McNEILL, Ruth Sigbritt Ingeborg Ruth, whom we all know as Britta, passed away February the 22nd this year in the middle of the night in her sleep. She had been suffering from Cancer which was discovered in the spring 2013. She was treated for it but unfortunately too late. Britta was born in a small town called Borga, in Finland 1926. She graduated from high school and was educated as a physiotherapist. In the 50's she and her husband Donald moved to Canada where she became instrumental in evolving Physiotherapy in Canada, eventually as the head of the physiotherapy department in various hospitals both east and west, in Canada. Besides her professional life she was an avid sailor and together with her husband raced 5O5s for many years. She was also very active with her needlework and displayed her artwork at exhibitions. Gardening was another activity she was very fond of. And then there was scuba diving, skiing and fishing. As a young boy I used to admire my aunt Britta so much. She was the one who dared to move to the new country far away - to the frontier - I felt it was. When she came to visit us in Sweden or Finland in the summers she was always the most enthusiastic one in her generation, full of life with a daring appetite for anything and everything it seemed. She was a fresh sparkle in our old world here in Europe. She and Donnie visited us at our farm in the 90s and were only supposed to stay for an afternoon, but they stayed for 3 days - helping us build a stable! I, together with many others will miss my sweet voiced and smiling aunt. Me, my wife Susanne, my brothers Marcus and Christian, my sister Margherita, my cousin Kjell and his wife Virginia, my nephew Rasmus and his sister Bianca were lucky to have her as a friend, and so were many others in Canada, Finland and many other parts of the world. I would like to thank Clarice and Peter Guillon for their care for Britta since Christmas 2012. Clarice in particular has been with her most of the time since then and has been absolutely marvelous for her. Special thanks also goes to the staff of Hawthorne Park and the Hospice House for their care. A celebration of life will be held on Friday, March 7, 2014 at 2:00 pm at Springfield Funeral Home's Family Center, 2020 Springfield Road, Kelowna. Rather than flowers, memorial donations may be made to the charity of one's choosing. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.springfieldfuneralhome.com