Elspeth Landery Wallace

Elspeth Landery Wallace

Elspeth died August 4, 2012 in Seattle, having been ill with COPD for several years. She was born in rural southwestern Ontario, Canada, August 16, 1929, the only child of Charles D. Landery and Emma V. Kittmer. Her Scottish father was a wounded veteran of World War I, and her mother a nurse. Elspeth started school in a one-room schoolhouse. The family then moved to London, Ontario where she completed high school and later returned for postgraduate education after her nurse's training in Hamilton, Ontario. She kept fast friends from her Ontario years, among the many in both countries.

In 1953, while in graduate nursing school at the University of Western Ontario she married a medical student, John G. Wallace, and held staff and teaching posts at Children's Hospital. In 1955 the couple moved to Calgary, Alberta where she held nursing administrative positions in Calgary hospitals, and her husband interned and served as a physician in the Canadian Army. Daughter Jan was born in 1958 and 6 weeks later the family was deployed to West Germany for 2 years. Son Michael was born in London in 1960 and the family moved to Ann Arbor, MI for John's residency, where son Ian was born in 1962.

In 1964 the family moved to Seattle, settling in the Lake Forest Park area. She was involved in her children's many activities, and was a research assistant at the then Children's Orthopedic Hospital. She and a colleague published an early contribution to the literature on Death and Dying. Her next involvement was with Planned Parenthood, where she served as clinic volunteer, educator in the schools, and coordinator of the volunteer program. She then gained an M.A. degree in psychology at Antioch University, and practiced in sexual therapy, along with local psychologists. In the 1980s, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Harborview Hospital and Medical Center, serving 7 years and retiring as President in 1992.

Her husband retired from his psychiatric practice in Seattle that year. The couple then moved to suburban Vancouver, BC, their Canadian identities still alive and well, and Elspeth got involved in the local Seniors Center, later becoming John's office assistant in the BC version of Canada's health care system. After some transitional years in Bellingham, the couple finally retired completely and resettled in Shoreline, closer to family and friends. Along the way she was a "hands on" mother, PTA worker and swim team parent. Her outgoing vivacious nature drew others too her, and her wit and humor enlivened many a party, to say nothing about her introducing the Canadian December 26 Boxing Day party to the surprised American north-enders. Though she remained a Canadian Royalist, she was a staunch American liberal, joining the 1970 March on the Freeway, working for women's rights and helping elect local and national women leaders.

She loved play: any game, charades, Halloween dress-up, and word games, at which being dyslexic she was especially challenging. Vacations were fun, whether camping, boating, fishing, sailing the Caribbean, even on horseback in the Pasayten wilderness. Many years ago she saw an advertisement for "rafting the Rogue River" in Oregon. That led to many river trips in BC, the Yukon and the Canadian Arctic Northwest Territories. She was truly a good sport.

She is sorely missed by John, her daughter Jan, of Seattle, son Michael (Cherrie), of Mukilteo, son Ian (Catherine) of New York City, as well as her New York grandchildren, Piper and Nolan and her Mukilteo grandchildren Margaret and Evan. Of all her varied experiences and achievements, the close loving ties in her surviving family meant the most to her along with her friendships, some lasting 60 years.

"Memory is time's sweet yesterday". (Barry C., Victoria BC)

She did not wish services to be held, though remembrances in her name might be made to Planned Parenthood at ppgnw.org.