It is with sadness that we announce the passing of our mother, Jill Smith on Saturday, December 9th 2023, at the age of 92.
Jill is survived by her sons: Ted (Janet) Harwood, John (Rae) Harwood, Michael Harwood and her daughter, Melanie Harwood, as well as step-daughter Marilyn (Peter) Fedak, eleven grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren. Jill was predeceased by her husband, Dawson Smith in 2013 and her daughter, Lee Ann Brayford in 1994.
Jill was born in Vancouver to Harold and Ruth Tait on April 10th, 1931. She lived in Courtney, BC until the start of WWII, when her family transferred to Winnipeg, MB. She married George Harwood in 1953. After her divorce in 1961, she packed up her five young children and moved to Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England to live with her father who had remained in England following the end of the war. While there, she met her husband, Dawson Smith and they were married on August 6th, 1965. In 1966, the family returned to Winnipeg.
Jill worked for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as the executive assistant to Arnold Spohr and was also responsible for domestic and international accommodation bookings for all dancers and management.
Jill and Dawson moved to BC in 1979. There she worked for the Frazer Valley College Art Department in Abbotsford, and later, in Victoria, for the WCB until her retirement in 1996.
She enjoyed reading, gardening, watching Baseball and English football, and loved listening to Marty Robbins.
Cremation has taken place. A service of remembrance will be held at St Luke’s Anglican Church, 3821 Cedar Hill Cross Rd, Victoria, at 1:30 PM, on the 19th of January, 2024.
Thank you to the staff at Selkirk Seniors Village, for the gracious care Mum received for the last years of her life.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Vicki and Malcolm Sharp
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Merry Hallsor Sorry to hear of Jill’s passing. I enjoyed my visits with her before she was moved to Selkirk. She had wonderful stories of her involvement with St. Luke’s Church and all the things Dawson had done for the church. She had great pride in her home and her memories. Her family was very important to her and she always praised her son Ted and daughter-in-law Janet who took such good care of her. RIP Jill
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Diana Pimlott So sorry for your loss. Best wishes to all. From D Pimlott a friend of Cheryl’s.
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Darlene and Frank Sorry for your loss, our thoughts are with you.
Frank and Darlene ❤️
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Susan Hart-Kulbaba I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your Mom. I have so many fond memories of times with you all, before and after England and your mom played a role in many of our get togethers. Whether it was an informal event, or spending the night with you all at the little house on Hampton, or more traditional family celebrations, your Mom was always an active part in those memories. I am sure she will be sorely missed.
We are so sorry to learn of Jills passing away. She was a lovely lady,
and a great help on our Antiques and Collectibles stall at our bazaars at St. Lukes. She and Dawson hosted wonderful parties in their cozy home. We have very fond memories of them both.
Jill collected teddy bears..a huge collection! We were fortunate to have known Jill (& Dawson) and we know she will be greatly missed by family and friends. We send our sincere condolences to the family.
Malcolm and Vick Sharp