Leah Wharton died on October 4, 2015 after a lengthy illness.
Leah was born in Port Alberni on December 18, 1935. She leaves behind her husband Cliff of 62 years, daughter Sherrie (Hans) Lind, son Gary (Valerie) Wharton, four grandchildren who Mom was so proud of: Angela (Steven) Turner, Tim (Melanie) Lind, Kelsie (Mathew) Davis and Marlyse (Justin) Harrison. Mom delighted in the visits from her eight great-grandchildren, Emily, Jacob, Faith, Seth, Samuel, Clark, Flynn and Gwen. Leah is also survived by her brother, Douglas Drummond; sister-in-law, Joy (Bruce) Wisbey; and five nieces and three nephews. She was predeceased by her sister, Elizabeth Hannah, and her parents, Charles and Adeline Drummond.
Leah will be remembered for her love of gardening. She could be found in her garden when the sun came up. That was her happy place. Over the winter months, she would be pouring over seed catalogues and preparing seeds for germination. Spring, summer and fall, she would be planting, tending and harvesting the bounty from her garden. Mom and Dad were vendors for over 15 years at various Farmers' Markets in Kamloops, Salmon Arm, Enderby, Armstrong and Vernon. Mom had many repeat customers who would seek her out for her jams, jellies, pickles, breads and especially her monster cookies! She enjoyed the people she met through the markets; many of whom became good friends.
Leah was such a cheerful, positive and caring person. She never complained or pitied herself even while battling three years of cancer treatments. She would always remind us that someone else was far worse off than she was. She will be remembered for her courage, thoughtfulness and kindness to others. We would like to thank the wonderful staff at the Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Hospice House, who provided excellent care and made Mom feel so special during her last days.
