mom (her sister Gisela) and I would drive from the SF bay area to Victoria, to spend time with Sue and Eric, but also my wonderful cousins Rick, Deb and Greg. We’d spend time in the house on Crestview but also in the early years at Shawnigan and later at Qualicum (I even brought my kids there once!) Sue was always an incredibly kind person, making sure I had treats from the Dutch Bakery, taking me to high tea at the Empress, visits to Butchart Gardens, and patiently surviving my banging on the downstairs piano (no, I don’t play!) I probably have the most cherished childhood memories of the time at Shawnigan — going in the rowboat with her, playing Sorry with her (there’s that patience again) picking berries and making berry crumble with cake mix, an easy and magical recipe. And I totally agree with my brother Ron’s comment about Sue’s elegance. She had a grace about her, in how she put herself together, carried herself, her calmness and even her pleasant and soothing voice which I can hear now. I was lucky to visit her with my kids– now adults–a few years ago, it was so fun to see her at the center of her large and wonderful family, a real treat for my kids too. She will be greatly missed and live on in our hearts.
I am thinking of Sue this morning and remembering how warm, gentle, and
always elegant she was. She was also a lot of fun – many memories:
Shawnigan, Qualicum and Crestview; the dogs; Sue cooking turkey broth;
Sue and Eric cuddled up on the couch holding hands and watching TV;
the rose garden up-island; her love for her family. Condolences to all
the family as you celebrate the long and wonderful life of a
completely delightful woman.
With love…Ann (and Bob) Higinbotham
Always a lady. Kind and beautiful. Thank you Debbie and family for sharing her with my family on many occasions including Christmas. With love Karin O’Connor and family.
Aunt Sue occupies a very special place in my memory. She always seemed to have a happy and calm presence about her—even “elegant” wouldn’t be too strong a word. In recent years, until advancing age caught up with her, I could always count on getting a birthday telephone call from Sue. We’d chat about recent family doings. These calls, for me, represented a slender thread keeping family ties alive between its Canadian and U.S. wings. Long ago, I have happy childhood memories of visits to the Gill family, mostly at their vacation home on Lake Shawnigan. I still have a fondness for blackberry jam on toast in the morning, which dates back to when we’d pick them wild nearby. Sue’s ready smile was always welcoming and warm. With her passing I took a nostalgic look on my PC for family history. A lovely beach photo of her turned up and so did the manifest for her mid-October, 1931 voyage to the New World. She was listed as just 6 years old, traveling with her mother, “Anna” (whom we always knew as “Millie”), age 38; older sister, Gisela, age 11; older brother, “Hans Joachim” (“Fred”); and younger brother, Manfred, age 3. The ship, the S.S. Lapland, departed from Antwerp and was bound for New York, across what may well have been the Atlantic’s heavy seas that Fall. Peter Holl had come across earlier to make arrangements for his family’s later arrival. Halifax, Ontario was listed as the group’s final destination. Aunt Sue’s passing marks the end of that hearty generation of Holls. Although the family’s early years in Canada were marked with hardship and deprivation, Sue’s subsequent married life with Uncle Eric, her family, and pets was surely blessed. She was a lovely and loving human being.
Ron Roizen
Wallace, Idaho