It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing our mother, grandmother and aunt, Elaine Isabel Dunnett (nee Douglas), age 91, on October 15, 2021, at Comox Valley Hospital.
Elaine was born in Tantallon Saskatchewan on September 9, 1930, to Isabel (nee Cuddeford) and Percy Douglas. When she was still an infant, the family moved to Cranbrook, where she spent her childhood. She always spoke with great fondness of her experiences growing up here, and in her later years, loved to talk about her life in Cranbrook.
Elaine attended St. Ann’s Academy in Victoria for her final year of high school. After returning to Cranbrook for the summer, she headed back to St. Ann’s to take secretarial courses. She used these skills back in her hometown, working for the Government Agency for a year or so, but ended up following a calling to become a registered nurse. In 1950, Elaine started nursing school at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, and upon graduation, she felt pulled back to Cranbrook. Here she worked as an RN at St. Eugene’s Hospital for a year, then on to the hospital in Trail where she enjoyed working as a maternity nurse. In 1955, she met John, who had a job opportunity in the Comox Valley.
She followed her heart and moved away from the Kootenays to start a new life on the coast, where she continued her nursing career at St. Joseph’s General Hospital. She and John were married the following year in Comox, where they raised their four children, and stayed throughout the rest their lives. Elaine had many amusing stories of her nursing training and early working years as a nurse. Throughout her life she remained proud of her identity as an RN and attended many nursing reunions with her classmates from St. Paul’s well into her later years. As much as Elaine loved her work as a nurse, she did not return to nursing after she and John started a family, as juggling shift work with caring for young children was not possible, and part time jobs were not available. She dedicated her life to raising her children, as well as working with John in his insurance adjusting business.
In her homemaking life, Elaine was an excellent cook and loved spending time in the kitchen, inviting friends for dinner for special occasions, and hosting neighborhood parties for New Year’s Eve. Elaine kept in touch with many friends over her life and valued these connections dearly. For many years, she and John and the children made yearly trips back to the Kootenays to reunite with family and friends and created fond memories from these adventures. Elaine always had a love of music, learning to play the piano as a child, teaching some of her grandchildren, then returning to piano lessons herself as an adult. She enjoyed spending time practicing piano and sharing her music with other adult pianists, gathering regularly for informal group recitals. Elaine also enjoyed oil painting, cross stitch, and many knitting projects. She was an avid reader and always had a book in hand in her leisure time, and her books remained a great comfort to her in her later years.
Elaine was predeceased by her loving husband John in 2014, and by her mother (Isabel), father (Percy), and brother (Bernard). She is survived by and will be dearly missed by her son Alan (Jane), daughters Barbara (Neil), Janice (Al), and Anne (Andrew). She will also be missed by her grandchildren Heather Poulson (Erin), Lindsay Wakelin, Kevin Wakelin, Taylor Muller (Duncan), Geordie Dafoe, and Madeline Dunnett, her great grandchildren Ailie and Brynn Muller, nephew Brian Douglas, and nieces Diane Douglas and Melanie Douglas.
A family service for Elaine was held in October. Thank you to Toneff Funeral Services for their kind assistance.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation in Elaine’s memory.