1923-2017
Divona (Divine) was one of six children, born 19 September 1923 along with her twin brother Del in Waldron, Saskatchewan to parents James and Myrtle Tait. Cherished and respected by her family and friends, she was a truly extraordinary woman. “Dove” brought genuine, joy, light and laughter to all who were lucky and blessed to know her. Dove left her Saskatchewan roots as a young woman to strike out on her own and live in Vancouver working in banking. She married her childhood sweetheart Keith Fiddy, served as a WREN during WW2 in signals & intelligence in Halifax where Dad was a mechanical engineer in the R.C.N. on convoy duty to Britain. After the war, military postings took them to England, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Ottawa and Esquimalt, B.C. Mum always took the travel and uprooting with a positive outlook while caring for her family. Keith passed away suddenly in 1974. Dove still had much to give and later married Chris Christiansen, a wonderful Norwegian engineer. Dove and Chris formed a remarkable partnership. Career opportunities took them to South Africa, Swaziland, and India where Mum always immersed herself in volunteer work with the Red Cross. She sponsored the education of several young women in Africa. When Chris retired, they lived in a waterfront home on Spence Rd. where they had wonderful neighbors and friends at the Union Bay United Church. Still here to remember and thank her for her constancy of love and friendship are her daughters Janice McIntosh (Larry), Judith Bellis (Blair), son Kent Fiddy (Marta), treasured grandchildren Jeremy, Emily, Kate, Riley, Kelyn, Bleiddyn, Rhianydd, Diana, great-granddaughter Olivia, sister Melba, her brothers Lorne(Gladys), Delwin (Becky) plus a host of cousins in Orkney, Scotland. She will be missed by lifelong friend Peb McCardell, Amy Hinderks, Sheila McIntosh, Connie Shelrud, Linda Baril and Deborah Dowker. We thank Devi, Kim, the staff at Comox Medical and Dr. Rickard Potter-Cogan for their kindness. A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. Our sadness is tempered by the words Mum lived by: “Live one day at a Time” and “Joy is Everywhere.”