Even as a child, Dulce was very focused and organized, always doing her homework first after school and keeping her school materials neat and tidy. Even then she used lists! Fun was playing with friends or her pet toad, dog, or parrot, or spending weekends at the beach house near Santos. Dulce loved celebrations such as birthdays and even had parties for her pets and dolls. And at the seashore she developed a life long love of fishing, seafood, and the ocean.
Later, when Dulce was 15 years old, the family moved to São José do Rio Preto, about 500 kilometers inland from São Paulo. There Dulce developed into a gifted volleyball player. She also developed into a beautiful young woman and the centre of attention for many young men, all of whose hearts she eventually broke. Dulce and her sisters spent a lot of time dancing, swimming and socializing at the clubs where the family had memberships. But it was always Dulce that chided her brothers and sisters to stop smoking and it was Dulce that made sure that they got home on time. She loved to party but she also loved to obey her parents.
Despite being Brazilian, Dulce always had a longing to come to Canada and see snow and try skiing. Plus she had a keen interest in English and did very well at it in school. Thus Dulce applied to be a Rotary exchange student, was accepted, and came to Creston, B.C. in 1976. This was to change her life completely.
Dulce was the first Rotary exchange student to ever come to Creston. She stayed with three different families during the course of the year - the Whites, the Beduzes, and the MacIvers - and loved them all. Dulce was a great ambassador for her country and was practically adopted by the whole town. Her social calendar was always full and she visited many parts of Western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest with the friends she made. In each situation Dulce impressed everyone with her enthusiasm, poise and charm.
It was in Creston that Dulce met Kevin Huscroft. Kevin first heard about Dulce from his father, Ken, who was a Rotarian. The first stories were about a charming Brazilian girl who liked to drive a ski-doo flat out and who was always getting lost up in the mountains. Kevin and Dulce got together several times during the year as Kevin visited family on weekends or came to Creston to work in during the summer. Kevin was living in Vancouver at the time and attending University.
Romantic involvement was not supposed to happen with Rotary exchange students and nothing did, until Dulce and Kevin went to a Boxing Day dance. Then, after their first kiss, Kevin asked Dulce to marry him. Dulce had to return to Brazil a week later, so she really only went out with Kevin for a week before getting married.
Kevin came to Brazil in May of the next year to meet Dulce's family and be approved. Dulce and Kevin were married on June 4th, 1977, in São José do Rio Preto. She was nineteen and Kevin was twenty. Dulce returned to Canada two days later. Many in Brazil and in Canada did not believe that this could or would happen until it did.
Dulce's early married years were spent as a student. First she enrolled in Langara College in Vancouver. Once she had some credits and proved her ability she was accepted into U.B.C. where she undertook a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in French and minoring in Spanish. Then in 1979, Kevin graduated and moved to Ottawa to work. Dulce transferred to the francophone University of Ottawa and continued her studies. In 1981 they moved back to Vancouver and Dulce returned to UBC. She obtained her B.A. in 1981 and later went on to take another two years in Community Education in order to get her B.C. Teaching Certificate.
Dulce's life as a student was difficult. At first, being married, she was shunned by most students her age. Later when transferring from U.B.C. to Ottawa U. and back, neither wanted to recognize the credits of the other. And at Ottawa U., right at the time of the first Quebec referendum, it was difficult being branded as an "anglo" when she was not. And finally, back in Vancouver doing her practicum in community education, she was marked down by teachers for having an accent. But Dulce persevered and finished, becoming fluent in four languages in the end.
Dulce's early married life, in contrast, was very good, basically two young people growing up together. Home consisted of self-painted furniture or hand me downs, and meals were grilled cheese sandwiches or ground beef with peas and rice. The only constant was a 1977 Chevette that Dulce and Kevin ended up driving for 13 years. In the first 9 years of marriage Dulce and Kevin moved 9 times. And they crossed Canada twice in that Chevette. But these were good times as a couple, as the real constant was each other.
After 5 years of marriage, Dulce wanted to have a family. On March 16th, 1982, Dulce gave birth to her daughter, Alicia Estrella, at the old Grace Hospital in Vancouver. Dulce took a year off to care for Alicia and then returned to University. It was quite a challenge finishing University and caring for an infant, especially one that wanted to play all night long. But the bike rides around the University Endowment Lands or the beach picnics at Spanish Banks with Alicia were wonderful.
After Dulce got her Teaching Certificate in 1984, and Kevin completed his Masters degree, they moved to Edmonton. Teaching jobs were scarce and in the end, Dulce could only get work in a Montessori daycare. But this was Dulce's first job and she loved it, and she also loved to be with Alicia all day long.
In 1986 Dulce became a Canadian citizen. She was very proud of her adopted country and wanted to fully participate in Canadian society. In 1986 Dulce also returned to Vancouver as Kevin changed companies. Teaching jobs remained scarce and Dulce decided to have another child and open a family daycare. Her son, Richard Andrew, was born on May 21st, 1987 in the new Grace Hospital in Vancouver. Richard, too, was a handful. He was always hungry and very active and grew to 30 pounds by his first birthday, always seeming older than he was. But Richard was a very happy and bright child growing up surrounded by Alicia and the rest of Dulce's daycare kids.
It was the family daycare that led Dulce to become a community activist. Through the children she began to know their parents and understand the issues in the community. She joined the Port Moody Family Daycare Association and soon became newsletter editor and then president, pushing for improved quality and availability of daycare services.
Then Alicia and others in Dulce's care started kindergarten and had to walk to and from school. Concerns about traffic and safety led Dulce to her first Eagle Ridge Residents Association meeting. She heard that Mayor Lou Sekora would be there and she wanted to ask him for a crosswalk. Dulce had Lou drive her to the spot to see the problem first hand. Soon there was a crosswalk on Lansdowne just above Steeple Drive. Needless to say, Dulce joined the Eagle Ridge Residents Association and soon became newsletter editor and then president. There was always something to be done in the neighbourhood: stairways to Eagle Ridge Elementary, extending Guildford Avenue or cleaning up the medians, the annual swap meet, new traffic lights, the Canada Day celebration, and of course, lobbying for construction of new schools.
For many years Dulce just could not say no. She canvassed for the Heart Fund, Cancer Society and Kidney Foundation. Dulce served as block parent coordinator and safety chair for Eagle Ridge Elementary. And she was appointed to serve as a Trustee on the Coquitlam Library Board. As you can see the list goes on and on.
In recent years Dulce's main focus was education. She was a founder of the lobbying group PEACE which stands for Parents Expecting Adequate Construction for Education. Dulce lobbied for several years for the construction of Scott Creek Middle School and Gleneagle Secondary School. She helped organize rallies, gathered thousands of petition signatures, was interviewed for newspapers and television, and even debated the Minister of Education on an open line radio show. Perhaps her proudest moment was being present at the opening of Gleneagle Secondary School.
This focus on education led Dulce to run for the presidency of the District Parent Advisory Council where she served for two years. Then, in 1995, Dulce and Kevin moved to Port Moody. This meant that Dulce had to resign from a number of roles tied to Coquitlam, such as the Eagle Ridge Residents Association and the Coquitlam Library Board. It was a way to lighten her load, but it also meant that Dulce could pursue other work. She was invited to join the Coquitlam Rotary Club and in 1996 decided to run for School Board. Dulce was elected as a School Trustee representing Port Moody in November 1996, winning a close race that was decided by recount. But she had hardly begun this new role when cancer struck. Nevertheless Dulce tried to make a contribution even while fighting her disease.
Despite this busy public life, Dulce found the time to be a wonderful mother. Both Alicia and Richard were cared for at home by Dulce until they reached school age, growing up in the rich daycare environments that she created. Dulce made sure that they also went to swimming lessons, gymnastics, figure skating, beavers, piano lessons and hockey. She even drove Alicia across town to French immersion every day for four years. And Dulce ensured that Christmas, Easter, birthdays and other holidays were always celebrated well.
Dulce was also a wonderful wife, supporting Kevin in every way as he grew from a junior engineer to a founder and executive of a very successful high technology company. She provided him with a home and family that made him secure and proud. It was a home filled with love.
Dulce was also a caring friend for many people and she positively influenced the lives of many children and families through her family daycare and other work. It was probably those years with the family daycare that she loved the most, caring for her children and others.
In summary, Dulce led an amazing life, albeit too short, but blessed
with great success, nonetheless. All of us that have been touched
by Dulce will forever hold her in our hearts and remember this amazing
woman.