Helen Eva Trueit

Helen Eva Trueit (nee Clarke) passed away peacefully in Victoria General Hospital, February 8, 2020, at 94 years of age. She is survived by her daughters Donna Trueit and Valerie (Peter) Moore, grandchildren Jennifer (Chris), Sarah (John) and Luke, great-grandchildren Maeve, Cate and Reuben, and many loving nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her mother, Dora Clarke, and father, Stanley Clarke, husband Charles, sister Dora and 2 brothers, Stanley and Leonard. Helen was born in Fort William, Ontario, July 2, 1925 just before the Great Depression, the youngest of 4 children. Near the end of WWII, relocating to BC with her parents in 1946, she met and married the love of her life, Charles Trueit. Helen worked at various jobs while their two daughters were growing up, just to help out, but her greatest pleasure was working on the farm. She provided years of organically grown vegetables and preserves for the table and for sharing. She taught herself how to make butter, cheese, sauerkraut, sausage and bread. Not one to slow down during the winter, she took courses in Chinese cooking, bonsai, handwriting analysis and tea cup reading. Helen welcomed friends and family into her warm and loving home and was an avid listener and conversationalist. The radio usually played softly in the background, and she would hum along to the pop tunes of her generation, reminiscing, telling stories, and marking the beat with a "hitch in her git-along." Bahma, as she was known to her kids, grandkids, caregivers and friends, was known for her kindness, generosity of spirit, brilliant sense of humour, magnetic personality (which she called the "curse of the Clarke women") and above all, her love of family. She will be greatly missed. There will be no funeral service (at her request) but we will celebrate her life at her home later in the spring. Memorial donations may be made to the charity of your choice. Helen's favourites were Victoria Hospice, Canadian Cancer Society, War Amps and Firefighters Burn Fund.