Dorothy Adrienne Blair
December 09, 2020
Dorothy Adrienne Blair
Dorothy Adrienne Blair was much loved and had many roles in her life. She was the wife of the late John Blair, mother to Ruth and Donald (Karen), grandmother to Michael and Christine, and beloved sister to Judith, Sally and the late Jonathan. She passed away peacefully on December 9, 2020.
Adrienne’s journey began in the small village of Donnybrook in Dublin Ireland decades before. She was raised just down the road from the house her grandfather built in the early 1920s and to where they would eventually move. She was very close to her grandmother and took great pleasure brushing her hair and would run down the road to her if she got into trouble. As a child her family nickname was Flossie or Floss. Adrienne took pride in raising Bantam hens in the backyard, but one day while coming home from church they were met by the Bantam hens walking down the middle of the street this was followed by a quick round up.
Adrienne was educated at Hillcourt School in Glenageary Dublin. In 1973 this school merged with several others to become Rathdown School. While at Hillcourt she excelled at field hockey and tennis. After graduating from Hillcourt, she then attended la Colline School in Switzerland for a year. This was a co-ed school and she travelled around the area having great adventures. She had so much fun in fact that her sister was sent to a different all-girl’s school. While in Switzerland, she discovered a passion for cheese fondue, which was often made at home for a weekend meal.
After her adventures in Switzerland she went to Alexandra College in Dublin for a post-secondary certificate in Household Management. One of her exams was making liver and onions, so of course her family had the enjoyment of that meal often while she perfected it. Adrienne worked for a brief time in an office and as an au pair before her marriage.
She met John on a blind date to the Trinity College Engineer’s Ball just before he left for Canada. Their whole courtship was done by mail. The postman would say “Sorry” if there wasn’t a letter for Adrienne that day. Thankfully the mail was delivered twice a day and on Saturday at that time so there was still another opportunity. John returned to Ireland for her 21st birthday and proposed. Her father felt she had to know if she liked Canada before she married John so she went out for a brief visit in August. John returned in December and they married at Adrienne’s local church. She sewed all the bridesmaid dresses and made muffs to keep their hands warm. John and Adrienne settled in Canada and raised their family.
Adrienne was a homemaker. She was a good cook and the family raved about her Sunday roast beef dinners with turnips, sprouts, roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. This meal was so beloved it eventually became the annual Christmas dinner. Some of the other memorable meals included Toad-in-the-hole, Mexican noodle ring, chocolate meringue pie, lemon meringue pie, potato cakes with poached eggs, macaroni and cheese with a crumble top, and our favourite lunch – a fresh loaf of bread, cold cuts, cheeses, pickles – a ploughman’s lunch.
Adrienne was the original Earth Mother so it was appropriate that Earth Day was celebrated on her birthday. She sewed all the kids’ clothes, did the gardening, and had a large fruit and vegetable garden. She definitely had her father’s green thumb. She was always very organized. When her daughter entered Brownies, she herself got back into Guiding and would eventually become District Commissioner of White Oaks District in Oakville. She worked outside the home when the kids grew older and learned to drive in her 40s.
Her hands were always busy whether she was knitting, crocheting, doing needlepoint, rug hooking or sewing. The children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews had sweaters that were created by her and some are still being used by the next generation.
She loved to travel and looked forward to John’s retirement so they could see the world together. She loved Australia and New Zealand and enjoyed a return trip to Switzerland amongst her adventures. This doesn’t include the trips back to Ireland and England to visit her family.
Adrienne loved to dance. She and John were known for dancing the Gay Gordon at parties. John did have a little difficulty dancing with her at first as she learned to dance at an all-girls school and was given the male role in the couple. Adrienne had a great sense of humour and loved to laugh.
Family was important to Adrienne and she would do anything for them. She showed her love by doing acts of kindness for people in whatever form they needed. She was a friend to everyone and well known in the community.
Adrienne, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and sister, will be greatly missed. There is a large empty space left that will be filled with memories and laughter to help warm our hearts.
Please send donations to the Oakville & Milton Humane Society in lieu of flowers.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Dorothy Adrienne Blair December 09 2020..
Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home
Death notice for the town of: Oakville, Province: Ontario