Obituary of Opal Jensina Amelia Biddulph

Opal Jensina Amelia Burns Biddulph was born on December 1, 1917 at the family farm near Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. She was two and one half pounds at birth, but survived with the expert knowledge of her grandmother who was the local midwife. In 1919 she moved with her parents James Henry Burns andAlmina Henrietta Burns and sister, Audrey to Norquay, in northernSaskatchewan where she lived on the family homestead. A third sister, Joyce was added to the family. In 1939, at the age of 22 she left the farm with her sister, Audrey to look for jobs in Saskatoon. She was soon working in the Besborough Hotel making desserts and salads. Later she became the cook for a senior citizens home with about 50 people and made the grand sum of $20 per month. This was a very good wage as the average was $12 at that time. While working in Saskatoon, Opal was offered a partnership in a coffee shop. The offer was very tempting, but romance beckoned. In December of 1944 she married Samuel Denis Biddulph, a farmer and childhood friend. They moved to British Columbia in 1945, where their eldest son, Arthur was born. The family moved to Prince George in March of 1947. Their daughter, Beverley was born in September of that year, followed by sons, James and Allan. In July of 1957 Denis decided to homestead in the Peace River area. He bought land outside of Pouce Coupe.Opal began working in housekeeping at the Pouce Coupe Hospital and continued there until 1973. Dennis passed away in April of1972 at the age of 57. Needing a change of scene Opal moved to Duncan on Vancouver Island in the fall of 1973. She began working in the Duncan Hospital and remained there until she retired at age 65. In 1988 she moved to Langley City to be near her daughter at White Rock.There she took painting lessons with artist Laura Armbruster and became a very talented oil painter. Opal loved to knit and turned out dozens of mittens, slippers, toques and afghans. She was very happy to attend live performances of drama and dance.She enjoyed listening to many forms of music including western, classical and opera. The Three Tenors were a favourite. A funeral service was held on Saturday, April 5th, 2008 at 1:00 pm from Reynars Funeral Chapel, Intern Minister Bernadette Levesque officiated. Interment was held in the Dawson Creek City Cemetery. Very Respectfully, Reynars Funeral Home & Crematorium