Monica Melanie Storrs (February 12, 1888 – December 14, 1967) was a British-born Canadian pioneer and Anglican

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

. She was born at St Peter's Vicarage,

Grosvenor Gardens Grosvenor Gardens is the name given to two triangular parks in Belgravia, London, faced on their western and eastern sides by streets of the same name. Both roads run roughly north to south from Hobart Place and Grosvenor Place to Buckingham P ...

, in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...

, London to John Storrs and Lucy Cust. Her elder brother was

Ronald Storrs Sir Ronald Henry Amherst Storrs (19 November 1881 – 1 November 1955) was an official in the British Foreign and Colonial Office. He served as Oriental Secretary in Cairo, Military Governor of Jerusalem, Governor of Cyprus, and Governor of No ...

. Monica, at two years of age, developed a medical condition which left her unable to walk for ten years. Not physically capable of attending school during this time, her parents educated her themselves. She was later educated at

Francis Holland School Francis Holland School is the name of two separate private day schools for girls in central London, England, governed by the Francis Holland (Church of England) Schools Trust. The schools are located at Clarence Gate (near Regent's Park NW1) ...

and St Christopher's College,

Blackheath, London Blackheath is an area in Southeast London, straddling the border of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham. It is located northeast of Lewisham, south of Greenwich and southeast of Charing Cross, the traditional ce ...

. After her parents died, Storrs, although educated for upper-class English life, arrived in Fort St John,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

in October 1929 as the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

began. She was the first missionary to teach Sunday school and take regular Christian services. The group of women, the Companions of the Peace, were funded by the Fellowship of the Maple Leaf (which still promotes links between churches in Canada and the United Kingdom.) Although only intending to work for one year, she stayed as missionary for more than 21 years in

Peace River Country The Peace River Country (or Peace Country; french: Région de la Rivière-de-la-paix) is an aspen parkland region centring on the Peace River in Canada. It extends from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, ...

, British Columbia. She was nicknamed 'God's Galloping Girl' for her marathon rides in all weathers and over rough terrain, to visit remote farm families and promote their welfare. "...we had another mile across stubble fields and between hundreds of ghostly stooks. Once I charged straight upon a barbed wire fence, and was nearly impaled..." Storrs and the other workers were all women, and sometimes regarded as feminist pioneers. Their pioneer chapel is preserved at Fort St John as part of the North Peace Museum, where it has been restored. She left Peace Country in 1950 to return to England, where she lived at Peacewood, Farther Common,

Liss Liss, Lyss or LISS may refer to *Liss (band), a Danish musical group *Liss (name), a given name and surname *Liss, Hampshire, a village in England **West Liss, the oldest part of Liss village **Liss Forest, a hamlet near Liss **Liss Athletic F.C. ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

. She continued her work until 1967, when she had a stroke and died.Monica Storrs. ''Companions of the Peace: Diaries and Letters of Monica Storrs, 1931 – 1939.'' (Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 1999):200-202

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Storrs, Monica 1888 births 1967 deaths Settlers of Canada Missionary educators English Anglican missionaries Anglican missionaries in Canada Female Christian missionaries People from Westminster British expatriates in Canada