Obituary for Dorothy Hope Kerr (nee Wigmore)
February 12 1922
December 25 2020
After a long and happy life, Dorothy passed away at the age of 98 on
Christmas Day- one of her favourite days of the year.
Dorothy was predeceased by her loving husband Charles Arthur (Art)
and her seven siblings Versey (and Margaret) Wigmore, Doug (and
Dorothy) Wigmore, Dick (and Betty) Wigmore, Ruth (and Elliot)
Hudson, Shirley (and Gord) Halladay, Bill (and Shirley) Wigmore and
Bob Wigmore. She is survived by her two children Ted (Janet Karry)
Kerr and Janet (Randy Hall) Kerr-Hall, and her three grandchildren,
Matthew (Brianna), Jonathan (Kiersten), and Megan (Michael) Hall,
along with her sister-in-laws June Wigmore, Patsy, Dot, and Mabel Kerr
and her many Wigmore and Kerr nieces and nephews.
Throughout her life, Dorothy was known by many names. She had the
nickname of Rusty for her red hair as a child, Dorrie to the Wigmore
clan, Art’s Dot to the Kerr family, and of course Dorothy. Possibly her
favourite names were sister, aunt, mom and grandma. She was a
devoted mother and grandmother, never hesitating to play “camping” in
the basement or sliding down the hill in the backyard in a cardboard
box during a snow day with the grandkids. An amazing woman, she had
a real zest for life, playing tennis at her beloved Kew Gardens Tennis
Club several times a week until she was 90, and bridge into her mid 90s.
She also spent many happy hours on the badminton court and camping
throughout Canada well into her 80’s. She used to downhill ski and was
an early adopter of x-country skiing when it first became popular in
Canada. Many pleasurable hours were spent in her garden on
Kenilworth Ave. where she spent over 60 happy years.
Dorothy grew up on Leslie Street in Toronto. Despite being brought up
in poverty during the Depression, her family was loving and resilient.
The Wigmore clan had a large garden and raised chickens to help feed
their many mouths. They helped supplement their income by having
paper routes throughout East Toronto. St. Clements Anglican Church
was the touchstone for their religious and social life. When recently
asked her secret for a long, healthy and happy life when getting tested
for Covid-19 (fortunately negative), she said, “You should be content
with what you have.”
After suffering a stroke at 90, she moved back to Leslie St. at Avondale
Retirement home where she spent the last 8 years. Although it was
difficult for her to give up her home, she was always pragmatic, saying
that there were many people who were worse off than she was. Many
thanks to the staff at Avondale Retirement Residence who provided a
bright, friendly and supportive home, to the staff at Michael Garron
Hospital for their excellent medical care and special thanks to the
Michael Garron “Zoom” team that allowed the family daily virtual visits
with Dorothy when in-person visits were not allowed.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, a celebration of life will not be held at this time. Tributes to Dorothy may be posted online at www.aftercare.org.
In lieu of flowers and donations, please take the time to connect with a
senior in your life. It can be lonely growing old at the best of times. This is especially true during this pandemic.
It is a Wigmore family tradition to play Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander’s
1848 Anglican hymn “All Things Bright and Beautiful” at the end of all
funerals and celebrations of life. Dorothy’s beautiful smile and
generous spirit will not be forgotten.
“All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
‘The Lord God made them all.”
To send flowers to the family of Dorothy Hope Kerr (nee Wigmore) please visit our Sympathy Store.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Dorothy Hope Kerr nee Wigmore December 25 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Toronto, Province: Ontario