Elayne Patricia (O’Neil) Webster, 91, formerly of Mallorytown, ON passed away peacefully on Friday June 7, 2019, at Canmore General Hospital in Canmore, AB.
Born Saturday, April 28, 1928 in Cornwall, ON, she was the daughter of the late William and Margaret (Snetsinger) O’Neil. She was predeceased by her husband, Thomas “Tom” Benjamin Webster, two brothers, Bill and Edwin O’Neil and two sisters, Leonora Brady and Dorothy M. «Peggy» O’Neil Slade.
Webster, Elayne
Elayne grew up in Cornwall; that is where she met Tom, and where the couple were married in September 1955. The couple moved to Donnacona, QC on the banks of the St Lawrence River near Quebec City where Tom was the Resident Chief Engineer at the Donnacona Paper Company. Elayne immersed herself in entertaining and raising a family. Tom was eventually transferred, living in Pointe Claire, QC for many years where Elayne realized a long-held dream to sing when she joined the Sweet Adelines West Island Chapter which went on in 1979 to win first place in the North Atlantic regional competition in Worchester, MA. A final job transfer brought the couple to Brampton, ON where Elayne was a volunteer literacy tutor with the Peel Literacy Guild. Despite the moves, there was one constant, as summers were spent at the Webster cottage in Butternut Bay, near Brockville, ON.
Upon retirement in 1987 Tom volunteered with the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO) on various engineering assignments overseas. The first was a posting to Alexandria, Egypt for two years where Elayne taught English at the Schutz American School. Other assignments saw the couple posted to China, Columbia, Turkey, Chile and Indonesia. During this time Tom and Elayne purchased a home on the 1000 Islands Parkway but were soon smitten by what became their retirement home on Old River Road in Mallorytown where Elayne spent some 30 years enjoying the view of Singer Castle and the St Lawrence River.
The couple were keen golfers and after Tom passed away in April of 1995 Elayne continued golfing and kept busy looking after her home, gardening and swimming countless lengths of the pool in the summer. Every morning began on a treadmill, followed by a rowing machine and exercise bike. She was an avid walker and spent many hours walking along Old River Road. Elayne also traveled extensively on her own, enjoying trips to warmer climates during the long winters.
Elayne is survived by her three children, Peter Webster of Toronto, ON, Mary Wood of Canmore, AB and John Webster of Canmore, AB; grandchildren Dr. Melissa Wood of Saskatoon, SK and Jennifer Wood of Calgary, AB, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Friends may call at the Irvine Funeral Home and Chapel, 4 James Street East, Brockville from Friday, July 5 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, July 6 at 11 o’clock at Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 66 Church Street, Brockville with Father Brian Price officiating. Interment will be in Saint Francis Xavier Cemetery, Brockville. Arrangements are being handled by Irvine Funeral Home, Brockville.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity that was dear to Elayne’s heart, Ryan’s Well Foundation (www.ryanswell.ca), a Canadian charitable organization providing sustainable solutions to the water crisis in the poorest regions of the worlds’ developing countries.
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Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Elayne Patricia Webster O’Neil Friday June 7th 2019..
Décès pour la Ville:Brockville, Province: Ontario