August 25, 1932 - August 23, 2022
In loving memory ~
Myrtle Pauline Knight, a loving wife, mother, and world traveller who always returned to her roots on Vancouver Island, died on Tuesday, August 23 in Chemainus, British Columbia.
Myrtle died peacefully in her sleep at the Chemainus Health Care Centre following a lengthy journey with dementia just two days shy of her 90th birthday.
She was surrounded by loved ones in her final days and will be deeply missed by family and the many friends she made during her lifetime.
Myrtle spent some of her youth working on the families' floating logging camp in British Columbia's central coast region.
One of her first jobs as a teenager was as a "whistle punk" working with the steam donkeys and the chokermen. The role of the whistle punk included blowing the horn to tell the steam donkey operator to go forward or backward. One long and a one short whistle meant it was lunch time.
Myrtle was born at the family home near Cowichan Lake in the early hours of August 25, 1932. Her parents were Edwin and Hilda Chilson. Her sister, Helen, was five years older and her brother, Charles, was three years older. She also had a half brother and sister, Arthur and Anna.
There was no doctor present at the at-home birth but Dr. Bever-Potts did eventually make it to the house to ensure the mother and newborn were OK.
The green-eyed bundle of joy was named after her two aunts on her father's side of the family.
Myrt spent portions of her childhood in Cowichan Lake, Pack Lake, Port Hardy, Palmer Bay and Vancouver.
She was married twice. The first to Ian G. MacPherson whom she married at 16 and had three children Keith, Cameron and Sandra. She and Ian were divorced in 1964 when Myrt was living in Nanaimo. Her second husband was Leslie A. Knight, whom she was married to for 41 years. Les also had three children from previous marriage, Alan, Vivienne, and Bobby.
Myrtle's prized possession as a child was the red scooter she got at Christmas when she was six years old when the family was living in Palmer Bay near Campbell River.
Her favourite song as a child was the Children's folk song My Mother Told Me (Rubber Dolly) which her mother sang to her and can be traced back to her Norse roots.
Myrtle is survived by her sons Keith MacPherson (Beth) and Cameron MacPherson (Laura); daughter Sandra (Greg), her four grandchildren Sean, Adria, Brenna and Andrew.