Betty Eileen Ada Barnes

1920 - 2022

BARNES, Betty Eileen Ada (nee Dauphin) August 11, 1920 - May 20, 2022 Energizer Betty finally wore down her battery! We hoped she'd go on forever but an 102nd birthday was not to be! There was a special effervescence in the way Betty lived her life. She beamed at it and rarely let a cloud darken her outlook. She smiled at everyone and loved to tease - ultimately, she was a generous and loving soul. She decided long ago, perhaps because of her long experience working for Silver Threads, that she would take every opportunity to be happy and accepted the decline that came with passing years with that determination in place. At the end, she did not always know who we were, but she never failed to greet us with her high wattage grin of welcome and good spirits. She smiled with her entire face! She looked for and found joy in even the smallest of things. Betty was born and raised in Victoria and lived almost 102 years in the place she loved best in the world; Victoria. She just hopped around from James Bay to Cadboro Bay and back again. She was predeceased by her loving husband George Wickham Barnes and all 3 of her sisters: Hazel, Joan and May and, sadly, her very good friend and daughter, Valerie Egan. Sons Steve (Audrey) and David (Kathrynn) and grandchildren Carson (Stacie) and Kelsey don't mourn her loss so much as cherish the memories and enjoy the chuckles so many of them bring. Betty is lovingly remembered by nieces and nephews and the sons and daughters of the many friends, relatives and neighbours who have gone on before her. The family heaps thanks on the wonderful staff at Trillium Douglas Care who cared for Betty as one of their own. We thank the wise counsel of Dr. Susie Leggat and Dr. David Brook for their kindnesses in guiding us through her final years. Dr. Brook thought Betty had mastered the zen of the great aged - and we agree! Betty slipped away in her sleep, calmly and without pain and probably with the hint of a smile. There will be no formal service, but the family invites you to visit her soon-to-be-installed commemorative picnic table in Maynard Park and perhaps enjoy there a coffee from one of her favourite Caddie Bay shops while listening to the children play in the park as her children and grandchildren did. OR, because it pleased her so much to have the family together, take someone in your family out for dinner or to the Beacon Drive-In and enjoy an ice cream toast in her honour. It would make her smile. If you care to make a donation in her name, know that Betty supported many great causes over the years; we invite you to choose a favourite.