Alana Hardy was born in Toronto to the late Phyllis (nee Chupik) and Alan Hardy on January 22, 1947. She was the eldest of three children, Lisa (Hardy) Morrow and Richard Hardy (deceased). Alana attended Humberside Collegiate where she met her lifelong friends, Linda and Renee. Alana lived half her life in Toronto, but the West Coast was her home.

In 1966 she married Joel Stanley Smith (deceased) and they welcomed two children, Joel Edward Smith on December 17, 1966 and Jennifer Anne Smith on September 18, 1968. When they separated Alana became a single mother until she met the love of her life, John Montgomerie, in 1973 at York University. They were best friends and lovers for the next 40 years. On January 8, 1979, they welcomed Johnna Lisa Victoria Montgomerie. John and Alana married on June 26, 1987. They didn’t always agree on everything, but their love and devotion to each other was evident to all who knew them.

Alana loved, served, and experienced so much that she seemed to have lived three life times in her sixty-six years.

Alana’s career began at the Globe and Mail in Toronto and she went on to work at both Richmond community newspapers The News and The Review. She used her position at those papers to recognize women in the community: she created the Ethel Tibbits Woman of Distinction Award and developed the “women in business” newspaper insert celebrating female entrepreneurs in Richmond. She was a grateful member of the Communication, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP).

Alana was a keen observer, had a fertile imagination, and loved to write. She was awarded the Susan Master McMoulton scholarship for her writing at York University where she was the co-editor of the Atkinson College newspaper. When she stopped working after her Hep C diagnosis she began in earnest to put pen to paper. Alana overcame the early frustrations of learning her craft with her usual tenacity and succeeded in publishing several short stories. She was an active and loved member of her writers group. In 2004 she was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with M.G. Vasanji when she enrolled and completed the Creative Writing Certificate from Humber College. A collection of her stories will be featured in a special broadcast on CoOp Radio on May 22nd.

In 1986 Alana found sobriety and her new found energy seemed unparalleled. Her friends will celebrate her 27-year Cake at the Thursday 8:30 p.m. Participation Group at 57th and Granville. . Alana spent decades serving and helping the disadvantaged. Her children vividly remember standing on Main and Hastings passing out Christmas toys to random children to brighten their day. Her seemingly unflagging energy and her desire to help motivated her to cook and serve countless Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners in downtown churches and deliver AIDS Vancouver Christmas hampers to people too ill to leave their home. Crabtree Corner and the Salvation Army were also blessed by Alana’s kindness.

Alana’s many friends were the family she chose and they never doubted her sincere love for them. In 1992 Alana took up running, first at the Minoru Runners group and later at the YMCA on Burrard Street. She proudly completed two marathons, numerous half-marathons and countless 10ks. For fifteen years she was a run leader at the YMCA where she met some of her closest friends. Some of these friends went on to create the Daughters of Mary prayer group. At these meetings Alana met even more wonderful women who helped her along her spiritual journey. During her short battle with Cancer these women would regularly pray with her giving her great comfort. Before her death Alana and her youngest grandchild, Athena Alana Roscoe, were baptized together into the Roman Catholic Church.

Alana was a traveller. When their youngest left home to study in England, Alana and John began their voyages to the far flung corners of the Earth and their adventures were straight out of the Odyssey. Alana’s vivacity drove her to seek out new people, places, and experiences. Her endless wonder allowed her to appreciate each new place.

Alana was a devoted wife, a proud mother, and an exceptional grandmother. Her son Joel and his wife Janelle McIntosh, together with their children Jackson, Ronan, Sofia and Axel, will miss their Granny deeply. Her daughter Jennifer and her wife Donna Rayner, along with their children Joshua, Alexandra, and Noah, are grieving the loss of the many days and hours of her companionship. Her youngest daughter Johnna and her husband Sam Roscoe, with their children Elias and Athena, are deeply saddened by the loss of their “adventure pal”. Alana’s greatest delight was playing with her grandchildren, making up games and stories, exploring Gary Point Park, and riding the waves with the kids at Watermania. In addition to her own children, Alana loved her step-children—calling them her “Toronto Family”. Stephanie Simone and her children Samantha and Michael, both made the journey to be with her when she passed. Kim and Bernardo Sanchez, and their children Addy and Dylan, enjoyed her witty banter; and John and Kim Montgomerie, and their children Paul and Claudia showed ‘Nana Alana’ how much they cared.

This love for her grandchildren is her legacy.

She will be remembered by everyone she has touched. Her life is a beacon to those of us lucky enough to have known her.

Instead of flowers the family asks you make a donation to the Chatamilu Project Scholarship Fund, a cause close to Alana and John’s heart. Make cheques payable to ‘Vancouver Monthly Meeting’ with earmark scholarship fund and send them to 103-8644 French Street, Vancouver V6P 4W6.