March 1, 1919 – February 28, 2016
It is with great sadness that we bid final farewell to a wonderful mother, grandmother and great grandmother following a short but courageous battle with lung cancer.
Daphne was pre-deceased by her husband L.F.G. “Bob” Borden.
She is survived by her brother Michael (Liz) of Totnes, England; sister Lindy of Winchester, England; sons Michael (Kathy) of Yellowknife, NT and Richard (Robbie) of Kelowna, BC; and by her grandchildren Jamie (Curtis) of Nanaimo, BC, Trish of Kelowna, BC, Robert (Jessie) of Yellowknife, NT and Allan of Yellowknife, NT.
Daphne was a strong and independent woman. She was born in London, England and after the war she set sail for Canada, following in the footsteps of other members of the Corfield family who settled on Vancouver Island in the late 1800’s. She married Bob in 1950 and relocated to the small and isolated mining town of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Although the rugged lifestyle was a sharp contrast to her upbringing in England, she fell in love with the north and spent the next 26 years in Yellowknife and Discovery. Daphne immersed herself in her lifelong passions for arts, crafts, piano, gardening and raising her family.
In 1976 Bob and Daphne retired to Courtenay, BC where she continued to pursue her interests with painting, horticultural, CYMC and hiking groups. In 1986 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and subsequently became an ardent supporter and active volunteer for the Canadian Cancer Society. Although legally blind in her later years, Daphne continued to forge ahead with her painting, exploring new styles and techniques. Bob died in 1991 and true to her strong and independent form Daphne spent the next 25 years in her own home, where she died peacefully on Sunday.
Daphne was not one for the limelight, preferring to grind it out in the trenches and get things done. Nonetheless, she and Bob were honored to have a street named after them in Yellowknife in recognition of their community involvement. Daphne was thrilled last year to be selected as one of Courtenay’s Citizens of the Century.
Daphne was truly an inspiration to a vast number of people spanning great geographical distances and over many decades. We are blessed to have had so many great years with her and she will be missed by all who knew her.
A reception will be held in the Evergreen Lounge at the Florence Filberg Centre in Courtenay at 2 pm, Sunday March 6, 2016.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society in Daphne’s name.