Wendy passed away peacefully in her sleep, Nov 7, 2023 at the age of 82 at Rest Haven Lodge in Sidney BC. Brad and sons, Scott & Travis were there to say their goodbyes.
Wendy was the oldest of 3 children born to Ronald and Eva Leffler (Jackson) of Ottawa Ontario. She is survived by her husband Brad Franklin, sons Scott and Travis, grandchildren Kristopher, Kassandra, and Victoria, along with her brother Peter and sister Susan.
This passionate, creatively driven, and hard-working woman was a longtime resident of Sidney BC who cherished spending time with her many friends. She indulged in watercolor painting, photography, boating, camping, traveling the world and creating a huge body of artwork.
Her drive to hunt interesting items at garage sales, flea markets and local thrift shops was fueled by inspiration and resulted in a collection of unique raw materials to use in her craft classes, jewelry and painting workshops, as well as her own artwork.
Wendy not only believed everyone had the capability to create something beautiful but drew out abilities in her students that they may not have known they had. She was an artist who made other artists. This is especially true with her sons as they led lives enjoying the benefits of being artistically rounded. While one consciously followed a commercial art lifestyle, the other uses art sensibilities to make more technical endeavors ‘elegant’. This influence has contributed to their enjoyment of their lives in ways that cannot be overstated.
Her life as an artist allowed her to create and express herself across many mediums. From pottery to painting, macramé to metal jewelry fashioning, Wendy relentlessly pursued any medium with confidence. Whatever idea came to mind, Wendy was never held back by “Can I?”. That trait allowed her to bring all types of beauty into this world.
Wendy drew her inspiration from and documented her extensive travels with family and friends. In addition to driving trips across North America, she also visited Hawaii, Alaska, China, Japan, Australia, Europe and Central America. She even went on safari in Africa!
Always smiling, Wendy was determined to enjoy life at every opportunity. She had a passion for driving her various toys including a motor scooter, a cabin cruiser, and a little red Miata sports car. Wendy also tried flying gliders and jumping out of airplanes. If she was interested in giving something a shot that’s what she did.
A woman of unbreakable spirit, Wendy was warm, loving, vibrant, and always had a positive outlook on life. She was deeply loved by her family and friends and will be truly missed, however the indelible mark she has left will remain.
The family honoured Wendy in a small private ceremony and Brad plans to have a Celebration of Life for Wendy in the Spring of 2024.
In Lieu of flowers donations may be made to Rest Haven Lodge 2281 Mills Rd, Sidney, BC V8L 2C3 or Parkinsons Canada https://www.parkinson.ca/
Condolences maybe offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Daphne Julia Trefry
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Peggy and Ron Clingen Wendy so wonderfully fulfilled her roles as a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter and sister
over the years. Her creative talents and kind, upbeat personality were so evident to us and all who knew her.Having had the opportunity of regarding her as a close friend, we will cherish many good memories from her days in Ottawa and her return visits with Brad.
Brad, Scott, Travis and the entire family, you are in our thoughts and prayers during this time of grief. You have our sincerest, heartfelt condolences.
Peggy and Ron Clingen
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Peter Wolfe We’ve had the privilege of knowing Wendy since the late 1960s in Bramalea, Ontario. From the very beginning, Wendy’s passion for artistic projects shone brightly. We had fun together with one creative endeavour, the KinderKraft decorative accessories for children’s rooms.
Over the years we lived in different parts of the country until Brad and Wendy moved to Sidney with us living in Saanich. Wendy’s enthusiasm when we were together in Las Vegas made that time truly memorable.
In 2004 Wendy encouraged us to join them on a cruise from Hawaii to Vancouver. This was the first of what became many cruises for us. We enjoyed several more cruises together as well as boating together in our own boats.
Wendy was always so positive and motivating and brought her artistic flair to everything she did. We will miss her and extend our heartfelt condolences to Brad, Travis, Scott and their families.
With love,
Peter, Gurli and Michael Wolfe
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Ingrid and Bob Shaw Dear Brad, Scott and Travis,
Bob and I want to send you and your entire family our deepest sympathy as you deal with the loss of Wendy. She was an amazing woman and a very dear and longtime friend to not only the two of us but to my mother as well. We want you to know how much we will miss her and how grateful we are to have known her and had her in our lives.
With our deepest sympathy
Ingrid and Bob
Wendy and l were in public school ( Mutchmore Public School in Ottawa, Ontario together. I used to call on her at her home, and we would walk together. We enjoyed our time together at our summer cottage, near Carleton Place, on Mississipi Lake.we used to sketch, in india ink and pens. She loved to sketck trees and the rocky lakeshoer, l recall.Wendy was my best friend, in our childhood years.