After 103 years, and a short wind-down in hospital and Vernon Hospice House, Rosella Margaret Harrad is now at rest.

Rosella was born on November 20, 1916 in the Shellbrook area of Saskatchewan, to William Franklin LaClaire and Ena Victoria née Twigge. She was the fourth of five children born on the farm before the family boarded the train in 1924 to relocate in Salmon Arm, BC, where her four younger sisters were born. There, Rosella attended school until moving to Vernon, BC in the mid 1930’s and working as a housekeeper for the Galbraith family. She then moved on to Ewing’s Landing on Okanagan Lake where she was a housekeeper for a British couple who later helped her through nursing school in Kamloops.

Rosella’s nursing career took her too many places in BC, Alberta, and Quebec before she took on a job in Bermuda in 1948. In 1949 she returned to Canada to marry Reginald Harrad, a pipefitter, on February 12, 1949. They lived in many places including Alison Pass, Princeton, Whitehorse, Edmonton, Chilliwack, Prince Rupert, Prince George, and Kamloops, finally settling in Vernon, where Reg died in 1979.

In her retirement, Rosella still enjoyed seeing the world and travelled to Africa, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Scandinavia, Cuba, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska and many States in the US.

Rosella enjoyed playing bingo and pool at the Vernon Seniors Club and was an ace bowler at Vernon’s Lincoln Lanes for many years. In 2011, at 95 years of age, she bowled a 728 triple to go 209 over her 173 average and was still walking to the bowling alley to play a game each week at 100 years of age.

Rosella is survived by her loving sisters Marion Holmes (Geoffrey), Freda Blumenauer, and Beverly Crawford (Douglas), and numerous nieces and nephews. Rosella was predeceased by 2 brothers Walter LaClaire, Harold LaClaire (Helen) and 3 sisters, Irene Winterbottom (Charlie), Melvina Watkins (Wes), Ena Anderson (Maynard, Larry).

The family would like to acknowledge the support and love Rosella’s niece, Glynis Watkins provided, the Vernon Restholm for providing a good home for Rosella and the Vernon Hospice House for their gentle care in her last days. A celebration of life will be held in the Springtime.

 

Arrangements have been entrusted to Vernon Funeral Home, Phone: 250 542 0155

Condolences may be offered at www.vernonfuneralhome.com