It is with profound sadness and much love that we mourn the passing of our dear mother, Ann Craven. Ann passed away at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital on May 22, 2015 after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was surrounded in her last days by her loving family and friends.

Ann was a sparkling soul, whose laugh and smile could light up a room. Her friends and family adored her for her sense of fun, kindness, and compassionate nature. She was loved and admired by many. She was predeceased by her parents and her sister, Jean. She was a loving mother to her children John (Janet), Jane, Andy, and grandchild Jess. She adored her many nieces and nephews and their families, and was blessed with a large number of close friends.

Ann was born in Radcliffe, Lancashire, England on March 31, 1936. She attended Bury Grammar School, and later trained as a nurse and midwife in Manchester and Stirling, UK, and fondly shared memories of riding around on her bicycle to deliver babies. Upon emigrating to Canada, she worked as a nurse at Scarborough Centenary Hospital and later at St. Michael's Hospital, where she worked for decades in the Women's Clinic and counted her coworkers as cherished friends. Upon retirement, she shared her expertise by volunteering for many years at the Breastfeeding Clinic at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, along with Meals on Wheels.

Ann first met her future husband, Colin, as a schoolmate. They started dating at 17, were married in September 1961, bought a house in Ramsbottom, and had two children (John & Jane) in quick succession. Shortly thereafter, they boarded the Empress of Canada (October 1966), emigrating to Canada where Andy was born. Always the adventurers, Colin & Ann enjoyed travelling to places they never would have imagined as children: crisscrossing Europe and Asia; traversing North America from PEI to BC, and from Alaska to Florida; and cruising in exotic locales such as Scandinavia, the Baltics and the Caribbean. They were always up for a good road trip.

Ann had a lifelong love of music. As a child, she took piano lessons, and as a teenager, performed with Colin in the Gilbert & Sullivan productions of The Mikado, and HMS Pinafore. In Canada, they continued their shared passion by performing in several musicals with the IBM Glee Club in the Toronto area. Upon moving to Oakville, Ann joined the choir of St Jude's Anglican Church, where she made many friends over her 40 year tenure. After retirement, Ann restarted her piano lessons and thrived under the tutelage of her teacher Ed, who became one of her best friends.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 10:30 am at St. Jude's Anglican Church, 160 William St., Oakville. A reception will be held in Victoria Hall at the church after the service followed by interment in Trafalgar Lawn Cemetery. For those who wish, the family would appreciate memorial donations in Ann's name to the Canadian Cancer Society.