PORT COQUITLAM – Hundreds of mourners packed a small church in Port Coquitlam on Saturday to say goodbye to Betty Fox, the dedicated matriarch who maintained the legacy of her son, Terry Fox, for 30 years after his death.
On July 2, 1981, Betty and Rolly Fox arrived at Trinity United Church to lay their son to rest. This time, Rolly stood in the rain without his wife of 55 years.
He was surrounded by his surviving children and grandchildren, who wiped away tears as pallbearers carried a casket covered with red and white flowers into a hearse.
Betty died earlier this month following a battle with an undisclosed illness. She was 73.
She founded the Terry Fox Foundation after her son died during his Marathon of Hope in 1981. Terry ran 5,000 kilometres in an attempt to cross the country after losing a leg to cancer. He succumbed to lung cancer before he could complete the journey. To date, the foundation has raised nearly $600 million for cancer research.
Betty travelled tirelessly across Canada to attend annual Terry Fox runs and to share her son’s inspiring story. She spoke to more than 400,000 school children during her 25 years of touring the country.
She would often end her speeches with the words, “Never, ever give up on your dreams.”
Betty’s son Darrell Fox and granddaughter Kirsten Fox spoke at the funeral. Kirsten described her grandmother as a passionate, witty lady who supported everyone in the family to pursue their ambitions.
She said it was difficult to separate Betty Fox from the identity of Terry Fox’s mother, but her grandchildren never thought of her that way.
“None of us said, “˜She raised a hero.’ We think of her as grandma.”
The funeral was also attended by Man in Motion Rick Hansen, B.C. Premier Christy Clark, MLAs Adrian Dix and Mike Farnsworth, CEO of VANOC John Furlong and Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore.
Hansen, who travelled through 34 countries in his wheelchair for spinal cord injury research, was close friends with Terry and played wheelchair basketball with him at Simon Fraser University.
He said he first met Betty in 1977, shortly after Terry lost his leg to cancer.
“My first memory of her is of a loving mum,” he said. “She was dedicated to Terry in his recovery after he lost his leg, and more importantly, she was so amazingly passionate about his legacy. Terry was an amazing friend who inspired me. Betty is someone who inspired me, too.”
Premier Clark spoke of her own mother’s death from brain cancer, and said that Betty’s work had helped countless Canadians in their battle against the disease.
“Betty Fox took a terrible tragedy, the tragedy of losing her son, and turned it into an incredible amount of good work for people suffering from cancer. I’m really proud to be here today to honour her memory.”
The family has received thousands of letters of support from across Canada since Betty died on June 17. Each of her nine grandchildren read one of the letters at the funeral.
Betty was one of the Canadians chosen to carry the Olympic flag during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. She and Rolly also helped light the flame that opened the Paralympic Games.
The couple have lived in B.C. since 1956. They lived in Port Coquitlam for 22 years before moving to Lake Errock and Abbotsford, and finally settling in Chilliwack in 2003.
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