Berolyn Louise Barkwill (nee Atkinson) of Summerland passed away January 5, 2009 with her family at her side. She was born on June 8, 1919 in Summerland’s second hospital on Solly Road. Berol is survived by her sister, Gweneth Gilmour, sisterin-law, June Barkwill, her children Kathleen Aten (Jan), Robin Wyndham (Susan McIver), Jack Barkwill (Mary Rozankoski), Nancy Hunka (Larry), Richard Barkwill (Therese Washtock), Joan Skeet (Stuart McLeod) and Gray Barkwill (Wanda), grandchildren Kathryn Watts (John),Malcolm McNaughton (Coreen), Anna Saprunoff, Molly Ehmann (Dan), Megan and Sarah Barkwill and Suzanne, Lauren, Larissa and Gwen Hunka, and great grandchildren Ian and Neal McNaughton and Scarlett Ehmann. Berol was predeceased by her husband, Bill Barkwill, December 5, 2008, her daughter, Patricia, and her brothers, Brian and Clive Atkinson. In 1913, Berol’s parents (Gwendolyn Skeet and Robert Atkinson) were married in Summerland upon the arrival of Gwendolyn from England to join Robert. Robert and his parents (William and Louisa Atkinson) had been living in Summerland since1906. The newlyweds settled in Garnett Valley and later purchased an orchard on Swallowbeck Avenue. Robert was killed in a hunting accident in 1931. Subsequently, Gwendolyn continued to run the orchard and raise their four children. Gwendolyn died at the age of 103 in 1989. As a young girl, Berol loved to hike on Giant’s Head Mountain, skate on James Lake and swim and dive in Okanagan Lake. She graduated from St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in Victoria in 1944 and worked for a year in the Oliver hospital. In 1945, she married Bill. For their honeymoon they canoed across the lake and camped on the east side. The couple raised eight children, first living in a small house near the Barkwill Cannery. After the birth of their fourth child, they built a larger house nearby. Berol’s children fondly remember their mother singing around the house in spite of having to prepare dinner for 10 every day. In 1953, Berol and Bill purchased a rustic cabin at Crescent Beach which soon became the focus of family life in the summer. In 1978, the Barkwills retired to an adjoining property with its yellow house, their residence, and the beloved blue cabin. Everyone knew summer had begun when their friends, Joy Edwards and Ellie Robson, arrived to spend holidays at the cabin. Over the years, warm friendships developed with Joy and Ellie and with the McMullen and Catherwood families. Many happy hours and many summers were also spent with the O’Reilly family who came from California. Berol will long be remembered for her wit and cheerful disposition and for her generous hospitality and concern for those around her. She had a special love for her rose garden and for her grandchildren. In her later years, she took great pleasure in joining her friends for a round of golf or a game of bridge. The family thanks the healthcare, laundry, activities, housekeeping and dietary staff at Dr. Andrew Pavilion in Summerland for their loving kindness. The family also thanks Dr. Khati Hendry for her care and compassion. Visitation will be held Friday, January 9, 2009 from 10 a.m. to noon at Rosedale Memorial Chapel, 13205 Rosedale Avenue, Summerland followed by a graveside service at the Anglican Cemetery on Giant’s Head Road at 1 p.m. A reception will be held at the Summerland Waterfront Resort, 13011 S. Lakeshore Drive beginning at 2 p.m. Tributes are welcome. Music and refreshments will follow. Donations may be made in Berol’s memory to the Summerland Extended Care Unit Therapeutic Gardens, 550 Carmi Avenue, Penticton, B.C., V2A 3G6 250-492-9027. Condolences may be directed to the family: summerlandfuneralhome@vip.net