Eunice Verginia Ray
March 26, 1924 - June 11, 2007
Funeral: Northside Church
Vanderhoof, B.C.
June 15, 2007
Offi ciated by Pastor Mark Schmidt
Eunice was born in Vanderhoof to Lloyd
and Flora Woods. Lloyd was a section foreman
with the CNR and so Eunice’s young years
were spent moving from town to town as the
job required. In her teenage years she settled in
Prince Rupert where she boarded with friends.
She graduated from Booth Memorial High
School in Prince Rupert in 1943. She moved to
Vancouver to work where she met her future
sister-in-law, Doris, who introduced her to her
lifelong partner, Bob. They were married on
June 23, 1945 a union that lasted 62 years!
Eunice and Bob settled in Fort Fraser where
they raised their four children, Art, Wilma,
Sylvia and Ken. She was always involved in
community events and belonged to many
different organizations; the Women’s Institute,
Fall Fair Committee, Quilters Guild. She was
instrumental in helping to start many of the
organizations: the Board of Trade, the Show
Committee, the Water Board, TOPS to name
a few. They owned a Building Supply store
which kept her very busy doing bookkeeping
and clerking but that didn’t slow her community
involvement down. She was a Schoolboard
trustee as well as the Returning Offi cer for the
Federal Polling Station.
Her home on Highway 16 was situated at
the perfect spot for Eunice to use her hospitality
skills. Because it was next door to the Post
Offi ce and across the road from the Grocery
store many people would stop in each day for
a quick cup of coffee while they were in town.
She loved company and was always ready
for them. She also opened her home to people
that needed a place to stay, whether it was a
family member going through a crisis time or
a friend’s child that needed a home to be closer
to work, it didn’t matter to Eunice, if she could
make room they stayed!
Her retirement home on 5th Avenue was always
busy with friends and family stopping in.
She enjoyed watching the birds as they gathered
at her feeders each day. She loved fl owers
and her fl ower beds were of great enjoyment to
her where she spent many hours relaxing and
pulling weeds while neighbours stopped by to
chat. In the winter she passed the hours by taking
correspondence courses, painting, drawing,
crocheting, knitting or quilting.
Her last few years were spent in the Omineca
Lodge and then on to the Stuart Nechako
Manor where she passed away peacefully. She
suffered form Shy-Drager Syndrome, a neurological
disease that caused her to lose ability to
walk and care for herself. She maintained her
sense of humor and wit to the very end and
enjoyed joking with the staff at the Manor. Her
smile could light up a room.
She will be sadly missed by her loving husband,
Bob, her children, grandchildren, great
grandchildren, sister, brother, inlaws, nieces
and nephews and many friends.