July 9, 1948 - January 17, 2024
In Loving Memory ~
It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we announce that Doreen Ethel Huggins, aged 75, passed away from complications related to emergency surgery on January 17th at the Vernon Jubilee Hospital.
She is survived by Terry Tarr, her loving husband of 35 years, her four children, Tage (Kim), Bree (Todd), Keegan (Lane) and Rhys Cawley, and her 10 beloved grandchildren, the lights of her life and her true joy.
Born July 9th, 1948 in Regina, Saskatchewan she was the cherished daughter of Ethel and Vern Huggins, and sister to Lynne, Don, Ken, Leslie and Charles.
Her enjoyment of literature and music were evident from an early age as she could always be found reading and playing the piano. These passions led her to obtain her English degree from the University of Saskatchewan and then to her first teaching position on Holman Island in the Northwest Territories. Following on from her northern adventure she settled on a farm near Mabel Lake where she welcomed her four children, before moving to Vernon when the kids were school aged.
She was an admired teacher, who passed along her love of the written word to students at Kingfisher, Ashton Creek and MV Beattie Elementary schools throughout her career. In her spare time she was a tireless volunteer in the community, a caregiver to Rorey, and a friend to all she met.
Doreen and Terry settled in Desert Cove for their retirement years, where they continued on their journey of many joy-filled years of travel. From touring all the Canadian provinces, to toasting each other under the Alaskan midnight sun, their camping adventures made for many cherished memories, often with their furry companions by their side.
Her joy of exploring the world was boundless; finding her riding elephants in Thailand, sipping champagne at an opera in Vienna and enjoying the sand between her toes in Hawaii. But home was always where her heart was.
She was tenacious and a fighter, never letting her health get in the way of the things that mattered to her most - family and friends. She was a lot of things, but most of all, she was our Mom/Ma/Grandma. She was loved, and will be so very missed.
In respecting Doreen's wishes, she was cremated and a Celebration of her Life will be held at a later date.