On a sunny Sunday, we said goodbye to our beloved mum, Shirley. Born to Roma Kenny Jamieson in Montreal QC, she grew up there and in Morin Heights, the Laurentians, raised by strong women, key among them her mother, her Scottish grandmother and her Aunt Bunty.

Trained as an RN, Shirley worked at Montreal's Neurological Institute. During that time, she met Hugh Montgomery, new to Canada from Belfast, N Ireland. They married in 1954 and settled at Lac Echo, Morin Heights, where they raised their five children. Shirley ran the hectic household with a calm hand and much humour. She was equally adept at managing a full social, travel and recreational sports calendar with Hugh and their wide circle of friends. Moving to Victoria in 1989, Shirley and Hugh forged new friendships and activities, which Shirley kept up after Hugh's sudden death in 1995.

With an inborn spirit of everyday gratitude, Shirley was incurably kind, optimistic, fun and unflappable. Generous beyond measure, she could only be broken of her gift-giving habit in later years. Throughout her adult life she was a committed volunteer, a great cook, an inventive knitter and sewer, and a canny card player. She was mad for skiing, walking and birding. She liked travel, live music and a Perfect Rob Roy. She was a regular at jazz and film festivals. She was a steadfast post and email correspondent. Until she gave up driving in her 80s, she set off routinely on road trips to visit friends and family or simply to explore new horizons.

We are forever grateful to have had her as a mum: Georgina (Lawrence Pitt), Hugh (Kim), Sean, Jamieson, Shelagh. She was a loving grandmother to Naomi Pitt, Claire and Liam Montgomery, Kyla Tymchen, Olivia and Aidan Montgomery. She is also warmly remembered by cousins, nieces and nephews in Toronto, N Carolina, N Ireland, England and Australia.

The family are indebted to the extraordinary staff at Victoria's Glengarry Hospital, Shirley's home since 2014, for all the care, compassion and support they gave her and us. A small family celebration of Shirley's life will occur at a later date. Anyone wishing to make a charitable donation in Shirley's honour is invited to consider Eldercare Foundation of Vancouver Island or another worthy cause of choice.