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August 11, 1937 – June 25, 2016 The girl that was my mother, Patricia Colleen Rafuse, was born in Victoria, BC in 1937. Of Irish and Norwegian ancestry Colleen was the eldest daughter of Bill and Hazel Dougan. Colleen grew up on Vancouver Island and attended school in the Cowichan Valley and from the outset was a great care giver looking after her grandfather Nathan and Uncle Bob on theirTelegraph Road farm. So too Colleen took care of her brothers and sisters, Morris, Gordie, Sharon and Judy. First married to Ed Ferguson, Colleen lived across Canada, Germany and Sardinia returning to the Cowichan Valley in 1970. In Duncan, Colleen worked for BC Tel and was active in the Order of the Eastern Star. Colleen married a second time to Lorraine Rafuse and lived in Middleton, Nova Scotia where she owned a cosmetics store and then, at the age of 65, became a practical nurse. Upon the loss of her husband Lorraine, she returned to BC to be close to her family. Colleen is survived by her brothers and sisters, numerous nieces and nephews and by her son Paul and his wife Rosemary. In these days of reflection, the songs “The Grandfather’s Clock” and “The Bear Went Over the Mountain” continue to be heard from her sweet voice. So too her often said message, “We’ll just have to wait and see”. Love you – miss you forever. In lieu of flowers, a donation to Parkinson Canada or to a charity of your choice would be appreciated. Colleen’s ashes will, at a later date, be interred in the Dougan Family Cemetery, Cobble Hill.



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