January 23,1919 ~ January 18,2012
Born Lily Helen Finlayson on January 23, 1919, in Fife, Scotland. She was predeceased by her husband Claude Spencer Shupe.
Lily leaves to mourn her three children, Helen Mary Shupe, Pauline Murphy and Landy Shupe.
Mom was in university at age 17 and graduated with her Masters Degree in Teaching at age 22. She spent one year in France during WW2, working as a Nanny to master the French language. In 1948 mom travelled to Canada where she met Claude Spencer Shupe through her sister and his mother. They fell in love and married on April 16, 1949. Their first child was born in 1950 in Mission, and then they moved to Quesnel, where they built a house and Spencer worked as a carpenter building a new elementary school. Two more children came along while living in Quesnel. She was a stay-at-home mom teaching piano in her home part-time.
In 1956 they bought their home on the Sunshine Coast. This was to become the home until retirement. Her husband Spencer, being an avid fisherman and berry picker, kept Mom very busy canning salmon and making blackberry jelly. She was very much a country girl at heart. After seven years at home she renewed her teaching qualifications and went back teaching school. She taught school in Pender Harbour, Mission City, Fort St.John, Williams Lake and Salmon Arm, B.C. With the tragic and sudden death of her husband on New Year’s Eve 1963, Mom took a year and a half away from teaching to be home with her three children. In 1965 she accepted a teaching position in Salmon Arm, BC and taught Junior High School until her retirement in 1974.
Moving to her home in Roberts Creek to retire, Mom spent many happy years volunteering for St. Mary’s Hospital and the Roberts Creek Anglican Church. She knitted many beautiful baby outfits and shawls for the hospital gift shop. She also did lots of baking and knitting for the church craft fairs.
Mom had a great love for cats, having had a Siamese, a Cornish Rex and an Abysinnian to spoil.
Endless thank yous to the staff of Totem Lodge for their special care of Mom for the last five years.
Any donations should be made in her name to the Alzheimer’s Society and the SPCA.
Rest in peace, Mother