January 11, 1922 - April 5, 2020
Susan Jane Ainsworth (Rowland) - entrepreneur, philanthropist, and committed matriarch - passed away peacefully in Vancouver on April 05, 2020. She was 98.
She is survived by her husband David, three children Allen, Brian and Catherine, seven grandchildren Michael, Douglas, Kevin, Susan, Ryan, Amelia, and Steven, nine great grandchildren Sarah, Amanda, Caitlyn, Rebecca, Sam, Alex, Emma, Alivia, and Jane, her sister Evelyn and brother Billy, and many nieces and nephews.
She was born to Thomas James Rowland and Sarah Goodwin Rowland (Dobson) and raised as a "middle child" on a farm near Halkirk, AB; Susan was the 3rd of 13 children. Susan helped her mother Sarah ("Sadie") raise many of her younger siblings on the farm during the 1930's and remained very close with them throughout her life.
Susan and David met when they were four years old, married on December 09, 1940, and recently celebrated their 79th wedding anniversary. After Allen was born in 1941, Susan and Allen joined David on Vancouver Island, where he had found work with his brother Tom in the logging camps on Cowichan Lake. Brian arrived in 1943, while Susan and David were still living on the floating camps that followed the logging operations along the lake.
David's job was necessary for producing timbers for the war effort and this, combined with the rationing of gasoline, meant trips home to visit family in Alberta were far and few between for Susan. When the war ended, David and Susan settled at Cultus Lake from 1946 until 1950. They purchased a sawmill in 1950 and eventually moved to the southern Cariboo in 1952. While raising Allen and Brian, Susan cooked for a small crew that helped operate the sawmill and drove the truck to deliver rough sawn lumber to a planer mill in 100 Mile House. Catherine arrived in 1958, to the delight of her brothers.When the sawmill was re-located to a permanent site in 100 Mile House, Susan ran the office on her own for a number of years until she needed more help. A pension plan was established for the family and employees early on and she took an active role in its management until she retired at the age of 86. David and Susan were dedicated community supporters and philanthropists, helping to establish voluntary ambulatory and fire services in 100 Mile House and eventually a hospital that remains in the community to this day. They also donated a Variety Club "Sunshine Coach" each year for decades.
Susan was very fond of horses her entire life and although work prevented her from owning one after leaving the family farm, she enjoyed "putting a little money on the ponies". She was also passionate about the Vancouver Canucks and a season ticket holder for many years - missing few televised games when she couldn't attend. More than anything else in her life, Susan was passionate about family. She seized the opportunity to have an active hand in raising her grandchildren. While her own children were busy working in the family business, Susan quietly imprinted her strong family values on the next generation and indirectly on the following one as well. She defined what it meant to be a matriarch.
Susan was dearly loved, and she will be missed greatly by David and the rest of the family.
An announcement for a celebration of her life will be made at a future date.