SMITH, ANNIE NANCY PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY DECEMBER 14, I997 AT THE VULCAN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE AT THE AGE OF 78 YEARS.
NANCY WAS BORN OCTOBER 14, 1919 AT LEICESTER, ENGLAND. SHE ATTENDED MANTLE ROAD SCHOOL TO GRADE EIGHT. AT THE AGE OF FOURTEEN SHE WENT TO WORK AT KIRBY’S WEST, WORKING IN THE OFFICES, THEN WORKED AT TAYLOR HOBSON DOING OFFICE WORK.
WHILE SHE WAS WORKING IN ENGLAND DURING WORLD WAR II, SHE MET LAWRENCE SMITH. NANCY CAME TO CANADA AS A WAR BRIDE, TRAVELING FIRST ON AN OCEAN VOYAGE FROM ENGLAND, THEN BY TRAIN TO GLEICHEN, ALBERTA WHERE LAWRENCE WAS TO MEET HER. THE CONDUCTOR STOPPED FARTHER DOWN THE TRACK, PAST THE STATION PLATFORM, SO, THERE WAS NANCY STEPPING OFF THE TRAIN, LUGGAGE IN HAND, ONTO THE BALD-HEADED PRAIRIE. TO FURTHER ADD TO HER APPREHENSION AND ANXIETY, SHE DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE YOUNG MAN WALKING TOWARD HER, SINCE SHE HADN‘T SEEN LAWRENCE IN CIVILIAN CLOTHES, ONLY AN ARMY UNIFORM. AS I-IE GOT CLOSER , SHE DID RECOGNIZE HIM, THANK GOODNESS, THIS WAS HER MAN.
SHE MARRIED LAWRENCE JAMES SMITH NOVEMBER 17, 1946. THEIR FIRST HOME WAS SEVEN AND A HALF MILES NORTHEAST OF MILO ON A FARM WITHOUT ELECTRICITY OR RUNNING WATER, QUITE AN INITIATION FOR A YOUNG ENGLISH LADY. WHILE LIVING IN MILO, NEIGHBOURS DISCOVERED NANCY HAD A LOVELY VOICE AND SHE WAS CALLED UPON COUNTLESS TIMES TO SING AT SHOWERS, WEDDINGS, FUNERALS AND COMMUNITY CONCERTS.
THEY PURCHASED THE MILO HOTEL AND MOVED INTO TOWN IN 1965, WHERE THEY WORKED UNTIL THEY SOLD THE HOTEL IN I972 AND MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE. IN 1985 THEY PURCHASED A HOME IN VULCAN WHERE THEY LIVED UNTIL LAWRENCE PASSED AWAY IN 1989. NANCY SOLD THEIR HOME AND MOVED TO CARMANGAY. SHE RETURNED TO VULCAN AND MOVED INTO THE PETER DAWSON LODGE IN 1995, AND LATER MOVED INTO THE VULCAN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE WHERE SHE HAS RESIDED UNTIL HER PASSING.
BELOVED MOTHER OF A DAUGHTER JOAN (GEORGE ) JOHNSON OF CARMANGAY, A SON DAVID (MICHAELEEN) SMITH OF VULCAN, FOUR GRANDCHILDREN TODD ENSIGN (AND SPECIAL FRIEND CARI) AND TROY (TAMMIE) ENSIGN, DEBORAH (KEITH) McCARTY AND DAVID (SUSAN) SMITH, FOUR GREAT GRANDCHILDREN DALLON, AARON AND MASON McCARTY AND JOSI ENSIGN, TWO SISTERS EILEEN CLARKE OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND AND JESSIE SANDBERG OF INDIANA, AND NUMEROUS NIECES AND NEPHEWS.
NANCY WAS PREDECEASED BY HER HUSBAND LAWRENCE JAMES IN 1989, TWIN SISTER VALERIE AND HER PARENTS.
NANCY LOVED HER FAMILY AND THEIR TIMES TOGETHER. SHE WILL BE GREATLY MISSED BY ALL WHO LOVED HER. BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES OF HER WILL BE ALWAYS CHERISHED.
A PRIVATE FAMILY FUNERAL SERVICE WAS HELD AT VULCAN FUNERAL HOME WEDNESDAY DECEMBER I7, I997 WITH REV. DON WATT OFFICIATING.
INTERMENT VULCAN CEMETERY.
IF FRIENDS SO DESIRE, MEMORIAL TRIBUTES IN NANCY’S MEMORY COULD BE MADE TO THE LONG TERM CARE UNIT OF VULCAN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE, BOX 299, VULCAN, TOL 2B0.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS IN CARE OF VULCAN FUNERAL HOME, DIRECTORS.