Tribute

Sydney Hazel Evans
April 22, 1935 – August 13, 2026

With love and gratitude for a life lived fully on her own terms, we share the passing of Sydney Hazel Evans, who died on August 13, 2026, at the age of 91.

Sydney was born in Calgary on April 22, 1935. Independent, spirited, and endlessly curious, she was never particularly interested in following the path expected of her. She was the first in her family to attend university and throughout her life remained creative, bold, and unafraid to do things differently.

Sydney was a mother to three children: Stephen Visnoski, Cheryl Wucherer, and Laurie Jacob; a grandmother to 11; and a proud great-grandmother.

She was also an artist and painter, a home builder, a gambler, and a believer in possibilities. She read palms, tarot cards, and tea leaves, and always sought to understand the unexplained. She had a soft spot for outsiders and risk-takers and was drawn to people who, like her, didn’t quite fit neatly into the expected mould.

At the centre of Sydney’s world was the log home she built on Jimsmith Lake in 1972. She believed it was the best place on earth, and over four generations it became a gathering place for her family and the backdrop to endless moments and memories.

In her later years, Sydney found friendship, competition, and fun playing bridge at the Cranbrook Seniors Centre. Sydney loved the game, loved playing, and loved winning.

Sydney will be remembered for her sense of humour, her mischievous streak, her creativity, her chaos, and her fierce independence. She was colourful, complicated, generous with conversation, and always interesting.

She will be deeply missed by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and friends. She will be remembered with love, celebrated through stories, and live on through a collection of memories that are uniquely, unmistakably Sydney.

Sydney spent 91 years refusing to live a boring life by the rules. Right until the end, she did it her way.

In honour of Sydney Hazel Evans, the family is holding an open graveside gathering at Westlawn Cemetery in Cranbrook, B.C., on Friday, August 21 at 2 p.m. While the gathering remains informal, we invite everyone to join us for the reading of her eulogy. You are welcome to come as you are, stay for a few moments of quiet reflection, and pay your respects in your own way.

A private Celebration of Life for immediate family will be held at a later time.