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Phyllis Rosella Savola passed away quietly on Monday June 30, 2014 at Fraser Canyon Hospital with family at her side. She will be dearly missed by her husband, Raymond, of more than 58 years; by her children Patricia (Iris), Susan (Henry), and Stephen (Fern); by her siblings, Dolly, Sharon (Dennis), and Harold (Elsie)..and by all of their families which includes 4 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Phyllis was predeceased by her parents, Ida and Jalmer, and by her sister, Helen. Phyllis was born Oct 17, 1936 in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan. Raised mainly in Vancouver, she lived many places thereafter. She graduated high school in Kansas, and after returning home to marry Raymond they lived in Woss, Burnaby, Boston Bar, and then settled in Hope to raise their family. They were active in the community and later in life moved to Duncan and then Maple Ridge. Phyllis also loved to travel for pleasure and often trekked the globe with family and friends. Phyllis's life was not defined by MS though she lived bravely with it since 1970- blazing a trail of alternative medicine pathways, and being singularly instrumental in getting acupuncture legalized for use in BC. Strongly political, Phyllis was the first woman to run for Hope Council losing only by a slim margin; passionately involved in organic food as a way of healing, she was a fledgling member of the Hope food co-operative; as a lifelong learner, she was the first adult woman student to take her toddler son to classes at SFU.

Phyllis had many long-time friends throughout her life and she loved to play bridge, cribbage, and scrabble - all of which she played enthusiastically, often, and well.


Phyllis returned to Hope when her fight with MS necessitated the care that was provided by the staff and friends of the Fraser Hope Lodge. Phyllis's family would like to say a special thank you to all the caring folks at Fraser Hope Lodge, to her caregivers, Shirley and Sky, and to the medical staff at Fraser Canyon Hospital.


We will celebrate Phyllis's life with a get-together and light lunch at 1pm on July 19, 2014 where we will honour her and her love of humour...so please bring your stories, a joke, a skit or any other way we can have a final laugh in her memory. The venue is located at 6418 Mt. Lehman Rd, Abbotsford. We are making a special "Phyllis Garden" at Sue's. If you wish to contribute, please bring a potted plant or a small garden ornament labelled with your name...or donate to your favourite charity, or just come and say goodbye with us.



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