Crowds gather to remember Betty Fox

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PORT COQUITLAM (NEWS1130) – A choir of about a dozen men and women in blue robes sang the praises today of a mother who turned her grief into a worldwide movement.

About 300 mourners packed Port Coquitlam’s simple wood and brick Trinity United Church for a 1 p.m. funeral service honouring the life of Betty Fox, mother of the late Terry Fox and the public face of the Terry Fox Foundation for the past 30 years. She died last week at age 73 after what the family described as a serious illness.

Betty’s casket sat in the front, draped with a white and blue quilt, topped with a large bouqet of red and white flowers.

Her granddaughter, Kirsten Fox, one of nine grandkids, remembered her grandmother as a down-to-earth woman with a wicked sense of humour.

“It’s hard to separate Betty Fox from the identity of Terry Fox’s mother, but we grandkids never thought of her that way,” she said. “None of us said, ‘She raised a hero.’ We think of her as grandma.”

She told a story about seeing a photo in Betty’s office a few years ago, in which her famous grandmother was pictured with Rod Stewart. Curious, Kirsten asked if they still kept in touch.

“She looked at me seriously and said, ‘Oh yeah, we email back and forth all the time’

“I asked, ‘Really?’ She said, ‘Of course, not, you smart-ass.'”

“I’m going to miss grandma’s voice, I’m going to miss her beautiful smile. We’re all going to miss her,” said Kirsten before breaking down in tears. “Thank you for all you’ve given us.”

The wooden pews at the front of Trinity United Church were reserved for members of the Fox family, as well as high-profile political attendees including B.C. NDP leader Adrian Dix, Port Coquitlam MLA Mike Farnworth, Premier Christy Clark, and former VANOC CEO John Furlong.

A photo of Betty Fox and her husband sat beside a single white candle on a small table behind her casket.

Rev. Brian Burke described Betty Fox as “a wonderful woman, [and] a courageous leader of this community.”

Her son Darrell Fox, Terry’s brother, choked back tears and took a pause a few times, particularly when talking about Betty’s relationship with Terry. He said Betty took on caregiver role for Terry, especially as he prepared for his Marathon of Hope, running 3,000 miles before he started.

“Betty’s intuition was critical in protecting Terry’s vision,” he said.

The service included a photo montage of Betty’s life set to music, from black-and-white shots of her growing up in Manitoba, to pictures of her with her husband, playing with her children, and attending her children’s weddings.

Before she entered the building, Premier Christy Clark spoke with reporters.

“My own mom died of cancer and I am absolutely certain that my mom’s recovery from breast cancer, when she first had it, would have been partly attributable to the work of people like Betty Fox.”

Due to the limited capacity at Trinity United Church, the City of Port Coquitlam opened an overflow site at the Wilson Centre, where the service was broadcast to those who couldn’t attend the funeral.

Port Coquitlam mayor Greg Moore said he’s not surprised so many people want to pay their respects to the Fox family. He said that for the last 30 years Canadians have watched Betty continue Terry’s dream and now they want to show their appreciation.

Betty Fox helped organize community runs, raised money and helped open a cancer foundation and research institute.

At the end of the service, Rev. Burke said: “If there was one word that summed up Betty’s life, it is ‘persist.’ To go on despite all life’s tragedies and to continue and never give up.”
 
-With files from CP

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Terry Fox Foundation or by mail to:

The Terry Fox Foundation
Suite 303 – 46167 Yale Road
Chilliwack, BC
V2P 2P2

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