BARKER
Luella May
September 3, 1916 ~ October 6, 2008
Luella passed away peacefully on Monday, October 6th at Casa Loma Seniors Village. She was predeceased by her daughter Gail and husband Col and is survived by daughters Nancy (Rick) Newsom of Courtenay and Diane (John) Majerech of Sorrento, BC, grandchildren Vittoria, Morgan, Jenny, Adam, Quinn, Tyra, Marlena, Philippe, Melanie and Brenden, many great-grandchildren and sister Muriel of Princeton, BC.
Luella was born in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, the seventh of eight sisters. She had fond memories of growing up on the family farm in the Prairies, which included non-stop baking and cooking for the farm workers, driving a team of horses, hiding from gypsies, and finding creative ways to entertain herself and her sisters. In her early 20s she moved to Vancouver, got married and had three daughters, who she ended up raising on her own, working hard to make ends meet. Over the years she ran a boarding house and then a nursing home before marrying husband Col Barker in 1969. She retired to Sorrento, where she and Col lived until his death. She then lived in Red Deer before moving to the Comox Valley in 1995 to be near her daughter Nancy and family.
One of her most memorable life experiences was a trip to England and Wales in 1982. But Luella's greatest joy in life was her family, and she is lovingly remembered by all as "Granny", famous for her butter tarts, cookies and colourful hand-knit slippers.
A Celebration of Luella's life will be held on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 at 1:00 pm at Comox Valley Funeral Home, 1101 Ryan Road, Courtenay.