Nature Vancouver

Nature Vancouver members are saddened to learn the loss of a long time member. Katharine Steig joined Nature Vancouver in 1991. She was member of the Board of Directors and served as the Chair of the Conservation Section for many years. The following obituary is submitted by Katharine’s family. Katharine Steig of West Vancouver, British Columbia, passed away peacefully on the evening of August 12, 2022. She was in her 86th year. Katharine was predeceased by her husband, Michael Steig….

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It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Catherine (Cathy) Aitchison on February 17th 2022. Cathy was the only child of Matthew and Marjorie Aitchison of Winchester, Ontario. At the age of eighteen, Cathy left Winchester and studied Fashion Design in Chicago. Later she moved to London, England where she worked in Graphic Design. She also worked for Thomas Cook, and travelled for five years. Cathy then moved to Vancouver and worked for the Australian Consulate. She…

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July 2, 1927 – January 6, 2022  Louise Irwin passed away at UBC Hospital at the age of 94 years. Born in Vancouver to Stan and Elsie Irwin, she grew up in Barnet, where she developed a great love for the outdoors, bringing home lots of “pets” from the woods and swimming across Port Moody Arm. Later the family built a house in Point Grey and Louise graduated from Magee Secondary School. She attended UBC and was granted a BSc…

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August 20, 1935 – November 24, 2021 Dan Overmyer, past president of Nature Vancouver and editor of Discovery, passed away on Wednesday, November 24 after a brief battle with cancer. He spent his final days peacefully surrounded by loving family and friends, listening to music, and sharing stories and meals in his cozy Vancouver apartment. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Dan grew up in China and the Philippines, spending the majority of his career as a pioneering scholar of Chinese popular religions…

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November 4, 1925 – October 31, 2021 Dr. Joan Ford died peacefully on October 31 in Vancouver. She will be remembered as the first woman on the medical staff of the Royal Columbian Hospital and for her dedicated service to her patients in Burnaby and New Westminster over 40 years. Joan and Sir Edmund Hillary had a long friendship. She was the locus tenens six times in his mountain hospital in Kunde becoming good friends with the people in the…

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A past President and an Honorary Life Member of Nature Vancouver, Daphne Solecki, joined Vancouver Natural History Society in 1985. Soon after that she volunteered as Membership Secretary and was a member of Conservation Committee and the Board of Directors for many years. Daphne’s family has written an obituary for her and has given us permission to post it here. Daphne was a respected member of Nature Vancouver and a role model for all of us. Daphne Monica Morton Solecki,…

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Submitted by Nigel Peck Nature Vancouver lost a wonderful member and volunteer with the peaceful passing of Hugh Hamilton on April 19th at age 90. In addition to his leadership and stewardship of the West Vancouver Streamkeepers, the Old Growth Conservancy Society, the Friends of Cypress Provincial Park and the Lighthouse Park Preservation Society, Hugh was a key organizer, camp manager and participant of Nature Vancouver camps from 2004 to 2014. Hugh was a one of a kind in his enthusiasm,…

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With input from Susan Lin, Daphne Solecki, and Denis Laplante It is with great sorrow and regret that we inform the members of Nature Vancouver, that a long time member of Nature Vancouver, Dr. Joseph Lin, passed in the early morning hours of Feb 25, following complications from a heart surgery.  Our sincere condolences to his family and friends. Joseph moved from Taiwan with his young family to Vancouver in 1993.  He pursued his interest in nature by joining Nature Vancouver,…

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