When I returned from Ottawa today I was told about Maureen's passing and I just didn't believe it. To me Maureen was a ball of energy that would never stop. I was a brand new teacher when Maureen hired me at Mountain View as a temporary K teacher. I was only there for 1 or 2 months but she was so supportive and understanding. A few years later she hired me for a temp at Blakeburn. A school she shaped from it's opening. I was there for one year. After that I often would run into Maureen around the district and get a big hug and a chance to chat. I will always remember her and how she shaped my first years of teaching. My thoughts are with her children that she always talked about and her husband. Love to you.
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Heartfelt condolences in your loss. In every way, such an amazing and influential educator in our province and beyond. “Bloom where you’ve planted”
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To the family of
Maureen,
I was so sorry to hear of your loss, and I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to each of you.
I had the honour of hearing your mother speak many times alongside Faye Brownlie in the late 1980s and early 1990s when she was starting to share her wisdom with educators in Burnaby. She was hosted at Gilmore Community School through trial workshops and feedback sessions. Her wisdom, warmth, and passion for education left a deep and lasting impression on me. She was a gifted communicator and an inspiring presence — someone who clearly cared deeply about her work and the people around her.
Please know that you are in my thoughts during this time of sorrow. Your mother’s legacy lives on in the many lives she touched.
With deepest sympathy,
Juanita Jackson
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I am deeply saddened by Maureen’s passing and sending heartfelt sympathy and condolences to her dearly loved family. Am very touched by son Dustin’s beautiful tribute to a wonderful mom and also by the lovely expressions of love & appreciation from her sister Nancy and so many colleagues. Maureen was an authentic force of nature who blazed a brilliant path in early childhood education and beyond. A teacher myself, I was always inspired by her energy, insight & nuggets of wisdom whenever we chatted at family occasions. If it is true that “ Education is love,” then Maureen gave us a very powerful example to emulate. I just know she will be cheering us on. Namaste, dear Maureen.
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That is shocking and terrible news. Maureen was one of the most important people in BC education. Her leadership, especially in the primary program, has benefitted so many children in the past and, and will benefit so many students in the future thanks to her legacy.  We are so fortunate to have been able to work with her in Coquitlam, especially when she was running the most outstanding professional development program in BC (if not the country).
I have known her since I was eight years old, attending the same elementary, and junior high. We also had the same piano teacher, and hung out at formal and informal recitals, where she was already a force to be reckoned with. My wife Marion Runcie treasures the years she worked with Maureen (in two different Burnaby schools). As a Grade One teacher she considered it a joy to receive students from Maureen’s kindergarten class. We were thrilled that our daughter Alex Peters had the opportunity to work with Maureen on the latest revision of the Primary Program. She will be sorely missed.
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Dustin - your mom was a force! I remember thinking how ‘cool’ she was when our parents worked together in Burnaby. Then, after becoming a teacher I had the pleasure to be mentored by her and to work with her on Professional Days. Maureen was an amazing educator and advocate - she has touched so many! I pass on my condolences to you and yours; know your mom has left a legacy that is unmatched! 💜
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Maureen walked into my life in 1997...one day in bare feet decorating her new school, the next in her stilettos, commanding a gym full of students. She was inimitable, a high-flying shining star who changed everyone she met for the better. She inspired, she challenged, she loved. She made every place better and every person she met feel that the sky was the limit; anything was possible. As I drive to Penticton now and pass Kaleden, there is a big empty spot where my friend used to live. I will never forget you. Maureen.
To Neal, Carly, Brody, Dustin and all the beautiful grandchildren- my heart aches for your loss. She was so proud to show photos and videos of the little ones every time I saw her.
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Well that’s such sad news. Maureen was terrific! She truly inspired me in my career working and caring for children and I learned so much as well from her. Condolences to the family and thinking of all the lives she touched. 😇
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Thea and I will miss Maureen dearly. Thanks you Dustin, Nanci and Faye for a lovely tribute to one of my favourite people.
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My heart goes out to Mo's family at this difficult time. She was a bright happy light in my life and we shared many conversations and lots of laughter. I will always treasure Mo's belief that anything is possible if you believe it is important.
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Maureen lived her pedagogy. Her curriculum for living and her curriculum for schools was the same: love of learning and finding joy. She will be deeply missed as an educator and a friend.
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Maureen was always so much more than a cousin—she was a mentor, an inspirational force, and a true champion of meaningful education. In the earliest days of my teaching career, our visits felt sporadic, and I eventually realized she was masterfully placing moments of wisdom exactly when I was ready to receive them. This is Maureen - Life's quintessential teacher.
I quote her often and will now do so in honour and memory of a spectacular woman and a life-changing educator. Her legacy will continue to guide me, as it has always done—upliftingly, profoundly, and with great love (and an occasional cheeky wink).
Thinking of your family during this time and sending heartfelt condolences from ours to yours. She will be dearly missed.
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It was an honour to work, play, learn and lead with Maureen in SD43 (Coquitlam). A positive force to be reckoned with, Maureen spread innovation and best early learning practice across our district, our province, and internationally. Her legacy is a rich one. My condolences to family whom she loved beyond measure.
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Sending heartfelt condolences! When the energy from a force of nature is dispersed among the world, there’s always a humbling shock and very big feelings left to manage. I guess it should not be a surprise that her earthly body would never be able to contain the universal presence that she is. I am devastated but DEEPLY grateful for the opportunity to have experienced her positive, seemingly boundless energy, generosity, guidance, wisdom, and support so close by. I will always treasure the beautifully meaningful conversations around the phenomenal spreads in her cosy kitchen with stunning views and cheeses I couldn’t pronounce, the Cannery and Kin & Folk visits with wine and beet hummus, the encouragement to move to action and sometimes positive dissonance, the feeling that she had all the time and space for me when we got together, the laughs and stories of all the changes in education, and of course, the amazing shoes and the hair dos! I will miss you dearly! Much 💗 love! Farewell, but not goodbye.
Tammy xo
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Just heart breaking news 💔 Maureen was a beautiful person inside and out. Kind, genuine and dedicated. Her ability to bring together the best minds in education and share their talents across the province will be a legacy long remembered. She was the true definition of a compassionate leader and I will always be most grateful to have known her.
Heartfelt condolences to her family and dearest friends ❤️
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My deepest condolences to each of you. Wrapping your hearts with hugs and love.
To Maureen – my Fairy God Mother,
As a young educator I was gifted to share your passions. Literacy and Early Learning. The timing was perfect. We entered the era of Full Day Kindergarten. The learning was so powerful - like none other. It was a gift to be working alongside you during one of the greatest socialist changes for our generation.
All the while I was a young mother committed to her children and pursuing her career. You carved the way. You were committed to me - to supporting me to be the best educator and more importantly the very best mom I could be. Without you, I could not possibly be where I am today.
You challenged me intellectually, so many plans were made, chased, and realized. Within education there are always competing priorities. Your loyalty to our youngest learners has served every child and family. Your imprint will endure.
Love you Maureen
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My sincere condolences - I feel so blessed to have connected with Maureen through various committees - man she could light up a room in a second and rock the shoes like no other .. she will be missed .
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Educators will be missing Maureen’s wisdom and enthusiasm for working with children. She was an amazing force in the education system and the many, many teachers with which she came in contact. Throughout my 35 years of teaching she remained the person who guided teachers with her wisdom. Maureen and Faye Brownlie were the two people who came to my school district and helped to guide change. So thank you Maureen, for all you did for education. You will never be forgotten.
Kathy Nelson,
P.S. I, too, attended Morley, Edmonds and Burnaby Central. We must have grown up in the same neighbourhood. I’m glad our paths crossed as educators.
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Maureen’s passing was a shock to so many in SD43 who witnessed first hand her brilliance, passion, energy and positivity. We thought she would live to 110. I had the privilege of working with her in Coquitlam but where I saw her real super powers was in Africa where we travelled together on a charity expedition to help build a hospital wing. I witnessed first hand her ability to interact with small children with ragged clothing and no shoes to important dignitaries wearing business suits. There were no filters just genuine, authentic Maureen. She was amazing. Throughout her perfectly suited career as an educator she impacted so many in local school districts and around the world. Maureen will always be remembered and sorely missed. She was the real deal and one of a kind.
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Maureen was loved in Newfoundland! She came here is 2016 to speak at an event and she was stellar - pragmatic and real, insightful and inspiring. She knew the realities of classrooms, the challenges educators face, the worry of parents and, most importantly, the untold potential of EVERY child. Children were at the centre of her life, especially the marginalized. She and I became colleagues, speaking at events together and constantly picking each other's brains. She arranged for me to speak at a number of events in BC and a friendship flourished. I learned so very much from her and will value every conversation, especially the Zoom Happy Hours with Jane Bertrand during the pandemic - not easily arranged given the transCanadian time zones! I loved her dearly and will miss her immensely - that knowledge and commitment, that effervescent personality, that smile, that soul. Rest Maureen. You have made a huge difference.
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Brilliant, boundless energy, inspiring, gifted…. and that infectious smile. Maureen was one of a kind, a gift to everyone who came into contact with her. An amazing woman who made the world a better place.
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As part of the BC Primary Teachers' Association, I had the joy of working with Maureen in brief bits of time over the years. Most recently, I had no idea the gift I had been given to help edit 'Learning In The Primary Years' alongside Maureen, and Arnold Toutant, and fellow colleague Carol Johns. The document is filled with Maureen's effervescent personality, and the joy she brought to every task she took on. I, like so many primary teachers across this province am not just a better teacher from having known and worked with Maureen, but a better person. It is hard not to see all the joy, compassion, and love in the world around us after having spent time with Maureen. She truly lived her life to fullest, spilling over. She lives in the hearts of teachers from one end of the province to the other, and probably beyond our borders. We will continue to spread that joy to the generations of students in our care. I 'll have a big glass of wine tonight and toast this wonderful force who will be so deeply missed.
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