Ann Elizabeth (Harris) Campbell

Ann Campbell (née Harris) died with dignity and in peace, surrounded by love on Wednesday May 14, 2025.  A born and raised Vancouver Island girl, while studying at the University of British Columbia, Ann met the love of her life, Allan Campbell, and found her devoted life and travelling companion of over 60 years. Falling in love in the 1960’s meant together dreaming of, and creating, “...the same rainbow’s end. Waiting ‘round the bend…  such a lot of world to ‘see’.” Promising that “….wherever you’re going, I’m going your way.” The music played for over 60 years. Some of you may hear it.  Allan successfully enticed her eastward to the promised blue skies of Calgary, Alberta, serving both as a foundation for building their family and as a departure point for the many travels to come. 

A loving, patient, encouraging and kind mother, she was a devoted stay-at-home Mum to Lisa, Stephanie and David. She took incredible joy and pride in their successes and accomplishments, and supported them through their challenges. Her pride and joy in her family was magnified by her grandchildren; Wendy, Jessie, Jamie, Scott and Blake. She was a caring sister to Wendy Simson, and a gracious aunt to her nieces and nephews, Ross and Scott Campbell, Lindsay Kreinke, Erin Nielsen, Sarah Simson Kjernisted and Craig Simson, and their respective families.  

A life-long adventurous traveler, Ann leaves behind multiple passports full of stamps, shelves full of albums, meticulously detailed scrapbooks and - considering how lightly they travelled - an impressive array of international knick-knacks and art. She inherited her enduring love of travel from her late parents, Alexandra (Lex) Harris (née Cruickshank) and T. Ronald Harris. Ann’s first travel partner was her sister Wendy Simson, starting with biking around England unsupervised in their teens, then on family ski and beach trips with their children, and more recently, clandestine bike forays around North Saanich in their quest for secret patches of wild (NOT Himalayan!) blackberries.   In her eighty-three years, Ann experienced the wonders of the world and the cultures of over eighty countries. Wonders of the world…plus countless tiny chats with people, where even different languages did not prevent the growth of mutual understanding. She did learn to understand broad Scots though, which encouraged family contacts of over 140 years to continue.  With Australians, decades long friendships still continue despite “the language problem”. She loved to hear all about, and give thoughtful advice on, the travels of friends and family.  As retirement approached, Ann attended SAIT to become a travel agent, with the primary goal of facilitating and embarking on ever more exciting adventures with her favourite travel partner, Allan.  

Regardless of the expansive scope of their incredible expeditions (try 12 000 kilometres and three months of bush camping from Kathmandu to London!) Ann and Allan always returned to Calgary for the string of early fall family birthdays, for Christmas, and for five successive generations, the annual Gull Lake cabin opening on May Long weekend and Thanksgiving closure.  For Ann, it was not just about the places we were together, but more importantly, time spent together as a family.

Whenever Ann’s family and friends gathered to celebrate,  the focus was typically around food and Ann’s cooking skills were legendary.  Some highlights were roast turkey with perfectly smooth gravy cooked on the unpredictable wood stove at the cabin, wild blackberry pancakes and pies for dessert following salmon and crab feasts at Lands End, and Sunday night roast dinners with “almost perfect” Yorkshire puddings.  Many years of Gourmet Club dinners with dear friends honed her skills as a chef and a dining companion. Sharing a meal with Ann and Allan, whether home cooked, from a prix-fixe restaurant in France, or at a beach stand in Mexico, resulted in treasured memories for those who were lucky enough to be present.  

Ann was a talented artist who loved sewing, knitting, crocheting, sketching, watercolour painting and stained glass.  Her love for playing Scrabble, reading books, and doing jigsaw puzzles was boundless. She was diligent about doing Sudoku, Quordle and Wordle and “that darn Connections!” each day to keep her mind sharp as she grew older, and she would want you to know that it worked!  The family concurs.

Ann was always highly involved as a volunteer with the children’s schools and in her community while living in Oakridge, Honolulu, Elbow Park and Strathcona. As her children were growing, she somehow also found the time and energy to start her own business, Pawkets by Peters-Harris, and her amazing sewing skills outfitted many tiny Glencoe Club tennis and badminton players. The profits funded her trips to attend figure skating competitions across Canada with her business partner and dear friend, the late Janet Simonton (née Petersmeyer). 

 Ann was an active Glencoe Club member for many years, and, as a key part of the renowned (infamous?) Campbell/Powell team won the Club Championships for Mixed Bowling in 1978, 1988, 1992 and 1993.  Ann also enthusiastically participated in tennis, squash, fitness and swimming, and she was part of the first Glencoe Club team at the Forzani’s Mother’s Day Road Race in 1980. 

Ann loved being outdoors where she participated in her favourite recreation activities, such as walking the family dogs; Poppy, Chip and Penny, cycling throughout North America and Europe, hiking and trekking in too many countries to name, canal boat crewing “in charge of lock management”, downhill skiing, snorkeling, body surfing, gardening, camping, and beachcombing for moon snail shells and tumbled beach glass. 

Ann loved the Harris family property at Lands End in North Saanich, the twin Pan Abode homes built with care by her father, and even more so, the family times we all had together there each summer.  After Lex and Ron passed the property to Ann and Wendy, Ann and Allan’s summers were spent in the cedar-scented ocean air, where there was always time for a stroll on the beach, a leisurely read by the pool, afternoon swims and hot tubs, and an annual dip in the cold Pacific Ocean. She loved watching the many boats go by, the non-stop hummingbirds at the feeder, and the frequent sightings of eagles, herons, otters, raccoons, deer, rabbits, seals and whales were a source of great delight to her - unless the otters had left a mess on the beach stairs.  She always made sure there was dessert planned for after every meal, cookies in the tin, and an ample supply of snacks and margaritas for Happy Hour.

Our grief runs as deep as our love. Ann will be forever missed, but we also know that all the best parts of her are still with us, and always will be.  Any time that life demands of us bravery, careful consideration, creativity, calm, patience, grace, love and acceptance – she’ll be there. She modeled resilience, determination and courage for us all each and every day. When time is shared with family and friends over a lovingly prepared meal – she’ll be there, as the recipe is likely hers and there WILL be dessert! When we are appreciating and nurturing the beauty and wonders found in everyday life – she’ll be there. Whether facing adversity or diving into new and exciting adventures and places – she’ll be there, and likely she has already been there, and knows a great place to eat and stay!  These qualities she shared without reservation with all who were lucky enough to have known her. We will continue to share them.

The sparkle in her eyes will now be found by looking out across the waters, especially those of Satellite Channel. The warmth of her hugs will now be felt in the sunshine of a perfect day brought to a close with Happy Hour. The glow of her smile and the warmth of her affection will be found in every spectacular sunset, especially the ‘Sailor’s Delight’ setting over Cowichan Bay.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ann's memory to a charity of your choice.