April 10, 2020
Remembering Edna Camp (1929-2020) ~ Our mother Edna Marie Therese Camp is sadly missed by us, her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Mom died in Courtenay, BC April 10, 2020 after a life full of discovery and adventure. Born in 1929, Edna was the youngest of 5 children who were raised on a prairie farm near Beaumont, Alberta through the Great Depression.
Mom learned the life lessons and skills of creative thrift, hard work and 'making do' from her beloved mother Olivina Dubord. Her family eventually moved to the city of Edmonton where Mom lived her teenage years and where she met Frank Camp, a handsome young man from Jasper National Park, when she was in her early 20's.
After a short courtship and a romantic Christmas proposal, Mom and Dad married in June 1951 and moved to the backcountry mountain districts of Jasper Park. The story of their early years and Mom's experiences in the unfamiliar wilderness is a story that starts in chapter 8 of the book 'Roots in the Rockies'. Our Dad, Frank Camp, published the book in 1993.
Seven children were born in quick succession. Deborah Marie, Suzanne Marie, Diane Marie, John Joseph, Thomas George Joseph, Ross Joseph and David Joseph arrived within 8 years. Mom and Dad showed us a lifetime of adventure and new experiences with every move to a new national park. They led by example and always insisted that we were to stick together and look out for each other.
We each remember Mom in our individual ways but we have shared memories too. Who was Edna Camp, our Mom? She was artistic and creative in so many ways. Mom loved music and singing. Over her lifetime she produced many works of art. She had a lifelong thirst for knowledge and never stopped learning new skills.
She loved gardening and her babies and grandbabies. Mom took a keen interest in politics and world events. One of her favorite magazines was the Economist!
Mom worked very hard and spent years working at the CNFC fish plant in Ucluelet, saving towards the dream of building a home of their own, which they started when Dad retired from Pacific Rim National Park.
After Mom retired they travelled. Mom researched each destination for its history and found maps and made detailed itineraries. The places they went to were that much more enjoyable with the in depth knowledge Mom had learned. Their travels took them across Canada several times, up to the Arctic Ocean and Alaska, and all the way down the west coast through the states to the very tip of Baja, Mexico.
They explored the Maritimes and travelled partway down the eastern seaboard of USA and across the northern states. Hawaii was a dream destination.
A strong interest in family history lead them to Quebec City to explore Mom's ancestral roots and over to Scotland and England to research Dad's family history.
Mom and Dad were long time residents of Ucluelet. They moved there in 1970 when Pacific Rim National Park was being established. They embraced the west coast lifestyle but were sad when they had to leave because Dad was transferred out to National Parks in Ontario.
Eventually they were transferred back and in 1980 they built their house. Mom lived in her house until she was 85 and then moved to Courtenay where she was able to enjoy time with her family all around her. Her love and support were treasured by each of us.
At the end of her life Mom was very proud to be the matriarch of her extended family of more than forty descendants; her children and their spouses, grandchildren and their spouses and great-grandchildren.
Edna was predeceased by her husband Frank Camp and grandson Micah Messent.
She had a life well lived and loved. Rest in Peace Mom
Written by Suzanne Camp Oct. 30, 2021
A graveside gathering to remember and honour Mom will be held at the Ucluelet Cemetery at 10 am, November 8, 2021, in remembrance of the day of her 92nd birth date.
Covid 19 protocols will be observed.