Anna Gilbert

Anna Gilbert passed away peacefully September 5th in Vancouver at the age of 92.

Anna was born in Nakuru, Kenya to Theo Mason and Winifred (nee Fletcher-Campbell). Anna moved in her teen years to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, a city where her family had been prominent residents since the 1850s, not long after its founding. In her early twenties, wanderlust led Anna to spend two years in England and Europe, but longing for the endless landscapes of her youth, she chose to travel to Canada.

Following extensive exploration across North America, she settled in Vancouver where she met her future husband visual artist and later environmental activist and UBC professor, Herb Gilbert. A lifelong voyager with insatiable curiosity, in 1960 the couple undertook an adventurous eight-month trip, from Vancouver to South Africa, driving across Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This storied trek included many memorable moments such as camping beside the pyramids and nearly losing their car as it floated down the Nile on a barge. Their journey ended at Theo Mason’s banana farm near Port Shepstone, where Anna and Herb welcomed their daughter Ellawyn in 1962.

Herb painted and taught in Durban before the family decided to leave South Africa at the height of Apartheid. The family lived in Haight Ashbury, San Fransisco in the leadup to the Summer of Love, before returning to Vancouver where Herb accepted a position at UBC.

Anna had an enduring passion for creativity and culture and participated in various artistic endeavours over the years, including with Intermedia artists such as Evelyn Roth, Helen Goodwin and Tom Graff.

Always an African at heart, Anna found fascination and beauty in the natural world, supporting various environmental causes and volunteering for the Vancouver Aquarium. Anna worked at Duthie Books from 1974 to 1981 and at a doctor’s office on West 4^th Avenue from 1981 to 2004. An avid gardener, Anna took pride in her vibrant garden on 14^th, which hosted countless gatherings. In recent years Anna was a member of the Greater Van Gogos, assisting the Stephen Lewis Foundation in their work for African grandmothers raising children and youth orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

Anna’s unwavering ability to live life to the fullest will inspire her loved ones for years to come. Anna is survived by daughter Ellawyn (Mark), grandchildren Brandon (Louis), Jarett and Elyse, siblings Elspeth (Matthew) and John, five nephews, three nieces, and several grand-nephews and nieces in Canada, South Africa and the UK. She will also be missed by many close friends including her ‘chosen family’, and in particular, Tiko Kerr and Craig Shervey, who supported Anna’s family in caring for her in her last months.

A celebration of life will be held at a future date. For information please contact [email protected]. Memories and messages of condolence can be left below.