Obituary Overview
In Loving Memory
Our mother, grandmother and great
grandmother passed away peacefully on Friday November 16 2018 at Scarborough
General Hospital. She was predeceased by
her husband Stanley in 2009 and her
parents Thomas Wilmot and Hanna
(Jenkins.) and her sisters Nancy Reid and Meghan Pryke. She leaves behind her children
Frederick, Mark (Heidi) and George as well
as grandchildren Christopher (Brianna) Katherine (Roy) and great-grandchildren Benjamin,
Abigail and Toby.
Rona was born in Wales and grew up in
Surrey England south of London where she met her husband Stanley during WWII
and married in April 1943. She was a war
bride who immigrated to Toronto in 1947 where she spent the remainder of her
life raising her family in East York, in the home built by Stanley in 1950. From her home she was an early and long time
member of Victoria Park United Church where she pursued her belief in God and
her lifelong love of music as a long time member of the choir. Later she joined Clairlea Park Presbyterian Church
along with her close friend and choir member Rosalind Tremble. Throughout the years church and music were
her passions along with gardening and reading.
She created a beautiful garden at our home on Tiago Avenue. Every spring the flowers, trees and bushes
would bloom and continue to do so. A love of reading and books was passed on to her three sons where reading and education were central to their lives.
When her children were old enough she returned to the workforce where she worked in retail and fashion well into her 70’s. For many years starting in the 1960’s she worked at Eaton’s in downtown Toronto, at the Queen and College Street stores. She had a great sense of style and fashion combined with an artistic and creative bent that was manifested until her very last days.
The family would like to thank her caregivers in her last years: Karen Gonzales, Remy and Nickeisha and Odessa. Rona’s mind was strong to the end, long with her wit and speech. Close friends Avril and Joyce from Clairlea Park can attest to that fact.
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Rona Gardiner 2018.
Décès pour la Ville: Toronto, Province: Ontario
