KYLE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-09-04 published
Wilma Ruth
KYLE
By Patricia
HUNTER
Thursday,
September 4, 2003 - Page A28
Wife, mother, grandmother, volunteer, world traveller. Born November
12, 1915, in Toronto. Died March 28 in Niagara Falls, Ontario,
of congestive heart failure, aged 87.
Wilma sounds like such a plain name and my mother was anything
but: she was a beautiful woman who was intelligent, kind, loving,
and fun-loving. She often said that she was supposed to be a
boy and be named after her Uncle Bill, Wilfred Reese
BINCH.
However,
my dad, her family and her Friends called her "Willie."
Willie and her parents, Ernie and Ella
YOUNG, and her brother,
Jerry, lived in the west end of Toronto. Mom attended Keele Street
Public School and she made some lifelong Friends there. She and
her Friends at Humberside Collegiate started a bridge club, calling
themselves The Lucky Thirteen. They had great fun together and
one summer they rented a cottage at Grand Bend, Ontario.
One evening six medical students crashed a dance at University
College at the University of Toronto. Cam
KYLE asked Willie
YOUNG
to dance and then he asked if he could drive her home and she
said yes. When he took her home, she told him that she should
write down her phone number for him because there were a lot
of Youngs in the phone book. Cam didn't call for about two weeks
and Willie was starting to wonder if he was ever going to phone
her. When he finally did call and asked if he could come and
see her, he brought along his best friend for moral support.
This was the beginning of a four-year courtship and 62 years
of marriage.
After completing her B.A., Mom worked for six weeks at Eaton's
in the accounting department. She made $13 a week and before
she left to get married, she was offered a promotion and a raise
to $18 a week.
Dad completed his junior internship at St. Michael's Hospital
and joined the newly formed medical corps in the Royal Canadian
Air Force. This was July, 1940. Dad couldn't get leave to come
to Toronto to get married, so my parents were married in Winnipeg
on Valentine's Day, 1941.
After being raised a city girl in Toronto, Mom's life changed
dramatically, living in the wild west called Manitoba. She learned
how to cook on a wood stove and shoot prairie chickens with a
shotgun. Mom would drive the car and dad would stand on the running
board and shoot. When they reversed roles, my mother broke her
collarbone as the gun discharged.
The next several years tested my mother's inner strength. Dad
was posted overseas for three years when my brother, Bill, was
an infant. This meant that Mom was a single mother like many
women during the war. As well, her father died of heart disease
at the early age of 52. After the war, Dad completed his surgical
training and my brothers, Bob and Peter, and I arrived on the scene.
Jumping ahead to life in Niagara Falls, Mom worked hard on the
home front while dad established his medical practice. Mom enjoyed
gardening and grew beautiful flowers, especially roses and African
violets. Other activities included reading, curling, theatre,
and volunteer work. But mostly, she looked after dad and us and
this was a full-time job, especially when we were young. I didn't
realize until I was much older that everyone's mother didn't
stay up late at night sewing ballet and skating costumes after
putting in a full day.
Travel was a big part of my parents' life together. Not only
did it enrich their lives, teaching them about other cultures
around the world, but my mother often had some funny stories
to tell. She certainly was able to laugh at herself.
At her funeral, granddaughter Shannon described Willie as being
loving, adventurous, intelligent, and a bit of a worrywart. After
years of training from my mother, we all say to our own children,
"Call when you get there."
Patricia is Wilma's daughter.
K... Names KY... Names KYL... Names Welcome Home
KYLE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-11-19 published
JOHNSON, E.D. Julianna "Julie" (née
TOOLE)
(March 27, 1912 -
November 13, 2003)
Julianna (TOOLE)
JOHNSON died comfortably and peacefully at Lake
of the Woods District Hospital on November 13th, 2003, age 91½,
having lived a full and happy life.
Born
March 27, 1912 to George and Eleanor
TOOLE, she was a lifetime
citizen of Kenora except for her upper schooling years in Toronto
(Havergal College graduate with the Herbert Mason Gold Medal
for high character, 1931; University of Toronto B.A. 1934) and
Vancouver (Vancouver General Hospital, R.N. 1938). She married
Larry P. JOHNSON
(Johnson's
Pharmacy 2nd Street,) on June 28th,
1939. They produced 8 children and had a busy, happy 58 years
together.
Julianna was predeceased by her parents, her husband L.P.
JOHNSON,
brother Laurence (Donalda)
TOOLE, brother Michael
TOOLE, sons
Paul JOHNSON in 1952 and Terry
JOHNSON in 1996, great-grand_son
John WAGENAAR in 2001. She is lovingly remembered and survived
by son Larry (Lyn)
JOHNSON,
Calgary, daughter-in- law Sue
JOHNSON,
Kenora, daughter Eleanor (Bill)
KYLE,
Kenora, daughter Mary Pat
(Rob) DICKSON/DIXON,
Winnipeg, son Bill (Janet)
JOHNSON, Winnipeg,
daughter Elizabeth/Honey (Tony)
JONES,
Mississauga, son Kevin
(Deborah) JOHNSON,
Calgary; grandchildren from Australia to England
to the U.S. and all across Canada -- Peter, Tim, Paul and Stephana,
Joe and Jaye, Beth, Mark Johnson, Nancy and Kevin
WAGENAAR,
Rob
and Melissa
JOHNSON,
Larry and Susan
KYLE, Shannon and Phil
EDGELL,
Dave and Dominique, Brad
KYLE,
Chris,
Susie and Billy
DICKSON/DIXON,
Diane and Eric
JOHNSON,
Trevor and Evan
JONES, Charlie,
George,
Andy and Julie
JOHNSON; great-granddaughters Hailey
JOHNSON,
Beth WAGENAAR,
Ericka
EDGELL, Olivia
JOHNSON; brother Ned (Anne)
TOOLE,
Edmonton; sisters-in-law Evelyn
INGO and Marjorie Merceline
PIGOTT,
Vancouver; many kissing cousins, nieces, nephews and
Friends.
Julianna's main focus in life was her large family to whom she
devoted vast amounts of time and energy. She was a patient, wonderful,
caring mother and grandmother, a whiz at accomplishing many tasks
in a calm and unflappable manner, an excellent cookie and pie
maker, and a gracious hostess. Over the years her fingers were
rarely idle as she created items for the Hospital Gift Shop or
knitted goods, especially sweaters, for her own family. She was
active in the community being a lifetime member of St. Alban's
Cathedral and St. Alban's Altar Guild. Of her many volunteer
activities she really enjoyed helping children from Kin Valley
School at their swimming classes in the (now) Lakeside Inn and
delivering Meals on Wheels with daughter Eleanor. She was a member
of the Ladies Hospital Auxiliary for many years taking a turn
as President. She enjoyed Friendships with many people including
her square dancing group and her afternoon Bridge Club with whom
she played bridge until she was 89. Truly her favourite time
of year was summertime when she loved sharing the family island
on Lake of the Woods with her ever growing and changing family.
She took great pleasure her whole life long in boat rides, picnics
and sunsets on beautiful Lake of the Woods. Julianna will long
be remembered as a kind, considerate and dear person.
Immediate cremation has taken place. A memorial service and celebration
of her life will be held at St. Alban's Cathedral, 312 Main Street
South, Kenora, on Saturday, November 22nd, 2003 at 1: 30 p.m.
A reception downstairs in the church hall will follow immediately
afterwards.
As an expression of sympathy, those who wish may make a donation
in Julianna's memory to the Lake of the Woods C.T. Scanner Fund,
21 Sylvan Street West, Kenora, Ontario P9N 3W7 or to St. Alban's
Cathedral, 312 Main Street South, Kenora, Ontario P9N 1T2, or
to a charity of one's choice.
K... Names KY... Names KYL... Names Welcome Home
KYLE - All Categories in OGSPI