Here is what I can tell you about my mother.

She is brave

Born in 1919, Mom was the third in a family of nine children, all born on a farm in Killam, Alberta. She had two older brothers, Hugh and Bernard, and six younger siblings: Art, Alice, Teddi, Mary, Dick, and Irene. Her younger sister, Mary, was born with cerebral palsy and could do little for herself. She had to be fed and carried; she was never able to speak clearly, and she could not ever be left alone. As the oldest girl on a busy farm, Mom was given much of the responsibility for caring for her younger siblings, especially Mary. This meant she had to leave school after Grade Eight, something that grieved her.

After moving to another farm in Sedgewick, Alberta, Mom's parents heard about a treatment they hoped might help Mary, but the doctor offering it was in Edmonton, over 100 miles away, so Mom, who was fifteen, was given the responsibility of taking Mary, who was seven, to Edmonton and staying there with her for the daily treatments. The first two times they went (for 3 months at a time), Mom worked for their keep at a boarding house. But the next time they went, which was when the rest of the family was in the midst of a move to B.C., that arrangement fell through. Mom had to improvise a living arrangement for herself and Mary for the three months they stayed in Edmonton before train tickets arrived to enable them to join the family in B.C. It was a tough time and a pivotal experience in Mom's life.

Mom was a brave girl and she became a brave woman. She married my father Henry and they had their first child, Bill, in 1939 when Mom was nineteen. My father joined the army in 1940 and subsequently, my parents had to spend a lot of time apart. Dad was away, posted in Northern B.C., when my sister Betty was born in 1941. He had only a short leave, when Betty was 3 months old, before he was sent overseas to England. He was gone for over a year.

My brother Tom was born in 1945 when Mom was 26. Just before Mom was 27, she and Dad bought a house on Dewdney Trunk Road in Maple Ridge (where Mom lived for 47 years, next door to Mollie and Jim, a couple who became her good friends). It was my parents' first home with indoor plumbing and it was on an acre of land, which required cultivation. They had apple trees and a garden and in the early years, they grew a lot of their own food. In 1949, at the age of 30, Mom had her fourth and last child —me, Margaret.

Dad was disabled for several years and he couldn't drive safely anymore, so Mom courageously learned how to drive when she was in her fifties. With Dad as the impatient teacher and unwilling passenger, that was no easy task. Dad died in 1975 at the age of 61. Mom was 56 years old.

Mom sold the house on Dewdney Trunk Road in 1992 and after trying out several apartments, she decided to buy into the Legion Gardens Seniors Condominium. This was an excellent decision because it placed her close to the Legion for her volunteer work, and she was very content there.

She likes to help others

My mother was always happiest when she was working alongside others. During my childhood, she did volunteer work for the Catholic Women's League. She was also the primary caregiver for her aging parents and sister, Mary. Starting in 1978, Mom was a volunteer for the Canadian Legion Women's Auxiliary. She helped prepare, serve, and clean up countless luncheons, and she worked on bake sales, poppy campaigns, and special events. She loved the company and seeing her friends, and she liked to be useful. She is very proud of her Lifetime Legion Membership. Mom always preferred to "get in there and do things" instead of "just sitting." When she was still able to travel and could come to visit me, she would help with whatever needed doing. We worked many hours together. Cleaning. Painting. Baking. Making crafts and Christmas gifts. After I had my daughter Megan, Mom organized things like dyeing Easter eggs, making gingerbread houses, and so on, always bringing all the necessary supplies with her. In grade school, when Megan was enamoured with "old-fashioned clothes," Mom made her a mobcap, an apron, pantaloons, and homespun dresses.

Mom was always game to accompany us on outings and she never came empty-handed; she brought the refreshments. One Christmas, when it was too snowy to drive, she took the bus all the way into Vancouver, lugging a heavy suitcase full of presents and a complete Christmas dinner. She never willingly missed a special occasion.

She is creative

My mother is well known for her beautiful quilts. She made dozens, often having to improvise with fabric she already had or had been given. Seldom did she have the luxury of going out to buy new fabric to fit a preconceived plan. Instead, she did the best with what she had. She also made many of our clothes when we were growing up, as well as her own, and the ones she did not make, she altered so they would fit better or for longer. She sewed everything from doll clothes to school outfits, from high school graduation gowns for Betty and me, to Betty's wedding dress and the three-piece business suit that I wore to address my first professional conference. She knit sweaters for every member of the family and made many baby outfits, pajamas, and sweaters for her grandchildren.

But sewing was only one of my Mom's creative gifts. When I was growing up, if something broke, it was Mom who fixed it, not a repairman. When we couldn't afford the latest toy or a gift to take to a party, she improvised a handmade equivalent. She also built things - bookshelves for my bedroom, a window seat, and a desk, to name just a few items. When I moved out, not only did she help me clean and paint many dwelling places (I really do mean many) and make minor repairs where needed, she hung pictures and shelves, and measured for and made draperies for innumerable different-sized windows. If crucial household items were lacking, she would do her best to find useable alternatives. If I had a closet rod that was falling down or needed to rig a shower curtain, Mom would come up with a solution. My Mom liked to come up with solutions and she was good at it. She was always a problem- solver. That's true creativity.

She is independent

Mom lived on her own until shortly before her 101st birthday. She drove her car until she was 91, when she had to give it up after having a stroke. In spite of pain from arthritis and weakness from congestive heart failure, she continued doing many of her errands on foot. This is even more impressive because my mother has severe hearing loss, making it a challenge to be out in public, dealing with strangers. I admire the way she coped with these difficulties.

In 2020, at the height of the Covid19 pandemic, Mom moved to an assisted living facility, Royal Crescent Gardens in Maple Ridge, where she currently resides.

Anna Fogg is the sole survivor of her birth family and she is predeceased by her husband (Henry Fogg) and three of her four children (Bill, Betty, Tom). She has 9 grandchildren (Dean, Sean, Anne, Mike, Margaret, Tracy, Sheri, Cindy, Megan), 6 great grandchildren (Patrick, Liam, Kyla, Heather, Taylor, Ayla), and 5 great great grandchildren (Benen, Paul, Emily, Rheia, Robin).

M.F. July, 2025

Happy 106th Birthday and thank you, Mom, for everything.