March 30, 1934 - December 19, 2018
It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of Helen Christina Gliege on Dec 19, 2018. Helen was a native daughter born in Nanaimo on March 30, 1934. She attended John Shaw high school and graduated in June of 1953. After high school, she began working at Ryan and Company on Fitzwilliam Street and stayed with the company thru its many changes in ownership. She finished her working career at Island Radiators Ltd. as their bookkeeper. In October of 1960, she married Richard (Dick) Gliege and they remained together until Dicks passing in May of 1980.
Helen was a very adventurous spirit and held her private pilot's licence during the 1960s and 1970s when it was unheard of for women to have a pilot's licence let alone flying Cessna's. She also had her own Motorcycle, which she rode around town, again before women became riders. She told me of her adventure in the 1950s driving her old Hudson up to Whitehorse, YT. The way to convince Helen to do something was to tell her she couldn't, which worked well on many occasions. Helen was a very private person and unfortunately did not get out much during the last years of her life as she was struggling with Alzheimer's. She is survived and will be greatly missed by her niece Linda (Terry) Olson and her family. Funeral services will be held at First Memorial Funeral Chapel on Jan 4, 2019 at 11:30 am with reception to follow. Online Condolences www.mem.com.
First Memorial Funeral Services