We are sad to announce that Betty Souther died suddenly from a stroke at age 93 on May 1, 2024. Betty was christened Mary Elizabeth Katharine, youngest child of George and Margaret Hamilton.
Betty was predeceased by her husband of sixty years, Jack Souther, as well as her brother, Jack, and sister, Dorothy. She will be missed by her three daughters, Anne, Barbara (Bob), and Janet (Robert) and their families, as well as her sibling, George (Dixie) and sister-in-law, Amerlys, and many nieces and nephews.
Betty was born and raised in Vancouver and graduated in honours geography from UBC (in 1953), and received her teaching certificate from SFU in 1968.
She worked as a librarian in many Burnaby schools, retiring in 1990.
Betty and her geologist husband, Jack, designed and built a ski chalet in Alpine Meadows in 1973. During their retirement years they volunteered as Mountain Hosts at Blackcomb/Whistler, leading ski trips in winter and interpretive hikes in the summer.
They also travelled internationally in retirement, concentrating on the “trail less travelled” and publishing their adventures in Pique Magazine. Betty was a keen gardener and enjoyed many ocean kayaking trips in B.C. waters. She spent her final years on Vancouver Island, living with her daughter, Barbara and son-in-law Bob and made many new friends there.
Betty possessed a lively spirit and lived fully up to the moment of her stroke.
In her final weeks of life she proudly walked everyday, lifted weights during chair yoga, listened to CBC radio, played games on her i-pad, enjoyed dinner parties, and clapped enthusiastically at a live Celtic band performance and befriended the musicians who dedicated their final song of the evening to her!
A celebration of life for Betty will be held on August 24 from 2 to 5 p.m. at First Memorial in North Vancouver, B.C., at 1505 Lillooet Road.
Please refer to the following link for additional details: dignitymemorial.com.
