Carol Arlene McKay

August 21, 1940 - March 26, 2025

In loving memory ~

Carol Arlene Clarke passed away after a short illness on March 26, 2025 in Courtenay, BC. Carol was born in Duncan BC, to Margaret and James Clarke on August 21, 1940.

She was predeceased by her baby Carly Aileen in 1959, first husband Gaspar (Gazsi) Marton in 1964, son Gordie McKay in 2000, second husband Stanley McKay in 2012, and her brothers Murray Clarke in 2021 and James (Jimmy) Clarke, prior to that. Carol attended Jericho Hill School for the Deaf and the Blind in Burnaby, and then Cowichan Secondary School, before starting a family with her first husband Gaspar who had previously immigrated to Canada from Hungary. Gaspar soon died in a logging accident and Carol became the widowed mother to two young daughters. In 1965, Carol met and married Stanley McKay, creating a blended family with his 3 children (Brian, Gordie and Joan), and her 2 children (Gizi and Audrey), and then along came their shared daughter (Karen). The family lived in Buckley Bay, Union Bay, and Gold River, before she and Stan settled in Union Bay and built their own home in 1992.

Family was always so important to Carol. She was a diligent parent to all of her children, even when life dealt her a challenging hand with her sight and independence. She was a proud grandma and later 'Gigi' to her greatgrandchildren, and was always eager to talk about current events in their lives.

Carol was a skilled steward of their home and a very hard worker. She could often be found baking, canning food, helping Stan with the garden, processing Stan's hunting & fishing rewards, hosting visitors for tea and cards, and cooking the best homemade meals that fed many. Carol loved crocheting, leatherworking, going to church, camping, and was even enthusiastic about taking biology courses later in life - she loved learning. Even into her senior years, no longer with any sight, Carol would listen to TV stations to learn about what was going on in the world, and liked to pass this information on to her loved ones. In the last 10 years she has been in care, she would always ask the support staff to tell her about their lives. She loved learning about other people's cultures, upbringing, and their families. It was her way of travelling the world. She tried to keep up on politics and was very passionate about her right to vote.

Carol is survived by her cherished cousins who are also her sisters-in-law, Shirley McKay and Betty Smedley; her brother-in-law Bill McKay, her sisters-in-law, Donna McKay, Jeanne Hawthorne, and Barb McKay; her children, Karen MacGregor (Kevin), Audrey McKay (Bruce Wynne), Gizi McLeod (Rob), Joan Whittaker (Charlie), Brian McKay; her 14 grandchildren, Steven,Trevor (Doris), Shawna, Angie (Shawn), Frank (Kylie), Terry (Amanda), Michelle, Shelley (Brad), Nadine, Kimberly (Jake), Meghan (C.J.), Jesse, Sandra (David) & Ian and her 16 great grandchildren. And she made it a point to remember everyone's birthday!

A special thank you to the care aides and nurses at Ocean Front Village who cared for Carol with love and kindness in her final year of life. Every one of you is appreciated by Carol's family - you are truly, our living angels!

A service will be held at the Union Bay Community Church on April 12th at 1pm. Please join us for a celebration of Carol's life.

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