Patricia Greenberg

November 24, 2020

Obituary for Patricia Ruth Greenberg nee Philp

Died 24^th November 2020 at 8.50pm PST at her home #201 – 1133 Homer Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 0B1, Canada

Patricia was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on the 7^th November 1927 to William George Philp and Lena (Lianne) Hilda Philp nee Travioli. She had a brother, Donald Bruce Phip. All her Winnipeg family predeceased her. As the oldest child she must have shown her extraordinary intelligence at an early age, outshining her younger brother, who never went on to study any form of college education. At a time when patriarchy was dominant it must have irked her when he came on the scene and consequently it fed her feminist standpoint throughout her life.

She had ninety-three years of life, well filled with love, adventure, joy and some sorrow. My sister Rebecca and I were truly lucky to have had two parents who loved and cherished us as much as our mother and father did. I once asked her how she met my father as they lived in two totally different ends of Winnipeg. Her family was in the predominantly white, middle class and Protestant end of town, and our father came from the north end of Winnipeg where the Jewish contingent lived. She told me that her school friend, Ginny Adamson, knew my Uncle Earl and his group so she met my father when she met Earl through Ginny.

They got married on the 13^th September 1947 in the city of Toronto in a Jewish wedding ceremony. My mother had chosen to become Jewish to marry my father. They both did not believe in life after death, or any type of formal religion. But my mother did believe firmly in living by an ethical code. I know that they were both excited by intelligentsia so loved to hang out with the deep thinkers, whether it was in Winnipeg, Montreal, Ottawa or Toronto. This love of education and intelligence was an abiding theme throughout her long life.

My mother followed my father many times across the globe once they were married. As he was a practicing architect they moved from the East side of Canada, to Vancouver in the West, and then back again. Then to England in the 1950s, and back again to Canada. They then again moved to England in 1960 as Charlie had become a partner in Chamberlin, Powell and Bonn, one of the companies involved in designing Barbican in the City of London, a job that was supposed to be for eight years, but it lasted until Charlie died in 2006. During this time Pat returned to Ottawa to finish her English degree at Carleton University in 1961 winning the Senate Medal for Academic Excellence for being the best student in her year, and studied Law through the UK Law Society when living in London in the 1970s. Our mother loved to study and education meant the world to her. It didn’t matter if you went on to use the education you had gained, it was the act of educating one’s mind that mattered. She was so bright that she could finish the Times crossword puzzle in five minutes!

After Charlie died in 2006, Pat wanted to return to Canada. She had a variety of reasons why she wanted to go. In reality, like most newly widowed women, she wanted to escape the memories for a time. I and my husband helped her on a new adventure of going to Canada for a bit. I thought, and expressed to her, that after eighteen months she might want to come back to the place which was her home, and where her children lived, England. Pat said that every generation in her family seemed to die in a different country to the one they were born in and that she wanted to go home, that being Canada. So we helped her move to Canada. She chose to die not in Winnipeg, but Vancouver where her brother Donald had died in 1965.

My sister Rebecca shared our mother’s love of education and could spend many a pleasant hour with her discussing their shared intellectual pursuits and discussing interesting books that they had read. I shared with her a love of gardens and gardening, often going to see stately homes for their gardens, or visiting Chelsea Flower Show together. We both spent quality time with our mother. She inspired both of us, and indeed many of my friends, to study things that we love, regardless of the expectations of the class we might be born into or the gender we were born with. That to enjoy learning for what it is, an exercise of the mind, is a gift beyond price. I know that several of my friends, upon hearing of her death have expressed that to me. She was an inspiration, not to just her family, but those others who came into contact with her.

Rebecca and I were truly lucky in our parents. I have never ceased to miss my father since the day he died, I know it will be the same now my mother has gone. I am certain that my sister, Rebecca feels the same way.

There will be a memorial service for Pat on 3rd December, at 1pm. No flowers, but if you want to make a donation in lieu to Pat's alma mater, dedicating it to Pat's memory, via this link

You are invited to leave a personal message for the family.

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