22 - Sunday, March 21, 1999 — North Shore News

ETHEL Moore (Massie)
knows first hand the
hardships and devasta-
tion of w.

Her amazing inner strength
and bravery have forced her to
carry on in times of personal
tragedy.

“Follow your heart with
reason,” advises Ethel.

Life circumstances prevent-
ed her from doing that, but
she has been an inspiration,
guiding light, teacher and best
friend to many. This gentle,
extra gencrous soul has given
of herself endlessly through
the years.

Working hard at an early
age for very little remunera-
tion, finding a human body
floating in the canal, accepting
an invitation to Buckingham
Palace, attending the 50th
anniversary of Normandy, to
taking Latin dancing lessons,
Ethel has taken life in her
stride. Her energy, strength
and enthusiasm has kept her
going and she has been an
incredible role model for her
two daughters and others.

- Educated in England (she
was born in Worcestershire),
Ethel had a happy childkood,
one of four girls. ‘

Ethel recalls: “As a young
girl I took part in school plavs
and enjoyed dancing at both
the church hali and the town
hall — it was lots of fun.”

She belonged to The
Towns Women’s Guild, which
was much like an operatic soci-
ery.
Ethel’s family lived near the

canals — Stuart Crystal — and
as a child she would watch
horses pull the barges along
the tow path of the canal,
heading to the railway station.

« “It was interesting,”

remembers Ethel. “The barges
_ would contain coal or crates of
crystal.”

profile

During the war years Ethel
remembers having blackout
curtain material at windows so
as not to jet any light out dur-
ing the air raids. Every home
had an air-raid shelter made of
corrugated sheeting in the gar-
den, or a square “tin” tabie in
their homes to hide under. She
remembers all too vividly that
when the air-raid sirens would
sound, people would grab
their gas masks, their un
money box and run to the air-
raid shelter.

Upoa finishing school she
found work in a department
store until she entered a train-
ing college. Upon corapleting
her courses she worked doing
final aircraft inspections for che
six war years.

Life took a drastic turn for
Ethel when in 1939 her moth-
er passed away at the carly age
of 52. Their father became ill
and could not work, sothe .
four sisters cared for him af™
home, as the hospitals were
filled with wounded and dying
soldiers. In those days women
did not get a big working
wage, so it was hard for the
sisters to manage, but they
were determined to care for
their father, and did until he
passed away in 1942 — at
home, just before Ethel mar-
ried John, who was in the
British Army.

Yet another tragedy would
demand Ethel to draw upon
her inner strength. Not long
after her father died she and
another sister went looking for

north shore news

their sister. Olive. Walking
along the canal, they found
Olive — floating in the water.
The sisters knew Olive had not
been well for some time, but
had not realized how desper-
ate she must have felt. Time
can only soften such pain, not
erase it.

In °77 Ethel and John
came to Canada, arriving in
Calgary, Alberta. There at the
University of Calgary they
took dancing lessons — ball-
room, country (folk dances),
and Latin dancing.

They moved to B.C, in
°79, to West Vancouver. Ethel
obtained work with
Woodwards in the china
department, and for eight
years she and John managed
the apartment building Ethc!
still lives in. The Moores
became very active in the West
Vancouver Legion where John
was president for six years. She
also helped him whenever she
could during his presidency of
the West Van Kiwanis.

In °92 to celebrate their
golden wedding anniversary,
Ethel and John accepted an
invitation to attend the Royal
Garden Party at Buckingham
Palace. It was a memorable
accasion to be sure. Smiling,
Ethel says: “I couldn’t believe
we were really there. It was all
sv wonderful.”

Then again fife dealt Ethel
a crushing blow, when one day
John left their home to pick
up some groceries and never
returned, he passed away so
suddenly on the street that
Ethel did not have an oppor-
tunity to say good-bye to her
special lite partner of 51 years.

Since John’s death, Ethel
has continued volunteering,
tirelessly with the West Van
Legion, remaining, on the
executive committee, attend-
ing all zone meetings, helping
out during Remembrance

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Week and poppy campaigns,
including visiting schools. She
also volunteers at the lun-
cheons, held three tines a year
for First and Second World
War veterans from
Shaughnessy and George
Derby hospitals and other
nursing homes.

“Pve been doing this for
15 years — why stop now?"

Ethel attended the
Normandy 50th anniversary in
1994 to accept on behalf of
John, the Gold Medal of
Normandy. “That, too, was an
occasion I shall never forget,”
says Ethel.

Two years ago Ethel
attended a reunion at the
church hall in her home town
of Worcestershire where she
met oid work friends, neigh-
bours, schoo! pals, relatives
and even some of her old
dance partners from the
church and town hall dances.
“Some of these people | had
not seen for 20 years.”

Ethel is never bored and is
excited by trying new things.
Still bursting with energy and
enthusiasm tor life, she walks
along the seawall, attends
seniors’ exercise classes and
enjoys travelling. Still dancing?
Of course. She kicks up her
heels at the West Van Legion’s
weekly entertainment night,
the Bonsor Centre in
Metrotown, during the PNE,
at Robson Square (in the sum-
mer) in Vancouver, and other
places where there is dancing.

“I have nvo wonderful
daughters — Vivien (in
Toronto} and Jenny (in
London),” says Ethel. “I’m
still healthy, helping others and
still dancing, so all-in-all, life is
good —after all.”

Vikki Finkbeiner isa North
Vancouver writer. Ifyou knew
of someone who might make an
interesting profile, contact Vikki
c/o North Shore News.

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NEWS photo Mike Wakstleld

TIMES of tragedy have forced Ethel Moore to draw on
her inner strength. Friends know the longtime West
Van resident as a gentle, extra generous soul.

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