August 7, 1949 - May 1, 2021
Rosemary Fawdry, age 71, of Victoria BC, sadly passed away on May 1, 2021 after a lengthy battle with kidney failure and endometrial cancer.
Rosemary was born August 7, 1949 to Walt and Maria Cantrell in Nottingham England. She grew up in a busy family of seven children, with three brothers and three sisters.
Rosemary completed school, then met and married her first true love, Robert Fawdry in 1970. They started their family with the birth of daughter Louisa in 1972, followed by the birth of daughter Claire in 1976.
In 1977, Rosemary immigrated to Canada with Robert, Louisa, and Claire. The family spent a year in Alberta before moving to Mackenzie BC, and then relocated to Vancouver Island in 1979.
While her children were young, Rosemary was a full-time mother and volunteer, putting all of her time and energy into parenting and doing volunteer work in the school and with the hospital auxiliary.
She also did community service work with the Ladysmith Kinette club. When Louisa and Claire got a little bit older, Rosemary went back to school to take accounting courses. She held several jobs, including working in a clothing store, and managing a video store in Ladysmith for many years.
She also took a job as a night counselor at a shelter for women in Nanaimo. Rosemary also generously opened up her home and her heart to foster a teen mother and her baby boy. She was heartbroken when they ultimately moved on after several years with the family.
Rosemary's life took a tragic turn in 1994 when Rob passed away at age 43 from cancer, then one week later she was critically injured in a terrible car accident. Her injuries left her unable to work again, with a long road ahead of rehabilitation from her traumatic brain injury.
During one of her hospital admissions, she met Bob Harris, who became her partner and a new father figure for her girls for the next 26 years.
Rosemary also became a mother figure to Bob's son and daughter Drew and Becky. Rosemary and Bob relocated from Ladysmith to Langford in 2005, which is where she resided for her remaining years.
When Rosemary was able to, she adored spending time in her garden planting flowers. She also loved walking her dogs. She was a dog lover her entire life, and gave many dogs a loving home. Rosemary was also a talented writer. She loved to write poetry.
She took great joy in her children and grandchildren as well. She was very proud of all of them and made sure they knew it.
Rosemary's health took another turn when she developed renal failure and had to go on hemodialysis for the last three years of her life. She was also diagnosed with endometrial cancer, so her last several years were spent bravely battling cancer while also undergoing hemodialysis three times weekly.
Rosemary was predeceased by her parents and her husband Robert. She is survived by partner Robert Harris, her sisters Ann, Christine, and Maureen, and brothers Stephen, John, and David, children Louisa (Trevor), Claire (Richard), Becky (Dan), and Drew (Shanda), grandchildren Jordan, Austin, Arielle, Emma, Robert, Amanda, Ceara, Austin, and great grandchildren Haelan, Breah, and Noma.
Celebration of life to be held in Nanaimo BC at a later date yet to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the BC SPCA where there is a memorial page set up for Rosemary.
"Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed and very dear"—Unknown