Lois Murphy

Our beautiful mom passed away on July 12th at home, in the arms of her children, surrounded by love, acceptance and gratitude. We are heartbroken, but also blessed to have been with our mom at the very end, just as she had been there for us throughout our lives.

Lois was born in Provost, Alberta in 1946 to Roy and Elizabeth Houglund. She was little sister to Vivian (Stinchcombe) and grew up in Edmonton. Lois was a bright student who managed to skip grades in school and complete her BSc in in Pharmacy at age 19. She married Arden Murphy in 1965 and they traveled all over Canada and the US, living briefly in Anaheim, CA before settling in Mississauga. There, they started a family, first with Arlo, then Allison. In 1976, they moved to Victoria and completed the family with the birth of Lindsay. The marriage lasted 25 years.

Lois was a generous, fun, thoughtful and caring mother, sister, grandmother and friend. She was the biggest cheerleader to her kids and was a constant support in immeasurable ways. Lois was an avid reader who loved learning about other countries and cultures. She loved to go on walks in the forest, beaches and gardens and to swim in the local lakes with Lindsay in the summer. Lois was independent, funny, incredibly strong and always up for little adventures. She came back from every plane ride or ferry trip sharing the detailed life story of the new friend she had met. Our mom was the first to welcome people to the neighbourhood or invite those in need to join us in a holiday meal. We remember her starting each weekday with an early morning run or walk up Mt. Doug and making us waffles every Sunday. We grew up exploring Mt. Doug, never without homemade cookies. To Lois, family was everything and she had deep friendships that lasted a lifetime. She never wanted to be the centre of attention and showed great interest in the lives and successes of others. Lois never complained of pain and showed strength and determination right until the very end.

Lois is survived by her sister, Vivian (Stan), her children, Arlo, Allison and Lindsay (Bernadette) and her grandchildren, Evelyn and Sarah.

Thank you to all of Lois’ family and friends for the visits and phone calls that brightened up those last days for her. Thank you also to the medical teams and palliative support workers who made this incredibly difficult time bearable for our mom and the family.