Valerie Joan Sewell
June 26, 1943 – April 5, 2022
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Valerie Sewell on April 5, 2022. Artist, wife, mother, nana and friend. On this spring day as the sun came out and the flowers bloomed, her favorite song played and her four children and husband sat by her side as she passed. Val is survived by her husband Peter, daughter Karen (Glenn), sons Brett (Kathy), Adam (Melanie) and Paul (Cheri-Leigh) and ten grandsons. Born in London England, she moved to New Zealand in early childhood. She met her partner for life, Peter and they married on December 26, 1964. Val and Peter moved to Vancouver from New Zealand in 1970 to begin a new adventure. Sailing trips, camping and holidays abroad filled their family life. Val was a teacher in her early days, turning to full-time artistry later on. She could be found walking with her dog on the beaches of Kitsilano, Jericho and Maple Beach in Point Roberts. She would smile as she watched her grandsons on the soccer field every Saturday. Val expressed her creative self through her art. She painted vividly and prolifically in the 1990s, becoming a well-known Vancouver legend. Granville Island, flowers, umbrellas and sailboats were her signature subjects in both acrylic and watercolor. She loved her family fiercely, spending many happy times in Point Roberts on the sandbars, Easter egg hunting in her award-winning garden and gathering with family and friends at her cabin. As Val’s battle with Alzheimer’s continued, she moved to Louis Brier where she was surrounded with compassionate care and she became a favorite amongst both the residents and staff. In her own words, “My life was a clean canvas on which I painted with as much color and joy as I could.” Val is free from the burden of Alzheimer’s so she may paint and walk through her gardens to her heart’s content.
“A Final Spring,”
an open house to celebrate the life and art of Val Sewell will be held on Sunday,
June 5, noon – 2:30 p.m., at
VanDusen Gardens Floral Hall,
5251 Oak Street Vancouver.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of British Columbia.
