Tribute

Our Loving Wife and Mother passed away peacefully on September 3rd at Surrey Memorial Hospital at the age of 81 after developing complications from surgery. Rilla was born in Vancouver, BC Canada on April 22, 1941, to Elenore Susan Baron (née Kelsey) and William “Bill” Keeble Baron. She would be the oldest of three children, with brothers David William (1946) and Richard (Rick) Thomas (1956). In 1963, The Baron family moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, but Rilla stayed behind in Vancouver because she had just met her new husband and life partner David Philip Blancard. They were married in June 1963 and were soon joined by their son, David Wayne (1964). A loving and devoted wife and mother, Rilla also worked several office and clerical jobs in and around Vancouver, moving to their first and current home in the Newton area of Surrey, BC in 1975. In the early 1980s David and Rilla found a love and passion for ceramics; opening a studio in a room addition to their home. She was a gifted artist and teacher, making this her full-time profession until the studio was closed with their retirements. Rilla kept the artistic side of her alive after discovering a second passion for watercolors; and through this interest she met a group of like-minded artists, instructors, and other students whose friendships she valued deeply right up to her final days. A lover of dogs and cats alike (but mostly dogs) there were many four-legged friends in the home through the years. We know that if heaven is indeed a paradise; there will be plenty of pets for her to pamper and share her deepest thoughts with. Rilla will be missed greatly by her friends and family – but also remembered fondly by anyone that had the opportunity to meet her. Rilla was predeceased by her father, William (Bill) Keeble Baron; her mother Eleanor Susan Baron (née Kelsey); and her two brothers; David William Baron and Richard (Rick) Thomas Baron. She is survived by her loving husband of 59 years, David Philip Blancard; son David Wayne; daughter-in-law Anna Teresa (Misciagna); and sister-in-law Belinda (Chorney) as well as many cousins, nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews. In keeping with her wishes, there will be a simple, private gathering for friends and family to remember Rilla in the near future.