Doreen Gloria McCaig passed away suddenly at her residence at the age of 79 years.
Jack Bowers, a long-time friend, is the celebrant, and tributes and anecdotes will be shared by friends. The DeBoer girls will sing special songs as part of the celebration. Cremation will be followed by a private interment in Mt. Ida cemetery with her husband Bruce who predeceased her in 2004.
Doreen was born in Vegreville, AB on October 7, 1935. The family later moved to Grimshaw. She married Bruce McCaig in 1954 and they relocated from Calgary to Salmon Arm in 1958. She first worked at the Bank of Commerce prior to opening her flower shop, the House of Flowers, in 1974. Left to remember Doreen are her special friends Gary and Cheryl as well as a cousin by marriage Muriel Murrant of Peace River. Additionally, there are more people that can be counted who enjoyed her loyal long-time friendship.
Doreen gained great respect for her artistic ability with flowers and for her prowess and love of baking. Her pies, cakes and bread earned her many awards at the Fall Fair, where she convened the baking section for many years. She loved hosting dinner parties, both casual evenings with friends and extravagant dinners complete with hand written menus and fabulous table settings. Of course, the evening would not have been complete without suitable beverages. A very few lucky brides also had their wedding cakes prepared by Doreen. She was an avid reader and very proud of her skills as a wordsmith. She was a well-rounded reader with wide ranging interests. Her full size, unabridged dictionary held pride of place in her living room. Her extensive library brought her a great deal of satisfaction. A love of animals was Doreen’s trademark. She was especially fond of marmalade cats but no matter the colour any stray cat received her love, a home and veterinary care.
Doreen had a sense of humour like no other and she always said if you couldn’t laugh, especially at yourself, there was no use in living. Her idea of humour closely paralleled that of Maxine, her favourite cartoon character. This attribute stood her in good stead when facing the challenges that life threw at her. She lived life on her own terms and fiercely defended her right to make her own decisions. Doreen was not shy at showing her enthusiasm for living life with passion and sharing her opinions. She often expressed her gratitude to those who helped her remain in her home.
