Obituary of Patricia Ann Hamm

Patricia Ann Dilworth was born to her loving parents Ernie and Lily on February 5, 1955. That was her first great day. She was the youngest of 11 children, there was no shortage of family around while she was growing up. This ultimately led to a very strong dedication to her family which never wavered. It didn't take long for mom to find the love of her life when at 16 years old she met our father, Ron Hamm, down at the Kistkatinaw River. Not long after they were married here in Dawson Creek in June of 73, just a few months after moms 18th birthday. Yet another great day. Mom and dad moved into their house in Sunrise Valley and spent the next five years farming, travelling and enjoying life as a young couple in love. Mom was still very close with her family and they would spend every Sunday at Ernie and Lily's. Then came the kids! First Suzanne, then Brian and Bradley. Three great days. Mom was a fantastic mother. The definition of selfless, she worked tirelessly day and night to ensure that the three of us had everything we needed and more. We have hundreds of memories from our childhoods but there are two times of year that stand out for us. One was Christmas, which mom made sure was special for us every year. Whether it was all the decorations, the baking or simply the sheer amount of gifts we received she always made us look forward to next year. The other time that stands out are the vacations we spent at McLeod Lake every summer which is now going on roughly thirty years. We would usually head out there in July and spend two to three weeks at the lake camping, waterskiing, fishing, sunbathing and riding bike. Much like she used to pick rocks with her father, she would jump at the chance to pick wild blueberries and saskatoons with us kids which would usually end up in the next mornings pancakes. There were a lot of great days out at the lake. The five of us grew as a family for roughly 20 odd years in that same house in the valley. About the first half of that time was spent grain farming while the latter half was running the cabinet shop. Mom worked with dad throughout, whether it was delivering lunch, driving the grain truck, sanding cabinet doors or keeping the books, mom was there. Work wasn't always fun, and sometimes running your own business and raising a family can be tough, but she still made sure we had lots of great days. Around the time us kids had finished school mom and dad decided to move into town here. It's funny to think, but unlike her mother and father who moved halfway around the world and settled in Sunrise Valley, mom never ended up living more than 20 miles from the valley at any point in her life. I guess you could say she loved this area, but more importantly, she loved the people that live here. Mom and Dad started to go on some vacations again as a couple, cruises specifically. Over the course of a few years mom and dad visited Alaska, the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Caribbean on three separate occasions. Even at well over fifty she was still quite active, for example she fairly recently rode a large mountain bike style scooter down a mountain at the base of the Matterhorn in Switzerland. Mom was just as happy to slow down as well and enjoyed bingo here in Dawson and was nearly unbeatable at Scrabble, soduko and crosswords. Then came the grandkids! First Carter and Alex and more recently Dylan, Anabella and Alana. Mom loved these kids! She was extremely proud of them and each of the grandkids would elicit true joy on her face that was clearly visible to anyone around her. Much like she was a fantastic mother she was also a fantastic grandmother. Unfortunately she didn't get to meet the grandkids that are likely yet to come but we know she will be looking down on them with love. It is easy to be sad about the great days that were yet to be had, but by our count we had thousands of great days with mom and only one terrible day. We know that mom would not want us to dwell on what could have been but instead to celebrate the great days we had. Patricia passed away on Monday, February 25, 2013 in Dawson Creek, at the age of 58 years. A funeral service was held on Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 1:00 pm at Reynars Funeral Chapel. Pastor Lee Stephenson officiated. Interment followed in the Sunrise Valley Mountain View Cemetery. Patricia was predeceased by her Parents; Ernest and Lily Dilworth, Brother; Dick Dilworth and Sister; Doreen Keech. Patricia is survived by her loving Husband of 39 years; Ron, Sons; Brian (Dijana), Brad (Robin Mercereau), Daughter; Suzanne (Doug) Scott, Grandchildren; Carter, Alex, Dylan, Anabella and Alana, Brothers; Jack Dilworth, Bob Dilworth, George Dilworth, Dennis Dilworth, Sisters; Jean Young, Eileen Beloud, Dorothy Cote, Denise Jackson, and many special friends. Special Memories presented by Patricia's Children; Brian, Brad and Suzanne. For friends so wishing donations may be made in memory of Patricia to the Canadian Cancer Society 1000-105 Avenue, Dawson Creek, B.C. V1G 2L4 Very Respectfully Reynars Funeral Home & Crematorium