In loving memory ~
Florence Elizabeth Regehr passed away peacefully at Mount St Mary's Hospital in Victoria, B.C. On January 30, 2025 at age 93.
She received loving care from the staff there as well as from her personal caregiver Monica, from whom she received great comfort.
Dedicated to God, her family and her friends, Florence led a rich, meaningful and fruitful life.
Predeceased by her son William, her grand daughter Ona Maria, her brother Fred and sisters Anne, Myrna and Phyllis, and her loving husband Henry of 48 years, with whom she shared both a great faith and a multitude of adventures.
Survived by five children, Catherine, Elizabeth, Doug (Karen), Karen (Phil), Scott (Laura) and eleven grandchildren, Amelia, Eva, Alexandra, Jordan, Jenelle, Joshua, Julia, Isabella, Emerson, Nathaniel and Luke. Florence had a deep faith and was devout in her Christian beliefs. She also had great love and appreciation for art, a gifted painter and pianist whose early experiences were formed watching the likes of Oscar Peterson play on Queen Street in Toronto.
She met her husband while attending nurse's college in that city, bussing up to a dance for military officers, not far away in Barrie.
From there, she and Henry moved to Whitehorse and then Vancouver where they raised their kids. Ever the adventurers, their travels took them to the likes of Morocco, Brazil and Western Samoa. Florence's favourite though was a months-long journey through Africa, with Rwanda and South Africa places she spoke about with love and admiration for the rest of her life.
Very well-read, Florence always had a book on the go and when she wasn't reading, she was telling stories herself, a gifted - sometimes outspoken :) - orator.
Her cooking ability was legendary, including building maybe the Yukon's first root cellar so she could provide locally-sourced cuisine well before that was a catchy slogan on a restaurant menu.
While there was verenika, cabbage rolls or her 24 hour slow-cooked spaghetti sauce (don't forget the two bay leaves!) being prepared, she'd have Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday or Oscar Peterson also wafting through the house, if she wasn't playing the living room piano herself.
That same Vancouver house caught on fire when she and Henry were nearing retirement age, leading them to a well-travelled phase in their already well-travelled lives. They spent long spells living with Doug and Karen in Ladner and with Karen and Phil in Canmore where Florence took particular pride in getting to spend time with, and getting to know, her beloved grandkids.
At the end of the day, family was what mattered most to her. That and her faith.
Florence will be remembered by all she touched, her large and extended family, her dear friends and neighbours
Memorial Service to be held on Tuesday, June 17, 2025 at 2:30pm in Victoria, BC
If you wish to attend, please contact Florence's daughter, Karen.
Email address below
Karen Regehr-Smith: pks_media@yahoo.com