Remembrance Day 2023

Remembrance Day ceremonies held in each area this year were attended by our locally stationed Royal Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Navy.  I want to thank all of our residents, family members, and staff who participated in the “Act of Remembrance” within our Service. It is always a great honor as a community to pay tribute to our Canadian Forces from the past to the present in their ongoing sacrifice in defending our freedoms, values, and rights.  A big thank you to all the members of our Forces who came to support this event, you helped make this such a meaningful day!

Legion Veteran's Luncheon

An invitation from the Comox Legion had some of our own Veteran's enjoying a luncheon with old friends and new. 

A great day to reconnect and reminisce. 

Thank you to The Comox Branch for the invitation and Joyce Sheppard and Melissa Rochon for your organization and company! 

Thank You Auxiliary Society for Comox Valley Healthcare

This month we were outdoors showing off our new electric bus made possible with a large donation from the Auxiliary Society for Comox Valley Healthcare. The joy that our residents experience on an outing off of our property to enjoy different scenery is tremendous. The volunteers of the Auxillary work hard, year round raising funds for our community and we cannot thank you enough! Community is only possible with great community partners working together.

Another big thank you for all these lovely volunteers and their commitment to the community! 

More STARS in our galaxy! Honourable mentions this month:

• Mariah in Care on MV2 - Mariah is excited about the new model of care and a champion for change among her team members! From Kelley, Effie & Simon.

• Carmen in Food Services – always goes above and beyond! A great leader and support to her team! From Kelley, Effie & Simon.

• Miquel in Housekeeping, "I just wanted to comment on the young man who was housekeeping this evening. ( The time that Tim usually works). His name was Miquel, and he was working super hard. Every time I saw him, vacuuming the front entrance when I came in, Cleaning the dining room on Oceanview late evening. He really worked hard and did a super thorough job." From Cindy Watson LPN.

New Build Update

November 2023 was another busy month at the building site! 

Here are the November updates: 

• We’re over 60% complete! 

• All major project tenders (i.e. millwork and landscaping) have been awarded 

• The windows, exterior cladding, roofing, door frames, drywall and insulation are nearing completion 

• Landscaping the interior courtyard is almost halfway done 

• Furniture upholstery colours are under review 

Honouring Every Life Story

This month's resident profile feature is Doris.  

Doris was born in 1930 in Islay Alberta and is a fraternal twin to Dora, who comes to visit every chance she can. She was raised with her sister and two brothers in the “Dirty 30s” on a farm in Alberta by her single mom. Her bedroom was a converted box car on the property and she can remember many a cold night sleeping there! She took jobs on neighbouring farms in her teens and was requested to write home to her mother every week as calling on the phone was an expense they could not afford. Interestingly her mother kept every letter they wrote and I acquired access to them several years ago and transcribed them all into a word document in chronological form. The letters tell a story of what life was like for them in the 40s and 50s. 

She married at 22 and had nine children between 1953 and 1964. When the youngest was still an infant she left her abusive husband and raised her children with help from the elder siblings. 

In 1971 she moved from Edmonton to Vancouver Island to be close to her twin, whom she had not seen in 17 years! Over the next years, she lived in Courtenay, Cumberland, CRiver, and Comox. She worked for a time at K-Mart in Campbell River until a severe car crash and head injury in 1994 forced her to retire at age 64. 

For the last several years she was fortunate enough to be able to live independently with her twin until she broke her hip 2 years ago and has been living at the Views since then. She is predeceased by two of her daughters but enjoys visits and phone calls from her remaining children, grandchildren, and nieces. (Her twin had 8 children!) she recently celebrated her 93rd birthday at the Views with her sister and many family members. 

 Regards, Bea Meston, daughter of Doris 

To honour every life story, we’re working to incorporate resident stories into our communications. If you have a story to tell or know someone who’d be great to profile — even just by sharing a few interesting details — please let Kelley Romeril know. She’ll confirm we have resident and/or family consent to share their story.