May 28, 1937 – October 10, 2018
at the age of 81 years

Celebration of Life:  11:00 a.m., Saturday, October 20, 2018, Fischer’s Funeral Services, reception to follow at Carlin Hall.
With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of our beloved Gwen Wallace on October 10, 2018 at Shuswap Lake Hospital.
Born in Star City, Saskatchewan on May 28, 1937 to Karl and Hilda McIntyre, Gwen was the third of four children. She grew up on their family farm, living, breathing and loving their small town prairie life.  After her childhood in Star City, she moved a few times before landing in Kamloops, B.C. There she met and married Harold Garrett, and together they had six children. Gwen moved around throughout B.C. a few more times before finding a permanent community in Salmon Arm in 1968. In 1974 she got remarried to her soulmate Larry Wallace, after knowing him for eight years, and they moved to White Lake where they began building their beautiful life together.
Gwen worked as a teacher’s aide at Carlin School in the ‘70s and became well known as a safe haven for the students. Many showed up at her house, after school hours, either looking for a place to stay, for a meal, for advice, or just for a laugh and a visit. Even after her time at Carlin, she consistently opened her heart and her home to anyone in need. Her unwavering kindness and her willingness to help made her a truly rare and magical lady.
Her passions were creative and often involved getting her hands dirty: she was a fantastic baker, a skilled painter, and was forever digging around in her gardens. You could always find her barefoot in the flower beds, weeding, planting, or chasing away crows and squirrels. She loved to sit with a tea on her deck, listen to the songbirds, and enjoy the view of her yard. If she wasn’t outside, she was playing her piano, baking up something delicious, making jam, working away on a painting, or off on one of her beloved car-rides with Larry. She also thoroughly enjoyed attending and being a part of the Spiritualist Church of Salmon Arm – she made many wonderful friends there.
She was strong, incredibly tenacious, and feisty with an exquisite sense of humour and a warm, contagious smile. She was chock-full of stories, and loved to make a little mischief when she could – especially if it would make someone laugh or feel better. She was and will always be an influential, inspirational woman to all of her family and friends. There was truly no one like her.
Gwen was predeceased by her first husband Harold, her parents and her sisters. She is lovingly remembered by her husband of 44 years, Larry; her children Wanda (Bernard), Kelly (Brian), Shane, Tammy, Margot, and Kim; 10 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 11 a.m. at Fischer’s Funeral Home, reception to follow at Carlin Hall.
A huge and heartfelt thank you goes out to Dr. Weicker and Dr. McKinnon, as well as the staff and nurses at Shuswap Lake Hospital – thank you all for caring deeply for her, and for being so kind and compassionate.