Violet Elizabeth Malley passed away June 9 listening to wartime songs of Vera Lynn

Violet Elizabeth Malley, one of 48,000 intrepid war brides who travelled from Europe to Canada during World War II and helped enrich the fabric of a changing nation, died peacefully on June 9, 2021, in Burnaby, British Columbia, while the songs of Vera Lynn, Britain’s wartime sweetheart, played quietly nearby. She was 100 years old.

She was born on Aug. 12, 1920, in Northampton, England, the second of the four daughters of Olive and Edward White. It was in Northampton that she met her future husband, Ernest Malley, a private in the Canadian Army, who was billeted on the town common. He invited Violet to go dancing and the pair quickly fell madly in love. They were married there at the Cathedral Church of St. Mary and St. Thomas on July 17, 1941.

In 1945, Violet and her firstborn son, Malcolm, then three years old, sailed across the Atlantic to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to reach Chatham, New Brunswick, where she lived with Ernie’s parents. Her most lasting memory of the voyage was the abundant fresh produce available to the passengers; because of the war, she had not seen an orange in seven years.

Violet’s in-laws were Acadians who spoke only French, a language she began to learn. Nine years later, Violet, Ernie, and their children moved to Oakville, Ontario, where the young family put down roots.

In 1987, Violet and Ernie retired to British Columbia, a province whose mild, rainy climate reminded her of England. They lived first in Port Coquitlam and then in Maple Ridge. She and her sisters Joan, Phyllis, and Betty were reunited in Maple Ridge in 2000, when the trio made a surprise visit for Violet’s 80th birthday, at a party orchestrated by her children.

Violet was extraordinary in her care of others. Her children remember her as a loving and selfless mother. As a mother-in-law, she was generous, kind and helpful. She was a doting and patient grandmother who threw open her arms, her kitchen, and her colourful wardrobe, reveling in her second opportunity to be around young, and later not-so-young, children.

She was a mad knitter, the mastermind of great family feasts, a dedicated correspondent, purveyor of English mints and tea parties, an enthusiastic shopping companion, a keen listener, and an indefatigable cheerleader who offered her family and friends unconditional love. She was a gifted swimmer, a snappy dresser, and a lifelong fan of fish and chips.

Employment in a boot factory during her teenage years made Violet both a shoe connoisseur and a champion of the working class. She was delighted by the messages she received from Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulating her on becoming a centenarian.

Violet was predeceased by her dear Ernie, who died in 2011; and by a beloved daughter, Lynda, in 1954.

She is survived by three sons, Malcolm (Janet), Laurence (Sandra), and Anthony (Kara); six grandchildren, Diana (Rod), Denise (Martin), Laura (Layne), Reid (Amber), Mackenzie, Maressa, and Olivia (Rob); and eight great-grandchildren, Henry, Sydney, Avery, Samuel, Sophia, Nolah, Alycia, and Hazel.

The family would welcome donations to the Burnaby Fair Haven Lodge, whose staff provided attentive and loving care to Violet in her final years. She will be interred at a private family ceremony in Mississauga, Ontario.

We’ll meet again,
Don’t know where,
Don’t know when,
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day...