CATHERINE LAMBERT "RENA" CLARKE

It is with extreme sadness that we announce the passing of Catherine "Rena" Lambert Clarke, who died peacefully on October 19, 2024, surrounded by family, at Vancouver General Hospital following complications from a fall. Affectionately known as Rena, Catherine was born in Edinburgh in 1930, and married the love of her life, Eric Lambert, a partner in an Edinburgh firm of Chartered Accountants. Along with their two-year-old twins, Rena and Eric navigated a new life in Canada, arriving in Toronto in 1957, and welcoming a daughter two years later. Tragically, Eric died in a plane crash in Labrador, Canada, in 1969. Rena forged a new life for the family, certifying as a stockbroker and joining the prestigious firm of A.E. Ames & Co. Later, she started Clarke-Way Travel from a fledgling enterprise in her basement to a significant office in downtown Toronto with her new husband, Ted Clarke, a light in her life that shone beyond the tragedy of her loss. Rena was a style icon before her time, and a trooper in confronting the challenges in her life with grit and determination. A teenager during WWII, and child evacuee from Edinburgh to Alloa, Scotland, she was indoctrinated in the concepts of survival, preservation and conservation. Rena always made the best of her circumstances, with a smile on her face and a purpose in her step. She was fiercely proud of her kids and grandkids, and in 2006, decided to move west from Toronto to Vancouver to be closer to them. She reluctantly gave up golfing at the Toronto Hunt Club, but quickly embraced the beauty and much longer golf season at Shaughnessy Golf Club in Vancouver. Amica Arbutus became her home in 2021, and the family is grateful for the wonderful staff and friends she had there. Rena is survived by her children, Keith (Lindsay), Valerie (Marc) and Elaine (Paul); grandchildren, Kyle, Julia, Clare and Brendan; great-grandchildren, Emma and Maddie; and her many dear friends, nieces and nephews. There were so many people who enriched the fabric of Rena's life, but we'd like to extend a special thank you to Jenny at Harbour Cove, Marycon for your love and care, and to all the staff and her new friends at Amica Arbutus for helping make Vancouver her forever home. Rena was predeceased by her first husband, Eric Gordon Lambert; her second husband, Joseph Edward Clarke; her parents, Catherine and Andrew Murray; and recently by her brother, Drew Murray of Edinburgh, Scotland. In honour of Rena's life, please consider a donation to the Charity of Your Choice.