Grandma Lilly

By Lynne Ellis

Everyone should have the opportunity to meet Lily Milljour. It's more than her cheerfulness and unguarded vulnerability that draws people to her; it's her whole being. She has an inviting personality and enriches lives with her presence. Her greetings are always accompanied by tidbits of her latest news, either in high ringing tones or hushed whispers, depending on the latest experience, which makes her listeners feel they are included in a privileged group of friends whom she trusts. The real closeness comes through her lively blue eyes that speak of knowledge and understanding. If you've met her walking on the streets of Victoria, or engaged in animated conversation with her or have read one of her unique poems in The James Bay Beacon, you will have felt you've met someone special. Teenagers get that. Adults appreciate it. Little children bask in it.

Her surprising collection of eclectic ensembles, in the richest profusion of jewel colours dared to be worn together, is her immediate calling card. They draw attention away from her corrective shoes which unobtrusively suggest perseverance through pain. She uses a walker, decorated with teddies in keeping with her personal style. But it is her hats that are legendary - either crocheted, or of some artistically rumpled design, and covered with sparkling brooches, artificial flowers or perching birds attached wherever the fancy took her. As she says, "You need to give people walking behind you as much to see as the people you meet face-to-face." 

Lily and her late husband raised their family in a remote rural town in Alberta where she home-schooled the local children along with her own. Her daughter followed in her footsteps as a teacher, but lives on the opposite side of beautiful British Columbia. Her true colours shone through when her son died prematurely of lung cancer. She wrote a poem honouring his life and took it into local schools addressing students about the dangers of smoking.

The Pastor at the heritage church on the corner of Humboldt and Blanshard will frequently receive a phone call from Lily before Sunday services requesting a spot to read one of her latest poems. They're about people, the season of year we may be celebrating and all the sights and sounds that go with it. They may be long-winded, but they're always as direct as her strong, conservative opinions and beliefs dictate.

It's not surprising that Lily features in many photographs of important church events. Those purposely painted heart-shaped lips are always ready to smile, and the eyes to twinkle. Even visitors want to capture the treasure of her colourful personality.

Lily will be celebrating her 95^th birthday this December. She'll be celebrating quietly in her new residence in a care facility, because she recently broke a hip in a fall. Her presence may not fill our community as it has before, but she will always fill our hearts. Happy birthday, Grandma Lily.