Reflections from Steve:

She passed away on Monday June 24, 2024, after a long illness. Her full name was Beverley Joan Brock. People called her Bev and I knew her as Mum.

I can’t possibly say everything that needs to be said. It seems trite to throw around terms like “the best Mum of all time,” but I feel like she would be right there in the running. If I tried to describe every way she was a positive part of this world - the caring and compassion, the unconditional love of family, the contribution to community, the glowing example she set in so many ways – this might go on forever.

But I do want to say something, and I think it all comes down to afghans. If anyone doesn’t know, those are decorative blankets. For all the many things she did in her life, crafts were a constant. She crocheted, she knitted. There was always a project on the go. Often there was a charitable aspect to it. She made and gave away more cat toys than could ever be counted. Sometimes she made tiny little hats for premature babies and donated them to hospitals. Think of that. Who does that? My Mum.

But she also created these beautiful, full-sized afghans. They were all colors and sizes. I can’t even guess how many she made and where they all went. I have four here now and I use them all the time. They are all lovely. One in particular is an amazing work of art. I keep a pic of it on my phone to show off every chance I get. It was a large, complicated project. I remember how there was crafty stuff spread out all over the living room for months as it took shape. It was the most wonderful kind of creative mayhem.

To be honest, I don’t think the original plan was for that one to be mine. I have a brown one that I know was meant for me from the get-go, but I’m not sure that was the case with the Magnum Opus. But somewhere along the line I ended up with it. These things happen. It’s mine now and you can’t have it.

Apart from the aesthetic beauty of these things, they are so warm and nice. The big one is excellent for the bed of course, and there is nothing quite like watching TV on a chilly night wrapped up in one of them. Super-cozy.

I would be remiss not to acknowledge that life became cruel to my Mum in the later years. She became ill with slow progressing dementia and had to leave her home. She lost a son. She lost her husband of 67 years. There were serious physical problems too, and pain. It was all so unfair and difficult.

These things have been the overwhelming reality for the last decade. That’s a long time. My memory of how things once were has clouded and that’s a terrible shame.

But I want to remember and I think if I keep trying, it will become easier and clearer. Once there was a woman who seemed to know everything. She loved to travel. She loved the arts. She was interesting and engaged. She was my Mum. When I wanted to try something new, she supported me. When I had success, she supported me. When I was difficult, or had moments of sadness or awkwardness, she supported me even more. I remember.

What it comes down to is this: I’m lucky. Yes, there is sorrow and pain right now, but from my first breath I was given this wonderful person who loved me with all of her heart. And whether it is these afghans or the deeper things that she wove into the fabric of my being, she continues to make my world a warmer, more beautiful place.


Thoughts from Sue:

Steve and I along with Eric and Andrew are devastated to advise that our beautiful Mum/Grammy passed away peacefully on June 24.

In all of the communications that I've had with friends and extended family over the last few weeks, the common sentiment is that she was a classy lady. She was incredibly kind, intelligent and so caring, and would go to great lengths to help anyone in any way that she could.

She was a low-key person, she was never the loudest one in the room. But she was incredibly special to those who knew her best, and was a well-loved friend.

There were several endeavours over the years that she fully dedicated herself to, from founding and running the Brampton Majorettes, to working for airlines and doing extensive travelling, to playing clarinet in the Brampton Concert Band, to her involvement in finding forever homes for so many cats. In her spare time you could always find her knitting, crocheting, or sewing her heart out; in most cases she was making beautiful, customized and unique creations for others.

She was always fully committed to her family. Mum (don't call her "Mom" 😌) was always the one who ensured that the immediate family stayed in touch with extended family, and she often planned gatherings for us.

Although I have so many more fond memories than I could ever express in one sitting, some of my fondest memories involve the travelling that we did together. We travelled to some exotic and distant places together, and every summer for several years we travelled to see the Blue Jays play in the other teams' parks. It took a few years but we did get to all of the parks (there were fewer then than there are now).

Mum is predeceased by Dad (Don), who passed away in 2022. At that time, they had been married for almost 67 years. She is also predeceased by son Al, who passed away in 2016, as well as her mother, my Gram, and her brother Barry.

Mum was incredibly brave and strong as she endured the progression of Alzheimer's over the last 10 years or so, gradually losing her memories, her independence, her dignity. At the end there was nothing left of the wonderful mother who did so much for so many over her almost 91 years.

Her mother (Gram) also suffered from Alzheimer's for many years before her passing some 30 years ago. Mum was a loving and dedicated caregiver to her, doing all that she could to ensure that Gram wasn't alone and that she knew she was loved.

To a large extent, it was that experience that solidified Mum's belief in being able to die with dignity on one's own terms; a belief that is not yet supported legislatively. The last couple of years, and especially the last 8 months of her life were unbelievably cruel; a fate that she didn't deserve and would have done anything to avoid if so permitted.

If you are so inclined, please make a donation to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

Given the opportunity (and if you're so inclined), please voice your support for legislation that will honour advance requests for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) for people who suffer from dementia.