​ Joan Taylor
June 27, 1929 - December 21, 2024
With heavy hearts​ we add our dear friend Joan to our memorial page.
Joan you are deeply missed and will continue to be remembered as a fantastic artistic friend. You enhanced our world with your strength, brilliant nature and wondrous being.
​
Joan died on December 21, 2024. She was loving, creative, determined, adventurous, brave and, at times, irascible. She was an artist, a doctor, a gardener, an adventurer, a volunteer, a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
​​​
She was a vibrant member of the Sooke fine arts community for 28 years. She painted landscapes, painted fine china and tiles, and did stained-glass work, but her main passion was textile art. She was a founding member of Fibres and Beyond and exhibited pieces in the Sooke Fine Arts show (which she also helped organize in the early days).
Isabel Tipton
May 14th 1934 / September 18th 2023
It is with deep sadness that I take Isabel’s name off our current members page to add her to our memorial page. We all grieve the loss of our dear friend.
Isabel was a founding member of Fibres and Beyond ( The Lilies ).
She is forever in our hearts, our group holds a sorrow of her loss and endless joy as we all had the pleasure of knowing Isabel. Her beautiful vibrant and gentle presence has had an immense impact on each of us. Our group as a whole morns her loss. Good bye Isabel we love you.
​
Below are snippets from a memorial Wendy Mitchels wrote for Isabel
Isabel Harwood Tipton (Helgeson) was born in Victoria on May 14 1934 and died peacefully at home in Metchosin on September 18 2023. Isabel was an esteemed member of the Metchosin community and many organizations.
Isabel dedicated her life to volunteer work and projects; she was tireless in supporting and encouraging her family and community. From the age of eight she was an active member of St. Mary’s church and in 2019, the Anglican Diocese of BC awarded her a Lifetime Service medal.
She was very active in her children’s school activities helping to start the Metchosin Pony Club and the Coho Swim Club. Her grandmother taught her to knit and do simple embroidery stitches leading to a lifelong interest in textiles. She was a founding member of the Juan de Fuca Arts and Crafts Guild. Isabel became a weaver of note and innovation attending many international conventions with the Victoria Hand weavers and Spinners Guild; both guilds granted her life membership. As a member of the textile group “Fibres and Beyond” Isabel’s mantra “learn something new” matched the other’s enthusiasm to experiment with textile techniques.
Their annual show, Consider the Lilies highlighted her work beautifully.
Education and learning were priorities in Isabel’s life. She represented Metchosin on the Library Board for years; she sat on the Heritage committee and countless other worthy organizations. She was in demand to chair local meetings, and mediate community issues. One of her many accomplishments was the ability to appear unbiased and open; her serenity brought confidence that her judgements would be kind and fair.
​
Sadly Gail passed away on
April 2nd, 2022
We remember Gails quiet dignity, her grace,
her love of life and all aspects
of her creativity.
Gail is deeply missed by all who knew
and loved her. Our fibre art group is forever changed. We will continue to remember Gails beautiful contribution to our lives as we witness the lilies bloom every year at St Marys.
​
​
​
​
