Obituaries

HARRIS, Joanna Primrose Cochrane of New York, NY and Port Royal, Nova Scotia, died in New York at the age of 86 on March 31, 2008. She was predeceased by her husband of 49 years, George DeLancey Harris, Jr., who passed away only three months earlier. She is survived by their son, James Harris, and her brother-in-law, Thomas L. Harris. Joanna was born and raised in London, England, the third child of Frank Cochrane and Eve Titheradge, both of whom were actors on the London stage. Joanna was a writer and poet, who published several children’s books and a collection of poetry. After serving with the Czech Relief Fund during WWII, she moved to New York in 1952, working as a junior editor at G. Putnam and Sons and CBS News, and appearing as a singer on the Arthur Godfrey Show in 1953. Joanna was a long-time member of the Louise Bogan Poetry Society, and appeared in Oprah Winfrey’s “O” Magazine in May 2002 in a photographic essay entitled, “Silver Girls”. Spending her summers in Nova Scotia, and her winters in New York, Joanna was blessed to have, as she put it, “the best of both worlds,” and a remarkable circle of friends in both locales. She will be interred, along side her recently-departed husband, in the Harris family plot at Woodlawn Cemetery, in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to the Annapolis Royal and Area Food Bank. A memorial gathering will be held in early May.



THOMPSON, Peter Michael, of Comox, B.C. passed away suddenly on Friday, April 4th, 2008, aged 59. Peter is survived by his daughters, Sarah Pettigrew and Lindsay McGrath; grandchildren Samantha Pettigrew and Kayle and Maggie McGrath, all of Ontario as well as his brother Doug Thompson of Nova Scotia. He served with the RCAF for over 30 years and in his spare time, volunteered with various Comox Valley charities such as the Soup Kitchen, the Therapeutic Riding Society and the Schizophrenia Society. Peter enjoyed playing guitar, painting with both watercolours and oils and was an active member of the Comox Valley Arts Council. Private arrangements entrusted to Comox Valley Funeral Home, Cremation and Reception Centre, 1101 Ryan Road, Courtnay, B.C. For those wishing, donations in his memory made to a charity of choice would be appreciat