Patricia Caroline Ward

Patricia Ward (Pat or Patsy to those who knew and loved her) succumbed to dementia on October 5th, a week before her 82nd birthday. She died in Vancouver in the loving embrace of her family: husband Peter, daughters Katie and Anna, and granddaughter Margot.

The daughter of Warren and Jean Suitor, Pat was a child of the prairies, born in Calgary and raised in Edmonton, where she graduated in nursing from the University of Alberta. She then set out on a career in public health which she pursued for all her working life, apart from a pause to care for her young children.

In 1967 she married Peter Ward whom she’d met at university and together they fashioned a loving union that lasted 58 years. After 2 years in Edmonton and 4 in Kingston, Ontario, she settled in Vancouver with her husband and daughters, where she lived for the rest of her life. Her Vancouver years were rich in the joys of her family, the challenges of community work in public health, the welcome opportunities for new friendships, the pleasures of living in a beautiful setting, and the cultural opportunities to learn and grow which the city offered. She loved her annual holidays at the family summer cabin in the Alberta foothills, which she’d enjoyed since early childhood.

Always open and curious, she broadened her understanding of art history, honed her musical skills on the recorder and later committed her energies to the study of Italian. Led by her enthusiasm, her husband joined her in Italian language studies, a project that defined the second half of their marriage. Together they travelled often to Italy and stayed for extended periods – frequently joined by Katie and Anna. There her language skills opened doors to new friendships and understandings that further enriched her life.

Though she travelled widely and often, throughout her life Pat remained connected with her Alberta relatives, the Suitors and the Grants. She also delighted in welcoming her daughters’ partners – Mike Feuerstack (Katie) and Alex Leitao (Anna) – to the family.

She was happy and positive by nature, radiating warmth and effervescence, and was a joy to know and an even greater joy to be with. Her broad smile lit every room she entered, even in the difficult months at the end of her life. And she left a family that mourns her loss deeply but rejoices in the loving legacy she has left them.