Obituary of Primrose Birrell BIRRELL: Primrose Margaret (nee Bigsby) Born June 19, 1923 in Simla, India and died quietly in the palliative care unit of Peterborough Regional Health Centre, on Monday, September 15, 2008, after a long and varied journey through life. Sister to Jack and daughter of Sydney Herbert Bigsby CIE and Evelyn Margaret Baker, Primrose was sent to boarding school in England at the age of four, as was the custom at the time, seeing her parents on annual holidays when possible and staying with friends or relatives when not. On graduation and the outbreak of war, she returned to her parents in India in 1939 and joined the army, rising to the rank of Sergeant. She met and soon married Major Andrew Bruce Birrell (d. April, 2007) in 1942 at Lahore Cathedral and honeymooned in Kashmir. After periods in India, England and Singapore, Bruce and Primrose moved with their two eldest children, Rod (Veronica) and Tony, to Sarnia where Syd (Pamela) and Diana were later born. After periods in Montreal and Bangladesh, Bruce and Primrose lived in Toronto and Haliburton, where they had a cottage on Soyers Lake and a wide circle of friends. Primrose was a devoted wife and mother, a beloved grandmother of Rebecca, Ben, and the late James, a true friend, a kind and fun-loving spirit, and with spare time in retirement, a painter of considerable talent. Her final years were clouded by Alzheimer's disease. Thank you, Mum, bon voyage and a biento^t. (A memorial service will be held in MURRAY STREET BAPTIST CHURCH (175 Murray St.), Peterborough, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 20. A lunch will be served. If desired, condolences to the family, and directions to the service may be found at www.CommunityAlternative.ca or by calling COMMUNITY ALTERNATIVE FUNERAL HOME at 705-742-1875. Donations in Primrose's memory can be made to the cause of her grandson by mail to: The James Fund, 625 Whitaker Street #4, Peterborough, ON, K9H 7L5, or on-line through www.JamesFund.ca To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Primrose Birrell, please visit Tribute Store