Valerie Eleanor Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE (CALDERWOOD), Valerie Eleanor.
December 5, 1963 - January 18, 2020 Best Mom Ever. Beloved sister, aunt, niece, cousin and friend. Born to Pamela and Sibbald Calderwood in Montreal, Quebec. Predeceased by her father, mother and brother Gary. Survived by her children, Lesley and Luke, brother Alan, twin sister Diane Smillie (Ross) and sister Gail (Mark Saunders), nieces and nephews, Graeme, Alex, Kelsey, Claire, Melissa and Liam, and extended family and friends who remember her fondly.
Valerie bravely managed and battled her mental illness for such a long time, until she couldn't any longer. She also enjoyed an abundant life of love, accomplishments and adventure. A graduate of UBC, she held both a BSc and an MBA. She worked over 20 years with the Ministry of Environment where, in her own words, she "gained so much knowledge and had gratifying work". After leaving work she was able to continue her passion for helping others by volunteering with organisations such as Together Against Poverty, Habitat for Humanity and the Victoria Disability Resource Centre. But her greatest accomplishment was her children, Luke and Lesley, in whom she instilled so much wisdom and compassion. Among the lessons she taught them were: laugh until you cry, always be kind, sometimes swearing helps, running can be fun, even though Luke may use a wheelchair he can most certainly still go water sliding and roll down the beach, you should try everything at least once, get outside as much as possible, hard work pays off, its ok if math and basketball are not your forte, and spontaneity makes things more exciting.
Valerie was warm, witty and charming and had a knack for making things funny. Oh yes, she could be monstrously sassy and her tongue could be sharp. She wasn't perfect. Who is? Running, cycling, walks on the beach, reading a good book, solving endless crosswords, and playing with paints, were favourite pastimes. Her playfulness, curiosity and sense of adventure was contagious and she made sure that Luke and Lesley got to travel and experience the world as much as possible.
We will celebrate Valerie's life at the Pacific Horticultural Center in Victoria on Sat. Feb. 8th from 1:00 - 3:00 pm.

Celebration of Life

1:00 pm Saturday, February 8, 2020 - 3:00 pm Saturday, February 1, 2020
The Gardens at HCP 505 Quayle Rd Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V9E 2J7