We Remember
CARRUTHERS, Valorie “Val” Etta
April 18, 1936 — January 2, 2021
Val passed away peacefully and comfortably at home with family after a brief illness with cancer. Val is survived by her husband George Strocher; son Scott Carruthers; daughter Leslie and son-in-law Neil Lauer; and brother Bonnar Dowler.
Val was born April 18, 1936 in Dauphin Manitoba where she grew up with her loving parents George and Jean Dowler, brothers George, Bart and Bonnar and sisters Beverly and Sandra.
Val met Don Carruthers in high school, and they later married and had four children: Karen, Scott, Todd and Leslie.
The family moved from Manitoba to Kelowna in 1973 where Val lived, worked and played for the rest of her life. She enjoyed being a stay at home mom until the late seventies when the kids were teens, and she took a medical office assistant course and started working again outside the home. Val enjoyed a lengthy career at Valley Medical Labs where she made some dear, lifetime friends.
When Val retired, she said that she didn’t want to be a retiree who sat at home and knit all day; she planned to say “yes” to any invitation she got and try any activities she had the opportunity to. To her friends’ and family’s surprise, one of those first activities was dragon boat racing where she met her partner George. Val loved the sport, practised, competed and won some competitions with George and their team. Val loved to travel both in western Canada and also internationally and had many exciting international adventures with family and friends. Val enjoyed dancing with a clogging group, acrylic painting, and doing volunteer work with Westside Health Network.
Val was a kind and loving daughter, sister, wife, mom, aunt, and friend; she will be dearly missed by all who were blessed to know her.
Val’s family would like to thank Dr. Paul Hart and the Palliative Care nurses and Care Aides who provided amazing care for Val. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer memorial donations be made to Kelowna General Hospital, www.kghfoundation.com, or the BC Cancer Foundation, donate.bccancerfoundation.com.
Due to the current pandemic, no formal service will be held. Family and friends will honour her each in their own way.
If you wish to send a condolence, post photos, or share a memory please scroll down the page to the area called “Condolences”.
Share with Others:
Kelowna General Hospital or the BC Cancer Foundation Link: www.kghfoundation.com, donate.bccancerfoundation.com
Condolences
A dear friend for many years. My heart breaks for you all. RIP, my friend. Love Lue
Though our paths never crossed, you became an everlasting part of our family.
Rest In Peace, Val
Our deepest condolences to George,, Scott ,Leslie and all of Val’s family!
R.I.P dear Val, ,I will never forget your belly laugh !
Much love Debbie and Graham Fuller
Honored to know her, and share time together with George and family. Her grace and spirit are an inspiration. Our deepest condolences.
my deepest condolence to the family of val. We worked together for many years at valley lab and always a joy to see her . She will be sadly missed for all that knew her
My Auntie Val was a wonderful role model. A woman who knew who she was, celebrated others and life to the fullest. She loved to laugh and her laugh was contagious. Sending love and support to George, Scott and Leslie. My deepest condolences.
Our deepest condolences to George and the rest of Val’s family. She was lovely lady who I had the pleasure of getting to know the last several years. Val and my mom we’re lifelong friends. Both prairie girls they bonded for life back in Grandview and reconnected years later. I know one of the reasons they bonded was there ability to laugh and find the joy in life. My mom passed in Aug 2019 and Val was a light for me. We had many conversations about the good old days back in Manitoba and all the fun they had. Rest In Peace and I know you and mom are reunited and telling jokes and stories again…❤️❤️
My Great Auntie Val was such a fun, loving lady. She always made every visit exciting. When ever she was around there was laughter. I was very sad to hear of her passing. She will be missed. Sending my Condolences to Uncle George, Scott & Leslie.
Valerie was a very special sister-in-law. She held the Dowler family together through difficult and happy times. We all looked to her with much love and respect. The memories of her and her life will shine in our hearts for a very long time.
My deepest condolences to George, Scott & Leslie! The short time I’ve known Val has made an impact on my life. Thanks to her encouragement with Chuck that brought us together. I saw in her a beautiful woman inside and out! She was fun to be around. Your mom role modelled what it means to live life well. She was a dynamic person & a pleasure to have known. Will sure miss her on our visits to Kelowna. Sending my love and prayers! (Hugs)
Val has been such a good friend for so many years and we have traveled many roads together. Our thoughts are with her family and please know she will be so missed.
So sad to learn of the recent passing of my wonderful Auntie Val. Some of my earliest childhood memories involve her and her fun-loving ways. There was always lots of laughter and caring. Family was so important and always came first in her life. As a young girl I babysat for her and she was a role model to me as I too choose to be a stay at home Mom to my 4 children. I learned a great deal from her positive, loving, empathetic and patient ways. She was soft and gentle but oh so very strong! All this will be her legacy! I feel so blessed to have had her in my life when I needed her most. My sincere sympathy to George, Scott and Leslie
George my heart goes out to you. What a delight Val was to work with and a good confident.. she will always be with us. Her smile and willingness to help out will always be an inspiration to me. Deb Elliott