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 who 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.Thoma ...

. 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 ...

, in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a London borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Greater London, England. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It contains a large par ...

, 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 Commonwealth Office, Foreign Office. He served as Oriental Secretary in Cairo, Military Governor of Jerusalem, Governor of Britis ...

. 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 three 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 ...

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. Historically within the county of Kent, it is located northeast of Lewisham, south of Greenwich, London, G ...

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

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

in October 1929 as the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

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; ) 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, where a certain portion of the region i ...

, 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 Farther Common or Farther Commons is a geographical region of East Hampshire in the Parish of Liss, Hampshire, England. It is characterised by greensand topography, woodland and heath, which was a common on the Money-Coutts estate centred at Stod ...

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 ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. 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