Ruth H. Dempsey

DEMPSEY, Ruth H. August 16, 1956 - August 17, 2019 Bad news! I lost my earthly future on the early morning of Saturday, August 17th in Victoria with my loving family at my side. I was blessed throughout my life by tremendous support from my awesome husband of 41 years, Dan; my loving daughter Stephanie (Brian) Kruger and my perfect little grandsons Xavier and Felix Kruger; as well as my loving son Jason. Also, my devoted brothers and sisters-in-law Eric (Elma) Sommerfeld of Surrey and Ralph (Tanis) Sommerfeld of Victoria. Extended family always sent love, encouragement and support - and a wide circle of friends, near and far, rallied to bring me peace and comfort. I would not have made it this far without you. Born in Regina on August 16, 1956 to my proud parents Rein and Ella Sommerfeld (deceased), I attended Luther College, Balfour Technical School and University of Regina classes. Following our marriage in Regina in 1978 and my move to Moose Jaw, the Canadian Forces subsequently moved us to Cold Lake, Baden (W.Germany), Ottawa, Toronto, back to Moose Jaw and finally to Winnipeg. We met many wonderful friends at every stop along the way. When Dan retired from the military, our family moved to Hong Kong. Four years later in 1997, we settled in Victoria and loved living in Super Natural British Columbia. My children and grandchildren have brought countless blessings into my life and I have tried to nurture them in every way I could. Dan and I have been so fortunate to visit many provinces and countries around the world and learned from them all. Reading has been my favourite hobby throughout my life and I am proud to have volunteered at the annual Times Colonist Book Sale for 15 years straight. Being home secretary, loving grandchildren, daily walks, sewing, proofreading, accounting, family ancestry, audio, video and photo archivist, canvassing for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, yard work and entertaining kept me very busy. And then there were those wonderful holidays to faraway places. Eternal, sincere and heartfelt gratitude to everyone - my family, friends, wonderful neighbors, "The Gifters" and so many dedicated doctors who gave me the gift of life and hope - Drs. Richard Kennedy, Anthony Della Siega, Vanessa Bernstein, Alison Ross, Michael Perchinsky, Reg Smith, Jan Lim, David Shanks, Natasha Montroy (ND) and many others at the Royal Jubilee and Victoria General Hospitals. Thank you to all of the wonderful nurses and medical technicians at the BC Cancer Clinic and both hospitals for your compassion and support. I was so grateful to your team. I wanted one more day. Hopefully, one day, there will be more with every one of you. I'm comforted by wonderful memories of a blessed life. My love to you all; I shall be watching from above. Ruth A funeral service will be held on Monday, September 30th, 1:30 PM, at Christ Church Cathedral, 930 Burdett Avenue. Following the service and interment at the Royal Oak Burial Park, a reception will be held in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens, 4665 Falaise Drive, commencing at 3:15 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations to the BC Cancer Clinic or charity of your choice would be appreciated. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mccallgardens.com