Catherine Sara McVEAN

1926 - 2021

McVEAN, Catherine Sara (nee FLOOD) July 6, 1926 ~ June 13, 2021 Catherine Sara McVean (nee Flood) died peacefully on Sunday, June 13th, with her family at her side. She was born on July 6, 1926, in Woodstock, Ontario, to Lila (nee Reed) and George Flood. Her father, born in Buckfastleigh, Devon, UK was an internationally known and award-winning expert in the breeding and diseases of Jersey cattle. Woodstock native, Lila, was a Bookkeeper. During the First World War, George earned his Crown and Crossed Rifles designation as a marksman, a skill which would serve him and his family later on. Catherine had an elder brother, Donald, and a younger brother, William (Bill), who died in 1984. Catherine's family moved to Brampton for a time, related to her father's work. Then, early in the Great Depression, they moved to the family cottage on the Bruce Peninsula at Pike Bay, a destination that had been favoured by the Reed family for generations. Pike Bay, located half way up the Bruce Peninsula on the Huron side, was a beautiful summer haven – and very tough in the winter. Roads were snowed in and George had to hike to Highway 6 and walk or hitchhike 14 miles south to Wiarton to purchase food, especially fresh vegetables. He also put his marksman's skills to good use, hunting deer and other game for the family's table. Catherine, also a crack shot, carried a rifle to her one-room schoolhouse, six miles away (on snowshoes in winter) and also ran a trapline to catch rabbits to eat and feed their dogs. She played centre on the Pike Bay hockey team, and later, at high school, she broke many fingers playing basketball; ambidextrous, she was quite an athlete. After war was declared, the Floods moved back to Woodstock, a prosperous agricultural and manufacturing centre in southwestern Ontario. This is where Catherine met her husband-to-be, Bill McVean, at a high school corn roast. Brother Don enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force as soon as he was of age, and took what was widely considered the most dangerous job: tail gunner in a Lancaster bomber. In 1944, disaster struck over Holland, when Don's bomber collided with another from an allied squadron under attack from German fighters. Both bombers crashed near the Dutch town of Strijen, killing both air crews. Testament to Don's bravery was the fact that he had volunteered for the mission with a Royal Air Force squadron; his tour of ops with his RCAF squadron had already been completed. Catherine's boyfriend, Bill McVean, enlisted with the RCAF's 411 Squadron and served in Europe for the duration of the war, coming home in 1945. During the conflict, Catherine volunteered as a fruit-picker on the Niagara peninsula. Upon Bill's return, he and Catherine renewed their high-school relationship and were married on September 11, 1948. Catherine not only raised their two sons, Michael and Jaimie, but became an accomplished script writer for Bill throughout his storied radio and TV career, and later for their syndicated radio travel show: Trips 'N' Tips. Bill was the voice and Catherine the words and production. A founding member of TMAC, the Travel Media Association of Canada, Catherine travelled the world doing interviews for her show. She also learned to fly, helping to start the Canadian branch of the Ninety-Nines, the International Organization of Women Pilots (started in 1929, with Amelia Earhart its first President). Though she was fiercely proud of the family's unique, architectural one-of-a-kind Oakville home – which she fought to purchase in 1962 – you would never have described Catherine as a "housewife" (if you wanted to survive). She was a feminist before it was recognized by most as a positive term, and an equal partner in all family decisions. Whip smart and deeply interested in current events, she read two newspapers daily, and at least two books a week; the Oakville library was her second home. Catherine leaves her two sons, Michael and Jaimie, granddaughters, Jenny (Mark Briggs) and Samantha (Ibrahim Shah), grandsons, Alex (Rachel) and Nathan. She also leaves two recently arrived great-granddaughters, Margot (Jenny and Mark in London, UK), and Isabel (Rachel and Alex in Toronto). Sadly, Bill passed on March 21st of this year, so we guess she didn't want him to get too much of a head start! There will not be a service, and no flowers please – at Catherine's request – but please take a moment to reflect on how she, and other women of the "greatest generation", helped to make this world a better place, while building momentum in the ongoing fight for women's freedom and equality. Maybe she wouldn't have asked us to say this, but she certainly would have approved.