Obituary of Carol Ann Collins

Carol Ann Collins

November 19, 1938 to November 21, 2024

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful Mom, Carol Ann Collins, in the early morning hours of November 21, 2024 with family by her side. Born Carol Ann Macdonald on November 19, 1938 in Winnipeg to John and Ruby Macdonald, the family (including younger brother John) moved to Vancouver in the early 1950s where Mom attended John Oliver Secondary. In 1961, Mom married our Dad, Gerald Kenneth Gibbs (Gerry) and they eventually settled in Coquitlam where they raised their loving family.

After losing Dad in 1975, Mom forged ahead as a young single mother and raised her children while working full-time in the administrative field, with most of her years spent as a highly valued member of the Burnaby Mental Health Children’s Team until her semi-retirement in 1999. Soon after, Mom began working part-time as a medical transcriptionist for Fraser Health where she became a proud member of the ‘Mushrooms’, and then ultimately transitioned to working from home. In the fall of 2023, Mom finally made the difficult decision to leave the career she loved so much and fully retire at the age of 85. This made more time for her favourite hobby – crocheting – which resulted in many of us receiving precious crocheted gifts within the last year.

In addition to crocheting, Mom loved Winnie the Pooh, gummy bears, evergreen trees, Emily Carr, John Denver, The Young and the Restless (especially Victor Newman), and the beach, spending many childhood summers at Winnipeg Beach, followed by Saratoga Beach, and finally Harrison Hot Springs, all of which left her with many fond memories of time spent with family. She also loved making her famous shortbread for everyone at Christmas, and adored all her pets over the years, most recently her grand-puppies, Ozzy and Griffin.

But most of all, Mom loved and adored her family, and she happily carried on the tradition of ‘Sunday Night Dinners’ instilled in her by her parents and grandparents. She was very proud of her family and cherished every moment spent together, including get-togethers with family in Courtenay, Merville, Victoria, and Shawnigan Lake, and the local annual Macdonald cousins’ reunions. We will forever treasure all the photos taken by Mom during these special gatherings.

Mom was predeceased by her first husband Gerry, infant daughter Anita, parents John and Ruby, brother John, brother-in-law Rick Gibbs, and longtime best friend Gloria Perley. She will be deeply missed by her loving second husband Tom, children Mark (Debbie), Geraldine, Darren, and Randy, grandchildren Brandon and Crystal (Pat), sisters-in-law Liette (Ron), Pat, and Susana, nieces Jeannette (Markus), Suzanne (Aaron), Renée, Claire, and Adriana, nephew Matthew (Jessica), great-nephews Anthony, Oliver, and Daniel, great-nieces Becca (Mark) and Diana, and great-great nephews Kaiden and Kolter, as well as many dear friends, cousins, and extended families in both Canada and the US.

Mom left us peacefully, surrounded by so much love, laughter, music, and stories, just two days after her 86^th birthday. We will always remember her as strong, kind, thoughtful, generous, selfless, and having the biggest heart, always putting others ahead of herself. She was beautiful inside and out and the world has lost a wonderful soul.

A private burial has been arranged and a celebration of life will be held in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in bloom and we can all wear pink, Mom’s favourite colour.

The family would like to give thanks to the amazing medical team at Ridge Meadows Hospital and the palliative home care team who made Mom’s transition easier, as well as Dr. Tracy Monk, her assistant Ivana, and Dr. Jia Qi Chen, all of whom cared for Mom over many years.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the BC Cancer Society or BC Diabetes Foundation.

“If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever.”

– Winnie the Pooh

 

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