Tribute

Ingeborg Fossett, age 81, passed away on October 21, 2016, in the gentle care of the nurses and doctors at Christine Morrison Hospice. Inga was born on February 18, 1935 in Trebus, Germany, to Paul Geisler and Else Tarrey. Inga’s family was artistic, creative and entrepreneurial. Her parents traveled the world as motorcycle stunt artists in “The Wall of Death”, seeing such far-off places as Argentina. They returned to Berlin when they had children, but continued performing. Some of Inga’s fondest memories were of those exciting days, collecting pennies from below the wooden stage with her older brother.

Inga followed in her parents’ footsteps, pursuing ballet and acting from a young age. A bad injury to her ankle at 14 put the brakes on a future ballet career, so at 18, Inga set off to Canada on the MV Fairsea, with just $5 in her pocket. She arrived in Quebec on September 4, 1953, and gained employment as a nanny. Soon, she found her new calling as a Licensed Practical Nurse in the Royal Canadian Armed Forces. She met and married her first husband, Victor Francis, in Whitehorse, YT. They welcomed their daughter, Valerie, in 1959. In those days, if you married another officer, the woman had to leave the Armed Forces. Inga did, happy to raise their daughter and to continue her nursing in a private hospital. Sadly, their marriage was not long-lived as Victor predeceased Inga in 1966.

Inga met Hugh (Bud) Fossett soon after Vic’s death, and they were married in 1969. Inga kept a well-run, loving home for Bud and Valerie, and she volunteered as a “Brown Owl” for the local Girl Guide troop. Sadly, Bud was taken from them too soon, and Inga was widowed for a second time in 1971.

In 1972, Inga welcomed her daughter, Rebecca. Inga had a brief relationship with Rebecca’s father, Rob, and she made the decision to raise her little surprise on her own. Inga, Valerie and Rebecca lived in Victoria for a time, while Inga upgraded her skills so she could pursue secretarial work. Inga loved new beginnings, challenges and opportunities. She followed her heart back to Vancouver, where she landed a job with the newly formed BC Social Credit Party.

She counted those years as some of her most exciting and rewarding. She worked with Bill Bennett, Grace McCarthy, and many others to build up the membership. She threw some unforgettable parties, as well! Her partner during those years was Ken Eidt, and his daughter Christine helped round out Inga’s eclectic, blended family.

For the next decades, the constant in Inga’s life was change. After her relationship ended with Ken, she was engaged but did not marry Bert, her final long-term relationship. After Bert, Inga remained single for the rest of her life.

Inga and Rebecca moved many times between 1972 and 1992. Inga finally settled down in 2001 when Rebecca married Curt. Inga moved in with the couple from 2003 until 2011, when she decided (like a late-blooming teenager!) that she wanted her own apartment again. She lived there independently until September of 2016, in spite of a growing list of health concerns and years of chronic pain. She was resilient and always tried to remain positive in the face of adversity.

Inga was creative and energetic. She loved needlecrafts – knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch, and quilting. She devoured crossword puzzles and played a mean game of Scrabble. She loved to dress up and wear jewelry, and never left the house without a bit of mascara and lipstick. She loved music and dancing, and enjoyed a glass of wine (or two…) She loved animals and always had a dog or cat in the home. Her greatest joy in her later years were her grandchildren, and their children. Always up for adventure, she finally got to take her dream trip in 2010, when she and Rebecca took a 21-day cruise through the Panama Canal. Inga’s grandfather had a hand in the building of the Canal, and she long dreamed to see it with her own eyes.

Inga received the bad news in January of 2014 that she had stage IV lung cancer. It was inoperable but slow-moving. Even though she quit smoking nearly a decade earlier, the years of tobacco use finally caught up to her. Inga had a difficult start to 2016, with six trips in and out of hospital, including a stroke. In true Inga fashion, she bounced back — but was experiencing new, increased pain. Inga, with her daughter Rebecca by her side at all appointments, found out the lung cancer had metastasized to her bones. Sadly, it did not respond to radiation treatment, and Inga was welcomed into the Christine Morrison Hospice on October 3rd, 2016. She left us to dance with the angels just three weeks later, never to feel pain again. Only love.

She is mourned but forever celebrated by her daughters, Valerie (James), Rebecca (Curt, and his parents Kurt and Marlis) and Christine; granddaughters Christina, Karen (Paul), and Dianna; great-granddaughters Mariah and Kyla and great-grandsons Bryan, Christopher and Damon. Four-footed kids Coco, Cooper, Maggie and Toni will all miss their Oma sharing forbidden table scraps with them.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Mission Hospice Society or the Abbotsford Hospice Society. No service by request. A private scattering of ashes to take place at a future date.