Patricia Boyle (née McDonell) was born on St. Patrick’s Day, 1920, in the town of Melville, Saskatchewan. The youngest of three daughters, she inherited longevity. Her mother, Agnes, lived until she was 95. Her eldest sister, Gladys, passed at the age of 98 and her sister Pearl just celebrated her 95th birthday.

She came into the world just as the horror of World War I was subsiding. She lived through the Depression and World War II, saw the first moon landing and the Berlin Wall go up and then come down again. She watched the introduction of jet travel and ATMs, cell phones and computers. Her passport was well used as she visited Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Hawaii, Czechoslovakia, France, Italy, Sweden, Spain and Scotland.

Hers was a sports-loving family, and she grew up curling and skating. At 5’2”, she was one of the taller girls on her basketball team. She loved music and sang with Lorraine McAllister (before she met Dal Richards). They were invited on a CBC radio talent show, which required them to travel to Regina and sing live on air. In an era before recording devices, her father spent that Sunday camped out in front of the radio, so as not to miss his daughter’s performance.

She moved to Montreal and worked as a teller in a bank where weekly, a priest named Father Kelly, would deposit the parish’s funds. With a Scottish last name, he thought of her as only a nice young Presbyterian, until one day she mentioned the Catholic Church she attended. His eyes lit up and asked whether she was free that evening “to meet the Boyles.”

Fast forward eight hours and a nervous Gerry Boyle drove up to her front door, chaperoned by Father Kelly, and Gerry’s sister, Evelyn. As she got into the car, she was barely acknowledged by the young man at the wheel. Father Kelly set them up as bridge partners. Despite chastising her for her poor bidding — an accusation that she always vehemently denied — Gerry invited her out the following Saturday evening. Two weeks later they were engaged and six months later they were married.

Following the wedding, they hopped in a car and went west. Driving first to Vancouver in the summer of 1951, they had hopes of moving to San Francisco, but a season of fires put a stop to any hiring. Without employment, Gerry returned to Vancouver and eventually got a job at the hotel in Harrison Hot Springs. There they had their first home and welcomed their first child, Stephen. Four years later, their family grew to include a daughter Mary-Ellen and a son Patrick. Returning to Vancouver, Gerry took a job at Wosk’s as their accountant, where he spent the rest of his career.

They moved to a house in Dunbar where they welcomed a few foster children into their family before their last child, Colleen, came along. Patricia raised the kids and created a home that welcomed every neighbourhood friend.

She was given the nickname “Bunny” by her eldest son and it stuck. Together, she and Gerry participated in the parish Bridge club, went to BC Lions games and held seasons tickets to the Canucks from year one. While they saw a lot of losses on the ice, she never lost faith in the team, and could even be found saying her rosary late in the third period when the game was close.

She loved Christmas and cookies, dogs, cats and earrings. Her favourite colours were pink and purple, which is appropriate given that she saw the world through rose-coloured glasses. She was the consummate optimist and found the best in everyone. She defined unconditional love and could think of no greater gift to receive than a phone call or a visit.

Her passing leaves an enormous whole in the hearts of her family and friends, but they take comfort in knowing that she had long, healthy and happy life and passed peacefully after a relatively short illness.

One of her favourite phrases was: “God never closes a door, when he doesn’t open a window.” This love of life and optimism will live through those who remember her, every time they see the best in a person, welcome someone into their home or hold out faith in those Canucks.

Bunny, we miss you. We hope you are bidding well at the eternal bridge table with Gerry.