Colleen Lynn Mason Rush

Colleen was born July 21st, 1963 in Williams Lake, BC. She is survived by her children Cyrena Dingwall and River Mason.

The family lived in Clinton, Williams Lake, Terrace, and Prince Rupert before making Chilliwack home in 1976. Colleen grew up working throughout her teenage years in a variety of jobs including running heavy equipment for her father during construction of BC Rail's extension to service the coal mining projects near Tumbler Ridge, BC in the late 70's and early 80's. While married, her life on the road included time in Prince George and Arizona before returning home to the Fraser Valley to continue her love of plants and trees while working at nurseries. In the early 1990's Colleen began attending the University of the Fraser Valley and in 2006 she earned a Diploma in Social Services and in 2008 a Bachelor of Arts in Adult Education. She was instrumental in the creation of the Families in Motion literacy program in Chilliwack and Seabird Island. Colleen was deeply committed to the First Nations community and worked on a number of projects including the Future 4 Nations Head Start Program, the Mission Urban Aboriginal Early Childhood Development Project, and the Elders of Abbotsford: An Exploration of Strengths and Issues Project. In 2016 she earned her Masters in Adult Education at the St. Francis Xavier University. She was an active member with the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and the BC Hospice Palliative Care Association.

Colleen began volunteering at Chilliwack Hospice around 2005 and was very interested in the education of hospice volunteers. From 2008 to 2016 she worked as the Palliative Services and Education Coordinator at Chilliwack Hospice before taking on similar positions at the Abbotsford Hospice and Burnaby Hospice. She researched, wrote and provided hundreds of hours of training and education to many volunteers, led many well-received workshops and the coordination of conferences. She was committed to the support and education of hospice society’s locally, provincially and throughout Canada. She saw the need for thoughtfully integrated, well-coordinated care for the dying and their families, and she wanted to do her part to make all end-of-life journeys as peaceful as possible. In 2018 heart and health issues forced her to retire.

Colleen was an avid reader and lifelong student exploring many subjects such as poetry and world faiths. She made 2 trips to India related to her work in Hospice and hoped to walk the El Camino de Santiago trail one day. No funeral service is planned at this time. A tree will be planted in her name to honor her deep love of nature and especially trees.

Colleen is remembered by daughter Cyrena (Jason) Dingwall, son River Mason, siblings Scott (Patty) Mason, Pam Auffray, and Terrina Mason, her Mother Chris Mason, nephews Patrick and Thomas and nieces Chelsea, Laura, and Sadie. Predeceased by her Dad Gerald Mason and grandparents.

May you be embraced by God in whom dawn, and twilight are one. May your longing inhabit its dreams within the Great Belonging. Colleen - Home with God.  From To Bless the Space Between Us

Colleen's Life: At top of the homepage for this Memorial for Colleen, to the right of her photo there are icons for Profile, Mementos (photos, tributes, comments), and Family (Family Tree). Please explore while you are visiting. Colleen loved the written word and we welcome you to leave your own "Tributes" under any of the photos in the Mementos section. Thank you sincerely for being a part of Colleen's life, even if just crossing paths in time.