Alice Macaulay

ALICE MACAULAY (nee Locke) Alice Macaulay died on January 7, 2024. She is survived by her husband, James A. Macaulay, QC; and their children, Mary, Anne, Thomas and Sarah; grandchildren, Lachlan, Georgia, Luca and Oscar; and many beloved nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her son, Hugh Macaulay; and by her brother, Hon. Charles C. Locke; and sister, Elizabeth Morin. Alice was born in Vancouver in 1929 to Hon. Charles H. and Marie Locke. She attended York House School, and then UBC for her first year of university. The family moved to Ottawa in the late 1940s, and Alice transferred to McGill where she completed a general arts degree. She then attended Katherine Gibbs College in Boston, and returned to work as a secretary in Montreal, and then in Ottawa. She spoke most fondly of her years working for Dr. Norman McKenzie, the head of the National Research Council in Ottawa. While at McGill, Alice formed many friendships. Among her new friends was fellow Ottawa girl, Mary Macaulay, sister of James, who Alice would marry in 1958. After their marriage, Alice and James moved to Vancouver where James was working as a young lawyer, and son, Hugh, was born in 1959, the first of five children. During her married life, Alice was an engaged volunteer in many organizations, including the Community Arts Council of Vancouver. She was an early supporter and member of the board of directors of VanDusen Botanical Garden and of Roedde House Museum. In the mid-1980s, she returned to the workplace as the Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation board secretary, where she enjoyed her work assisting the board in providing non-profit organizations with grant funding. In the days before online applications, she particularly loved her personal contact with people from all over BC from small organizations seeking grants to deliver wonderful arts, social service, and education programs to their communities. Alice was warm, intelligent, confident, naturally charming, humorous and fun. She was interested in and loved people, and they loved her back. She maintained friendships made in childhood and made new friends all her life. She was also beautiful and stylish. She had many interests which she enjoyed, including literature and music, and she was an active and longstanding member of the Vancouver Garden Club. She and James loved to travel together and with their children. She also loved her house at Roberts Creek. At the conclusion of each school year, the five children, the dog and various cats were all piled into the station wagon, which she would pilot up to "the Creek," where the family spent the entire summer. When not caring for large numbers of children, she read, swam in the ocean, attended bonfires on the beach, picked berries, gardened, and visited with her friends and much adored neighbours of all ages. Alice lived in her own house with James almost to the end of her life. In the last couple of years, this was made possible by the loving care she and our family received from Lourdes, Almiga, Antonietta, Socorro and Tita. Alice also received wonderful care at home from the palliative care team at Pacific Spirit Health Unit and St. John Hospice at UBC, where Alice died surrounded by her family. When the weather brightens, we will have a celebration of Alice's wonderful life.