ZELIE MARION ELIZABETH SCURRAH (BATTERSBY)

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ZELIE MARION ELIZABETH
SCURRAH
(nee BATTERSBY)

Peacefully on May 18, 2021, Mum, aged 82, passed away at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, BC.
Mum was born November 3, 1938 the youngest of seven children, in Liverpool England to Arthur and Louise Battersby. Mum was a feisty and mischievous child. As a young woman she had a zest for life that took her travelling across the continent at every opportunity, hanging out at the infamous Cavern in Liverpool with the Beatles, and developing a love for brass rubbing. Mum's early career was a telephone operator before she undertook nurse training. She became a psychiatric nurse and went to work at Sefton General Hospital in Liverpool. It was there where she met the love of her life for the past 56 years, Duncan, while he was undertaking his medical training. After a whirlwind romance they were married on 27 July 1964. Andrew arrived in 1965 and they packed up and moved to Cyprus, where Dad was deployed by the Royal Air Force. Fiona arrived in 1966. In 1968, Duncan and Simon arrived after they had been deployed back to England. 1970 saw the Scurrah family arrive in Dryden Ontario which was home for eight years before moving to Winnipeg. During those years, many lifelong friendships developed, and family adventures were had in the travel trailer crossing and exploring Canada and the United States.
Summers were spent down at the family cottage in Eagle Lake Ontario, which continued after their retirement in 2007 when they would drive from BC to Ontario. The cottage was the place where family scrabble games would showcase Mum's ability to know almost every two and three-letter word in the dictionary. Day excursions on the lake with picnics along the way and fishing with her boys with the eventual fresh pickerel feast were some of her favourites.
Winnipeg became home in 1978. Mum was the driving force behind Dad's medical practice running the office like a well-oiled machine while managing a home and four children. Mum had a quick wit, an engaging smile and struck up a rapport with anyone she met. Even when she was in hospital these past few months and dealing with cognitive impairment, she was engaging and humorous with anyone who she encountered. She was an amazing cook and eating together as a family at dinner were mandatory growing up. Sunday dinners were especially important and in recent years' competitions arose between the kids on who could make the perfect Yorkshire pudding like Mum's.
In 2007 Mum and Dad retired to Victoria BC. While she was proud of her children, she was most proud of being grandmother to her six grandchildren: Nicholas and Luca; Nicholas Jr; and Sophia, Jonathan and Molly. She loved seeing them and was responsible for introducing them all to the world of James Bond at ages perhaps a smidge too early for them - lol.
In the past few years Mum was beset by medical issues that taxed her resolve, but she fought through each adversary. Unfortunately, this past year those medical issues became more pronounced and ultimately ones that she could not overcome.
Mum is survived by, and will be greatly missed, by her beloved husband of 56 years, Duncan; her children, Andrew (grandchildren, Sophia, Jonathan, and Molly); Fiona (Tom); Duncan (Cinzia and grandsons, Nicholas and Luca); and Simon (Tracey and grandson Nicholas Jr); her sisters, Pat Cannon and Joan Dawson in the UK; her brothers-in-law, Hugh and Andrew Scurrah in the UK; and all her nieces and nephews in Canada, the USA and the UK. She was predeceased by her parents, Arthur and Louise Battersby, her siblings and their spouses, Gordon (Olive), Eileen (Fred), Gerald and Peter (Brenda); brothers-in-law, Manus Cannon and Robert Dawson; her in-laws, Joe Eric and Kathleen Scurrah; and sister-in-law Glennis Scurrah.
We would like to thank the staff on 4S and 4N at the Royal Jubilee Hospital for their compassionate care of Mum for these past few months.
Cremation has taken place and in accordance with her wishes, the family cottage at Eagle Lake will be her final resting place.
If people so desire, please consider a donation to the Victoria General Hospital Foundation in Winnipeg or any charity of their choice.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 29, 2021