Nancy Bergeron

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Nancy Bergeron of West Kelowna at the age of 77 after a hard-fought battle with cancer.   Nancy was born with the name Nazha in Kfarmishki Lebanon on Feb 25, 1941 to the deceased Naif Saikali and Habaca Nasralla.   Nancy is survived by her husband of 56 years, Robert Bergeron, daughter Carol (Blair), son Steven of West Kelowna; grandchildren Anthony, Samantha and Conner and sister Josephine.

Nancy is a success story that many people who immigrate to Canada can understand. While she loved her family and friends in Lebanon; she had dreams of a better life in Canada.  She would often be found entertaining people in her small village by singing and dancing.  She would recite poetry and was always known as a creative, intelligent little girl. At the age of 12, the opportunity presented itself for Nancy to leave her family and travel to Cornwall Ontario, Canada to live with a woman she had never met, her father’s second cousin, Salimy Elias.  Nancy embraced her new life in Canada, learning the language, studying and excelling at school and making many lasting friendships that she continued to enjoy until her passing.  (Carol and Doug, Barbara) 

Nancy and her husband Robert married in 1962 and embarked on a life that began as very safe and structured eventually evolving into a life full of adventures. Nancy, a controller for the Children’s Aid Society and Robert a Bank Manager, decided to leave it all behind, move across the country to Langley British Columbia and open a Buns Master Bakery Franchise in 1981. Even though neither one of them knew about baking bread or buns, the bakery became a successful business because Nancy knew the value of hard work and customer service. 

The two retired at 46 years old and began their travels of the world, eventually visiting over 90 countries and making many more friends along the way.   Nancy and Robert wintered in the Baja, and Palm Springs and summered in White Rock and later Kelowna.  They had the best of both worlds.

Nancy believed in love, loyalty, honesty and her faith.  She was an incredible wife, business partner, and caregiver for Robert after his stroke.  She was the most incredible and loving mother two children could ever have.  She adored her grandchildren and hopes that they understand how strong, intelligent and beautiful they are to her.  She wanted them to see her story as their own and that with hard work, they could accomplish anything,

She loved gardening and playing golf.  She was feisty and highly competitive while watching sports; often coaching the players and the coaches, telling them how she could do it better. 

Nancy’s loving spirit, coupled with her dedication to improve her own situation and that of her family, allowed her to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges with great success. Nancy’s courage was strong and true and even as her illness advanced, she remained more concerned about her family’s well-being than her own.

Nancy waited and passed away peacefully with family present and 10 minutes after her sister Josephine arrived from Ottawa to say goodbye.  The family would like to thank the wonderful staff and volunteers at the Central Okanagan Hospice House for making Nancy’s last days and minutes comfortable and for your caring compassion for our family.  Donations to Central Okanagan Hospice House www.hospicecoha.org, the Gospel Mission www.kelownagospelmission.ca/donate/, or Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 AM, Friday January 4, 2019 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 2547 Hebert Road, West Kelowna, BC.