The Nanoose Bay Lions Club held an extremely successful garage sale fundraiser in May this year, and raised just under $3,000 for the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation! They wanted to support the purchase of new medical equipment for the Intensive Care Unit, which is currently under construction. We are so grateful for your efforts and support!
Nadine Lindstrom & Lynn Bentsen from the Nanaimo Quilters’ Guild dropped off a very generous load of quilts last week for several departments at NRGH, including NICU, VI Scan, and Palliative Care. Thank you to the Guild for caring so much about our patients!
Roxane from the Nanoose Quilters dropped off 33 handmade quilts for NRGH last week! Some of the beautiful quilts will go to the NICU or Maternity department, but many will also go to the Palliative Care unit, Cancer Care, the Renal unit, and Dufferin Place. Thank you so much to all of the talented people that spend their time and energy to make these beautiful quilts for our patients.
We are so grateful to Helmet Head Canada for the donation of 8 totes of toys for Paediatrics! A total of 31 bikers rode their motorcycles in a parade formation last weekend in Victoria to drum up donations of toys for hospitals on Vancouver Island. Today, Helmet Head’s organizer Scott Ferron and a group of the riders delivered the toys to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital to give to children who are undergoing medical treatments, which will help them feel better and play like a kid again. The group has made three donations of multiple totes of toys within the past year!
May 8, 1965 – June 5, 2022
On June 5th Melinda’s pain and suffering came to an end as she passed away peacefully at NRGH after a brave battle with cancer surrounded by her family. She is predeceased by her Mom (Elli) and brother (Larry). Melinda was the core of her family and will be dearly missed by Kyle, Kirsten (Charlie), Kameron, and her beloved twin sister Melody. Melinda became a grandmother to Theodore who brought her so much happiness for the last 3 years. Melinda came from a large family and her loss has left a huge void for her siblings, Linda, Audrey (Mel), Alvin (Vikki), Melody, and her many nieces and nephews.
Melinda lived in Nanaimo all of her 57 years. Born at NRGH, she was the eldest of the twins by 18 minutes. From the time she was born she and Melody were inseparable. They lived a happy life on Kennedy St with her siblings and Mom. She met Kyle when she was 18 and married in 1989. She made sure they purchased a home before they were married and lived there happily until she could no longer. She created a warm and loving home where she and Kyle brought home their two children whom she loved more than anything. She made sure she stayed close to her extended family and hosted countless celebrations at their home. One thing everyone knew about Melinda is, you would not leave her house hungry.
Melinda was a fiercely dedicated and loyal employee and friend. She gave to all of those around her before she took for herself. She worked at Turley’s Florist until the last week of her life. It was her happy place and gave her so much joy. She will be missed by all of the Turley’s Florist community and customers.
The family has set up a memorial fund to honor Melinda’s life.
Donations can be made to the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation in Melinda’s memory to be directed to the Nanaimo cancer clinic expansion.
Dwaine James Barclay beloved husband of Lucille, passed away April 22, 2022 at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital after a courageous battle with lung cancer. He was predeceased by his parents Charles and Assunta Barclay. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Lucille. Dwaine is also survived by numerous brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends in Saskatchewan, Alberta, British, Ontario, and New Zealand.
Dwaine was born at Pincher Creek, Alberta on May 26, 1945, the only child of Charles and Assunta. He grew up on the family ranch at Pincher Creek and spent many hours in his father’s shop tinkering, and at a young age brought electricity to the farm through the use of a windmill. After high school, Dwaine moved to Calgary and one of his first jobs was with Atco Industries. This job took him to numerous counties and his love of travel was ignited. His first business venture was a paint and wall paper store in Calgary. This lead to a purchase of a sign company which eventually evolved to Camtec Industries, where he designed and manufactured a computerized routing machine. He sold these machines around the world and was proud to say they were in 50 countries.
Dwaine earned his pilot license in 1969 and his hobby of flying and rebuilding of small aircrafts began.
Dwaine and Lucille retired to Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island where Dwaine pursued his love of boating. He spent many hours on the water and loved his fishing trips with his buds. They continued to travel to many countries and eventually made their winter home in New Zealand.
The family would like to thank the doctors and staff at Nanaimo Hospital for their kindness and compassionate care.
In lieu of flowers memorial tributes can be made to Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation, 1200 Dufferin Cres., Nanaimo, B.C. V9S 2B7, or online below.
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