COX, Elizabeth M. “Betty” (nee Swim)
Betty died peacefully at her home in Victoria, B.C. on Monday, August 28 at the age of 93. Loved and missed by her daughter Mary Jane (Phil), sons Jamie (Lorrainne) and Charles (Steven), and grandchildren Laura (Sean), Hal (Mina), Philip, and Liz. Predeceased by her husband James A. (Jim) Cox and siblings Norman, Lillian, Balfour, Rosalie, and Peter. She is survived by her sister Fae Farrell (Swim) and remembered by many nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends in Victoria, Calgary and Nova Scotia. Born in Lockeport, Nova Scotia on September 2, 1923, Betty grew up in a family of seven children. She attended school in Lockeport and Mount Saint Vincent Academy (the Mount) in Halifax whereupon graduation, she received the Governor General’s Academic Medal for English. She went on to study at the Ontario College of Art from 1941- 45 where she obtained her diploma and was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Proficiency in Drawing and Painting. In 1951, Betty married Jim Cox of Shelburne, N.S. The couple lived in Nova Scotia for a number of years and had two children while Jim attended law school. In 1957, they moved to Edmonton where Betty was kept busy with her two youngsters and the addition of a third child. The young family moved to Calgary in 1960 and Betty spent much of her time immersed in her oil and watercolour painting, involved with the Calgary Artist’s Society and the Group, teaching art classes, and raising her family. In 1975 (Calgary’s Centennial), she was one of the founding members of the Centennial Art Gallery, a cooperative gallery dedicated to exhibiting and selling paintings by emerging artists. In 1993, Betty and Jim moved to Victoria and enjoyed many active years together with family and friends. Betty continued to practice her painting and joined a group of Victoria artists that included a number of ex-pat Calgary artist friends. Her artwork can be found across the country in several private and corporate collections. Many thanks to Dr. Ted Rosenburg and Spring Yates (her caregiver) who both made it possible for her to live out her life at home. It was her wishes that there be no formal service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Canada or the charity of your choice.