September 23, 1926 - June 2, 2024
In Loving Memory ~
She was a wonderful lady, and we loved her. In her many guises as mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Eileen watched over her family with care and kindness.
Eileen is almost the last of this generation in our family. She is predeceased by her husband Glenn after 73 years together, and on her parents' side by her brother Floyd Digby and her sister Carolyn Taylor.
She married into the Hall clan and she has been predeceased by her sisters-in-law Madeline (Bob) Lacey, Lorraine (Hubert) Hawksworth, Audrey (Elbert) Ketchum, and brothers-in-law Doug (Amy) Hall and Jack (May) Hall; with the exception of George Schvenko who brought lightness and love to Madeline Lacey later in her life, and must carry forward, alone, the flame of their generation.
Eileen leaves behind her nieces and nephews: On her brother's side, Janice (Louis) Poulin, Brian (Annette) Digby, and Gail (Al) Millham; and on her sister's side, Donna (Bill) Campbell, and Jim (Lisa) Taylor.
Eileen had three children, Glenn Gary Hall (Marsha), Heather Dale Weflen (Tormay), and Debi Eileen Hall (Jim). Her grandchildren are: (Dallas Noble, Kelsey Noble, Tyler Smith, Cole Noble (Lianne), Nolan Glenn Smith (Kaity), and Glenn Stuart Hall (Sama). The seven great-grandchildren are Page Noble, Keaton Smith, Koltyr Smith, Elliot Smith, Lowen Smith, and Alaya Noble. All will miss her terribly.
Eileen was a prairie girl born in Crystal Springs, Saskatchewan, in 1926. It was a hard time to grow up. But by 1945 she met Glenn on his return from fighting WWII and in 1949 they were married. They made their life together in Nanaimo and began raising a family.
That word, "family", would define Eileen's life. She was a picture taker and documented with photos and videos, all of the family above, a thousand times over. She and Glenn would host family dinners at all possible holiday occasions. Eileen was a musician on both piano and accordion. She was part of a family band, with her father and brother, for country dances on the prairies, and carried that early love of music throughout her life. In her late retirement, there was a piano and an electric keyboard in her home.
Eileen and Glenn were a great dance team and held the dining room and dance floor at Harrison Hot Springs in high regard. There were many family occasions there covering almost sixty years. Her love of dance had her picking up tap dancing late in life. She could do it all, and she did it in style with her commitment to clothes, hair, and nails. Eileen always maintained a glamorous look.
She played softball, bowled, and golfed. She and Glenn purchased a family membership in 1962 at the Nanaimo Golf Club. They retained that connection until the end of their lives. Eileen pursued a lifetime devotion to curling. She was good at it and she was usually the third on any team. She did not seek to skip teams, but her knowledge of the game was deep and skips wanted her on their team to strategize together. Even at the age of 97 Eileen enjoyed watching the curling Brier and other championship series.
Eileen was a strong friend and the connections she made from 1949 onwards here in Nanaimo were sustained to the end. She outlived most of them, but throughout her long life, she was there to help when her friends needed it.
It is her kindness and love that her family will miss most of all. Goodbye (Eileen, Mom, Nanny). We love you.
There will be a family interment and a Catholic memorial service. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation.