Vandella Maria Lawrence Obituary December 31, 2018 - Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home

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IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Vandella Maria

Lawrence

June 4, 1921 – December 31, 2018

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Obituary

VANDELLA MARIA "Van" LAWRENCE (nee Foreman).
RNA
June 4, 1921 to December 31, 2018.

Van is survived by her daughter, Gail Lawrence (Henry Verrydt); predeceased by her beloved husband, Henry John "Jack"; remembered fondly by brother, Fred Letto (Phyllis) of Perth, Ontario, and nieces and nephews across Canada. Van's siblings predeceased her.

Born in Harrington Harbour, Quebec, to Walter Thomas Foreman and Hilda Vandella (Jones), Van never knew her father; he died shortly after her birth. Many summers of her childhood were spent with her siblings and cousins at Kegaska River helping their grandparents pack salmon at the Foreman family's cannery. When Van was about eight years old, her mother married Alpheus Letto, and her brother, Fred, was born about a year later.

Van moved to Montreal shortly before the outbreak of World War II and worked at Crane Co. for the war effort. In 1944, she graduated from a Registered Nursing Assistant program and subsequently took on private nursing duties.

Van met Jack in 1947 at a dance in Montreal and they married in June of 1952. They welcomed their only daughter, Gail, some years later in Halifax, NS.

Following her marriage, Van was a full-time homemaker and mother. As a wife of a naval officer, she was often on her own for weeks at a time while Jack was on maneuvers. Nonetheless, during these naval years, she and Jack formed life-long friendships during postings in Halifax and Montreal. She hosted friends and family for many dinners and was known for her home cooked meals, especially her chocolate cake and rum pie. And, of course, no meal was complete without a good strong cup of hot tea!

Her talents included sewing, knitting, crocheting and tatting. She often hemmed pants for the nephews, altered clothing for family members, in addition to taking up curtain making and upholstery. She enjoyed gardening and even into her nineties, she continued to tend her garden, mow the lawn, and trim rose bushes and shrubs. She often fielded questions from neighbours, who wanted to know "her gardener", so they could have that lush lawn and manicured garden.

Van and Jack traveled well into their eighties during their retirement years. They attended Atlantic Chief and POs events and were able to visit friends in NS and BC.

Upon moving to Oakville, ON, in the 1980s, they enjoyed walking every day to Bronte Harbour and made many friends along the way. Van loved to have a good chat over the fence or over the phone. She continued to make meals and bake cakes until she moved to a retirement home in 2016.

She was well loved and will be sadly missed by all of us.

For their kindness and caring, we would like to thank the staff at Lakeshore Place (Chartwell Lakeshore). We would also like to thank the amazing ER and Palliative Care staff at Joseph Brant Hospital for their care, concern, and support December 29-31, 2018. In keeping with Van's wishes for "no fuss", there will be no funeral or memorial service. If you wish to make a donation in her memory, please consider Diabetes Canada: https://www.diabetes.ca/ .

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