October 6, 1954 - December 28, 2020
Leaving a clean wake
Maggie (Marjy) Thors' nine-month battle with cancer ended on December 28, at home in Victoria, BC with her closest loved ones. A child of the valleys, rivers and mountains of the West Kootenays, Maggie's childhood began on October 6, 1954 in Robson BC and her early years well prepared her for the remarkable life she led. Her kindness, compassion, intelligence, love of others and sense of adventure always helped guide her. Best friends with her sisters Margy and Kim, it was her father, Ed Thors, who took the little inquisitive Maggie under his wing in the workshop and garden and instilled in her the confidence and competence to build, fix and grow things.
After high school Maggie headed west and became a creature of the sea. She built catamarans, became one of the first persons to showcase the emerging new sport of windsurfing, and worked on long line fish boats. In the early 1980's Maggie sailed and worked in the Virgin Islands before moving to Kingston Ontario to begin a new chapter with the love of her life Tom. Returning to the West Coast in 1989, Maggie embarked on a career as a horticulturalist in Vancouver and then on the Sunshine Coast. A decade in Vancouver preceded the fulfilment of a lifelong dream that saw her and Tom sail their sloop to Mexico and then across the Pacific. She was rarely happier than bobbing on the ocean outside of the sight of land - self-contained and living simply. Maggie was a master horticulturalist, sharing her knowledge and expertise for eleven years with the Sunshine Coast community. Maggie's Farm in Langdale was a beautiful reflection of her commitment to the land and local food production, and extreme hard work.
Owning things didn't matter much to Maggie except for keeping lots of food and drink on hand. Similarly, experiences, adventures and relationships weren't just ends in themselves but ways to engage wholly with life and others. Her immediate family, nephews, nieces, and closest friends remained top of mind until the end. Among Maggie's mottos was to "take big bites". She always said she lived a wonderful life
and was so grateful to be loved and love so many. We hope in her memory you will all make the most of each day and all the gifts we are each given.
Many thanks to partner Tom, sisters Margy Boutin (Patrick Tyndall) and Kim Morris, and close friend Miche Shepherd for being such a great team in helping her navigate these difficult months, just as Maggie would have helped any of us in the same way. In lieu of flowers, please donate to any environmental, humanitarian, social justice or other 'Maggie-approved' cause.