Debbie Ficner

1950 - 2010

FICNER, Debbie (nee Packwood) Peacefully at the Hospice at May Court on Friday, May 7, 2010 after a valiant and courageous battle with ovarian cancer. In her 60th year, Debbie was surrounded by her family and friends. Beloved wife of John. Loving mother to Matt. Dear sister of Kim Ridge (Philip), Mark Packwood (Carol), Ian Clarke (Carolyn) and sister-in-law of Aino Packwood. Predeceased by her parents Mark Allan and Vera Packwood, sister Sandy Gail, brothers John Wayne and David and nephew Sean. She will be dearly missed by her niece Samantha. Debbie was an Honorary Life Member of Girl Guides of Canada and had been a member of the organization for 52 years. Guiding was a huge part of her life and Debbie's commitment and passion for Guiding led her to many leadership roles at the National, Provincial and Ottawa Area levels. Visitation at McEvoy-Shields Funeral Home, 1411 Hunt Club Road on Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. in St. Joseph's Church (Wilbrod & Cumberland Sts.) Deepest gratitude to Dr. Julie Jenner for her personal attention and care and to Debbie's close Guiding friends and valued neighbours. We would like also to express our thanks to the Bayshore home care nurses and the dedicated and caring staff of the Hospice.

Eulogy from Jane Venables

All of you here today have your own Debbie memories a lot of you through guiding, but also many of you through other aspects of her life such as working at Notre Dame High School, or just living on her street. But these are just some of my memories of our friend Debbie.

I first met Debbie in 1974 when she became the West Division camp adviser. Debbie’s vision in that job was to get as many girls to Camp as possible and let them experience the great times that she had always had at camp. She was already a very active Guider, one of the youngest in the area, and taking on a division was right up her street. She was always a great planner and soon had division summer camps established and went on to rally the Ottawa area to hold camps too. She always managed to get enough people to help with her smile and her favourite phrase “come on, it’ll be FUN” and it always was. Despite the rain, the wind or any other adversity we faced, we always came out laughing. Like the time we piled the luggage under the big pine tree on Hilltop as we could see there was rain coming and the buses hadn’t yet arrived, only to have it really rain and all the luggage begin to float as a huge puddle formed under the tree - Fun.

With Debbie’s involvement at camp especially summer camps this meant that Matt too spent a lot of time at guide and Scout camp, Yes Debbie Worked at Camp Opemikon for several summers too as their cook, where she also took along some guiding friends for the Fun. John being an active Scouter was also involved at the camps and was always ready to be called on to fix things, of which there was a never ending supply. He also became involved with the camp Woolsey committee and over the years he and Debbie helped to bring our camp to be the wonderful resource it is today for the Guiding community.

But Debbie didn’t just camp in Ottawa. She travelled. There were wonderful fall and winter camps at Camp Cameron in Perth, winter camping on Deb’s property at Farren Lake to name a few. She organised Guiding trips too - to Niagara Falls on a bus stopping at churches and schools along the way. How many of you have been taken to the grocery store on your own bus to stock up each day? We also bear scars from these trips from the late night games of spoons, some of you will know this game. Lots of Fun.

However, Debbie’s dreams were wider than Canada and in 1979 she organized a West Division trip to Our Cabana in Cuernavaca, Mexico. She was the best planner I’ve known and we flew with 8 girls via Chicago to Mexico City where we spent 4 days touring the sights from Pyramids to palaces then on to Our Cabana where we worked with local Mexican guides and travelled to many historic and amazing places too. There were many Fun memories, but we both remember one of the girls whose sister had chicken pox before we left and yes on the way home 10 days later she started to come out in spots. Luckily it was before 9/11 and a group of girl guides in uniform were not questioned at the various ports of entry but rather ushered through with ease so we were able to all get home.

At that time we promised our selves that we would return on an adult trip one day. Little did we know it would take us 28 years but in February 2007 we headed back to the Cabana to celebrate  Thinking Day in amongst thousands of monarch butterflies at Anguangueo, and we stood together on our last night with a mariachi band playing in the background while we watched a moon flower open in the moonlight. Not just fun but magical.

Many of you here today will have been on other trips and camps with Debbie over the years including the one to our Chalet in Switzerland, and I would bet that all of them were fun.

In 1992 Debbie became Ottawa Area Commissioner and had a dream of getting a building for Ottawa Girl Guides that would house the offices, meeting rooms and shop. It took a while to find the building then a lot and I do mean a lot of work and fund raising to make it happen. Work crews helped with the tear down and build up phase and the fundraising was awesome including a memorable Guiders trip to New York. Who can forget the look on the face of the Canadian Customs Officer late on the Sunday evening when he opened the door of the bus and saw it was filled with around 60 Guiders. How we all appreciated his recovery with “Nothing to declare ladies - then on your way”. All of it Fun and satisfying and it is so fitting that the reception will be held there after this service

We took training too. I mentioned winter camping at Farren Lake. Well before we did that we took a winter camping course at Scout headquarters involving three sessions indoors then an overnight to test our skills. There were 6 guiders taking the training. We set off on our outdoor test in late January - the temperature forecast for overnight was -30! We were cold at times and afraid to sleep lest we didn’t wake but we did sleep and we did survive and yes, it was Fun.

But Debbie wasn’t just a guiding friend. She, John and Matt introduced my family to the joys of Farren Lake luring Dave with a plate full of lake trout the likes of which have never been seen since, but he and John still try for them. My boys have many fond memories of time spent at camp and at the lake enjoying meals together and sharing the friendship of John’s pal Gerry Morris. And it was at the lake that Debbie’s idea of catering was born. Each May long weekend for too many years to count Deb and I with help from John and Dave catered the AGM for the Farren Lake Association. We could do this for other groups too she said - it will be Fun! So you can imagine we did some school events and guiding events but when we looked at the bottom line sure it was fun but not lucrative.

But Debbie had baking in her blood and I am sure that everyone here today has at one time or another had the gift of a loaf or a chocolate lollipop from Deb. You will also have received a card of thanks or just to say hello, and since Email an animated card for birthdays or Thinking day or just a day when she was thinking about you, or a little something she got that she just thought you would like.

No one ever attended a meeting, or went on any trip with Debbie without there being candies passed around and the famous Red licorice -That was Debbie always giving and thinking of others. I know this trait followed her into her and John’s recent trips together as tour guides, no one will be surprised to hear that all participants got goodie bags and I’m sure there was licorice. Whenever I invited her for dinner she would ask if there was anything she could bring and if the answer was no just bring yourselves she would have the hardest time not bringing a dessert or some baking or a candle. Only after a lot of training did she manage to arrive with just her good company which is all we needed.

I know that what I have told you today is but a small picture of Debbie our friend and mentor. I know that for many of us as we go on we will hear from time to time an echo of the words - “Come on it will be fun” and it will be but it will be tinged with sadness as our friend is not there to share the fun with us.

I have a poem I would like to share with you. It is written on a box Deb gave me and it is where I keep my guide pins:

We share a special friendship that was meant to grow and last,

We’ve made so many memories precious treasures of the past,

And since you mean so much to me I’m hoping you will find

This memory keeper box will bring those favourite thoughts to mind.

Let it hold the joys we’ve had our happiness and laughter

All our best remember-when’s to cherish ever after

The comfort and support of times we’ve seen each other through

And always may our friendship help us build new memories too.

I would like to say to you John and Matt Thank you for sharing Debbie with us we are all very grateful to have had Debbie in our lives.

Jane Venables

12 May, 2010