Edith Maxine Blank

BLANK, Edith Maxine (nee Lloyd) b. 27 August 1918 (Oldham, England); d. 28 July 2021 (Victoria, BC) Edith Maxine Blank ("Max") was born in 1918 and schooled in Oldham, England, where she excelled as a student and athlete. After complications and hardships endured during World War II, and while she was a young nurse in London during part of The Blitz, she met a tall, young, curly-haired Canadian soldier - Norman Gilbert Blank - whom she married. Shortly after the war, along with Norman and two very young children, she emigrated to Norm's home town, Nanaimo, British Columbia, where she was warmly greeted by and became connected with Norm's family, and in particular his kind sisters. Max and Norm settled in Northfield, and, after Norm retired, they moved to Gabriola Island, and later settled in south Oak Bay, Victoria. After Norm's death in August 1998, Max lived independently in the Oak Bay village area. She passed away just a month before her 103rd birthday. The confining vagaries of Covid were not kind to Maxine, since before its onset she was determined to make it to 105 years old. She took care of many of her own affairs up until the last year of her life. Max was quick-witted, stubborn, generous, full of opinion, loved sports, the news, and was fully proud of and determined about her independence. She was also fond of proverbs, her favourites being, "Life is not a map" and "Shrouds don't have pockets." She is predeceased by her daughter Gloria Fabbro, and survived by sons Danny, Kim, and Kirk, as well as a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.