Parcourez la nécrologie de Mary Ellen Rusty Torobin Greer Saturday April 6th 2024 résidant dans la province Ontario pour le détail des funérailles
Mary Ellen “Rusty” Torobin July 28, 1941 – April 6, 2024 Mary Ellen “Rusty” Torobin (nee Greer) passed away peacefully in the early morning of April 6 after a long struggle with congestive heart failure and related conditions. Alifelong Ottawan who grew up in the Glebe and raised a family in Blackburn Hamlet, Mary Ellen and her red hair, infectious laugh, sharp intellect and devil-may-care personality had a knack for attracting attention. In her younger years, she played guitar and piano and sang and wrote music, earning 15 minutes of fame with an ode to Ookpik the owl that some of a certain generation may recall. She also spent some great years in Toronto, first as a student and fixture in the ‘60s Yorkville scene, rubbing shoulders with Robbie Robertson and Ronnie Hawkins, and, much later, commuting each week to a job in David Peterson’s provincial government at a time when working moms were still a bit rare. She spent most of her career as a social worker, public servant and political appointee, working tirelessly on affordable housing, aging and other timeless issues, while finding time to volunteer for minor hockey in Blackburn. A late-career stint with an internationally focused Member of Parliament in the mid-2000s capped a decades-long love affair with the Liberal Party and brought her to fragile democracies in Europe and the Middle East to observe elections. In the early ‘70s she met Allan Torobin, who had moved to Ottawa for a government job from his native Montreal. They were married for more than five decades, sometimes quite happily, and had two children, Tamara and Jeremy (Christine). Late in life, granddaughter Hannah came along, providing immense pride, joy and comic relief in a challenging time. Predeceased by her parents Reg and Marjorie Greer (nee Devine) and sister Maureen Hinds (Robert), she is survived by beloved sister Susan Richardson (Richard), a niece and several nephews both on her side of the family and Allan’s. She was never religious but, having converted to Judaism to marry Allan, she adored Jewish culture and always felt at home among the Torobins and extended family. Mary Ellen was a woman of refined, eclectic tastes. She loved opera, jazz, Edith Piaf, Freddie Mercury, theatre, modern art, American politics, global affairs, baseball and hockey—all in equal measure. She worried about climate change and animal welfare in her later years, so, in lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the World Wildlife Fund. Family and friends are invited to drop by an informal gathering at Hulse, Playfair & McGarry’s Central Chapel, 315 McLeod St., Saturday April 20 from 1 to 3:30 PM.
Saturday April 6th 2024
Décès pour la Ville:Ottawa, Province: Ontario
avis deces Mary Ellen Rusty Torobin Greer Saturday April 6th 2024
nécrologie Mary Ellen Rusty Torobin Greer Saturday April 6th 2024
Nous offrons nos plus sincères condoléances à la famille et aux amis de Mary Ellen Rusty Torobin Greer Saturday April 6th 2024 et espérons que leur mémoire pourra être une source de réconfort pendant cette période difficile. Vos pensées et vos mots aimables sont grandement appréciés.