Alison Mackinnon Cookson (née Duncan) passed away suddenly on October 17, 2011, at Nanaimo General Hospital at the age of 81. Born June 17, 1930, in Liverpool, England, Alison earned a master’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Liverpool before coming to Canada with her late husband, Bill Cookson (1929–1996), in 1963. After living first in Edmonton and then Powell River, they settled in Nanaimo in 1967.
While raising five children (Jim, Ian, Ruth, Guy and Phil), Alison still found time to play tennis, enjoy camping, skiing, sailing and cycling, and earn a B.A. in French literature from the University of Victoria. Later in life, she devoted many happy hours to birdwatching and painting. Alison will be dearly missed by her family, including her 13 grandchildren, by her many close friends, both those of long standing and those she made more recently at Origin, Longwood, and by her beloved dog Velcro.
Flowers are gratefully declined; donations may be made to a charity of choice. A gathering to celebrate Alison’s life will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 13, 2011, at The Coast Bastion Inn, Nanaimo, B.C.