Adele Stapleton

1940 - 2019

Adele Stapleton, born on April 5, 1940 in Vancouver, succumbed to leukemia and passed peacefully on November 26, 2019.

Adele moved from the Lower Mainland to Kamloops in 2006 and was warmly welcomed here. She enjoyed her time at Orchard Court and cherished the friends she made there.

She had a great love of nature and enjoyed hiking with the Kamloops Naturalist Club (KNC) and with the ladies from the John Todd Y.

Volunteering was a passion of Adele's, especially activities that taught and inspired kids, and she spent many hours helping out at KNC and the Big Little Science Centre. She particularly relished taking TRU World international students up Tranquille Creek for gold panning, or local school children there for salmon releases. She also touched the lives of many throughout her 65 years of involvement with the Girl Guides of Canada.

Animals were another love of Adele's, which led her to start volunteering with Four Paws Food Bank during the 2017 wildfires.

Volunteer and work endeavours prior to her life in Kamloops included OWL (Orphaned Wildlife) Rehabilitation Society, BC Conservation Foundation, Friends of Boundary Bay, BC Wetlands Society, Let's Talk Science, Burns Bog Conservation Society and Jeremy's Memorial Foundation.

Having been called "a volunteer extraordinaire", Adele has received multiple awards for her efforts. Apparently some of the organizations that she was such a big part of will now be presenting future awards in her honour.

Since retiring, Adele discovered the joy of travelling – starting with a Mediterranean cruise and followed by New York and the Caribbean, China and Thailand, Alaska, Barkerville and Haida Gwaii.

Adele will be dearly missed by her many friends, her daughters Allison Haney and Brianna Haney (Warren), grandson Dillon Sorgenfrei, sister Gail Russell (Cliff), nephews Kevin, Kurt and Kerry Russell (and families), brother Ron Parker (Cathy), cousins Naomi Sexmith (Ozzie) and Gordon Clay and beloved kitty Lexus - who will still be loved and cared for.

Special thanks to all the amazing medical staff and caring palliative volunteers that did everything they could for her, as well as to the wonderful people of Kamloops that made her final years some of her happiest.

Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00 pm on Thursday, December 12, 2019 in the Orchard Court common room, located at 860 Nicolani Drive (please park in the Full Gospel Church parking lot).