Our community is short a pillar.
Meredith Bogle, co-owner of Victory Paints and Mercantile, passed away earlier this month. Many of us would know Meredith from our visits to Victory, looking for just the right colour of paint for our homes, or an accent piece to finish off a room.
Full disclosure, I never met Meredith. The closest our paths had crossed was when I delivered a thank-you note to Victory for donating to our Meals on Wheels fundraiser last fall, in support of the Prince George Council of Seniors, but alas, she was out when I stopped by. That said, I had a lovely 20 minute or so conversation with the folks at Victory and upon leaving, left our thank-you letter for their generosity. I can’t put my finger on it, but I felt really good after that brief stop in. My impromptu visit left me with a positive attitude for the rest of my travels that day, and I certainly carried that positivity with me as I continued my tour of PG with letters of thanks for our other donors.
Fast forward to this spring, when word was shared among my colleagues that Meredith wasn’t doing well, and ultimately, weeks later, when we heard she had passed. What struck me during those water cooler chats was the love felt for Meredith by those in our office lucky enough to have met and worked with her. I was regaled with stories of various salespeople who, over the years, had stopped by to chat about different advertising opportunities and how, no matter what the time or day, she always made them something to eat, and they would stay and chat about anything and everything under the sun. As our team members recounted those experiences, a mix of emotions were visible; imagine seeing love, respect, admiration – coupled with sadness of her passing, mixed with smiles of remembrance of visits gone by. It was clear to me that these folks clearly valued every interaction with Meredith, and looking back on those visits brought back so many happy memories.
For those of us (myself included) who didn’t know Meredith, her obituary in the Citizen’s April 11 edition includes that she was born and raised in Prince George, enjoying snowboarding, skiing, ringette and soccer in her early years here. She was also an accomplished Highland dancer, competing in Nova Scotia, where if you haven’t been, they take Highland dancing pretty seriously. She earned her BA in UNBC’s inaugural class in 1994. Upon completing her Master of Education in Coaching Studies in Victoria, she returned to Prince George to work at Pacific Sport and Intersect. In 2016, she and her friend and business partner JP opened Victory Paint. It was then that our relationship began.
Being in media can be difficult, to say the least. After a morning of “no thanks”, or “we’ll think about it” when out meeting existing or prospective clients or story contacts, an island in a storm, like a visit with Meredith, is most welcome. Among folks in our office, many of whom meet and interact with dozens, if not hundreds of people every month, the memories of meetings with Meredith were told to me with zeal, as she was always welcoming, offering her hospitality and time.
Why dedicate an entire column to someone I had never met? Simply put, because of the impression she left with our team. When the people with whom I work tell me, with multiple examples, of how amazing one of our partners in the community was to them, time after time, that rings a bell with me.
With everything above in mind, let’s raise our glass to Meredith. May we all be remembered with the love that she fostered and created.
Curtis Armstrong is the publisher of the Prince George Citizen.
