Can I post her Obituary here? If any of the admins doesn't think it should be, go ahead and delete it. I have shared Lee's struggle with everyone, and been fortunate to have met so many of the people here while tagging along with her, but there were other parts of her life that I wanted to talk about.
Alicia “Lee” (Woodhouse) Varty
1959 - 2020
It is with profound sadness we announce the passing of Alicia (Lee) Varty on Monday, June 8, 2020, at the Rimbey Hospital and Care Centre.
Lee will be forever remembered by her husband and forever friend, Gerry, who she met and married while they were both students at the University of Calgary. Over the next 37 glorious years, they taught and lived in the communities of Alder Flats/Buck Lake, Ponoka, Crestomere, Mecca Glen, and Bentley, Alberta ... raising their 2 children, Kami and Ken. Lee was a dedicated and talented teacher, a profession she aspired to from a very young age, and one in which she continued to learn and grow throughout her career, during which she taught multiple subjects, from grades 3-10, attained a Master’s Degree, served as a School Administrator and an Instructional and Technology Leader and Coach. She will be fondly remembered by her school communities and parents, colleagues and team-mates, and the students she loved so much.
Lee loved to watch her daughter skate, and became deeply involved with the Figure-Skating community, working at a variety of positions with the Ponoka Skating Club, the Alberta CFSA Section, and loved being part of that family almost as much as she loved complaining about sitting in the cold bleachers while the kids lit up the ice. In later years, she enjoyed being connected to an international network of Figure-Skating athletes, officials and fans, travelling to competitions across North America, and meeting like-minded people previously known only through their internet connections. (
That would be you guys)
In later years, as their children grew and moved away from the nest, Lee discovered a new love; travelling. She loved nothing more than to pack up the motorhome, and together with Gerry, go searching for new places to camp, driving across Canada and the USA, visiting places they had only seen in pictures or read about in books. Sitting in that front seat, telling Gerry where to go, was a rare pleasure that they planned to pursue even more as Lee wrapped up her teaching career.
As her children married and started families of their own, Lee discovered a captivating new hobby… spoiling grandchildren. Kami (Kevin) Gelinas introduced her to Brenna and Paisley, while Kenny (Christy) Varty added Kelton and Lacey to the party… these four darlings knew her as “Nannie”, and adored spending time with her almost as much as she enjoyed time with them.
She was the matriarch, the central love of our families. Loved deeply by her husband Gerry, her daughter Kami (husband Kevin, plus grandchildren Brenna and Paisley) and her son Ken (wife Christy, plus grandchildren Kelton and Lacey).
She is lovingly remembered by her step-father Edward Brown, her sister Chris (Gary) Vandebunte and family, and her brother Bruce Brown, of Edmonton. She was pre-deceased by both her mother, Joyce Brown, and her father, Ken Woodhouse Sr.
Lee believed that ‘one can never have too much family’, and so she sought out and re-connected with her ‘other’ family (Woodhouse), consisting of 3 half-brothers – Larry (Wendy), Bill (Linda), and Ken (Sharon) (and their families!) who all reside in Ontario. On this side, she was pre-deceased by her half-brother, Dave Woodhouse.
Due to current gathering restrictions, a small, private remembrance service will be held.
Keeping this service private was a difficult decision, arrived at after much discussion by the family.
We are acutely aware of how many lives Lee touched, as a Teacher, a friend, a community member, courageous, smiling patient and stand-in-rent-a-mom for kids young and old, and we are deeply sorry that we cannot have an open, large funeral celebration for everybody to say goodbye.
But if you really knew Lee, you know that she would have everyone’s safety ranked first on her priority list… if her farewell celebration turned into a Covid super-spreader event, she would be very upset, not to mention quite capable of haunting us all for that poor decision.
Those who so desire may make memorial donations in lieu of flowers to the Bentley School Breakfast Program, something Lee started and took great pride in, helping every child start the day with the security of food in their stomach with no judgment or discussion.
Any donations can be made payable to Wolf Creek School Division, and mailed to Cards 4 Lee, Bentley School, Box 299, 5314 49 Street, Bentley, T0C 0J0.
Regardless of whether you choose to donate, I would like to ask one more favour of you:
So many of you have sent beautiful cards that Lee and I read and discussed; those cards and letters were a highlight of her day, she would tell me about you, about where she had met you, about what she knew of your lives... those cards were deeply honoured at Lee's bedside, and they brightened her world. If you send a card, please take the time to include a little anecdote, picture, story, or memory you have of Lee – so that we can all share those inspirations to keep her legacy alive in our hearts. Or post your story or anecdote here, where we can share it in her memory.
Because as always, she is still lurking.
Loving Lee was easy … she loved every one of us, and our lives are a little brighter because of her smile. Thank you for amplifying that smile with your own.
We Love you all,
Gerry, Kami, and Kenny
♥
❤
