It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Elizabeth (Lisa) Marshall Harrison (nee
Ramsden). Born to Florence (nee King) and John Ramsden in South Shields, England on July 5
1934, Lisa passed away in Collingwood, January 26, 2022, with her loving partner of sixty-five
years, Michael Arthur Harrison, by her side. Lisa was a loving mother to her three children,
Scott (Sachiko), Mark (Allyson) and Nancy (Paul), and a grandmother to Laura (Karl), Sarah and
Kathleen Harrison and Jason (Ellisha), Malcolm (Paige), and Noah Buitenhuis. She had recently
become great grandmother to George Robert born in December to Laura and Karl.
Lisa was just lovely – in every sense of the word. Always full of life and joy and always up for
adventures and new learnings. A great cook and baker, she also excelled in finances and at
many sports including tennis, skiing and golf. Being born in England in the mid-1930s she never
had the chance to do many of these things before coming to Canada and she always greeted
new challenges with an adventurous attitude even when it meant standing on a ski hill cheering
for one of her kids in -30 degree weather.
In 1954, she chose to sail on the Scythia to Canada with her best friend, Marie Taylor, dancing
their way across the Atlantic to begin their new lives. That October, she met Michael and in
June 1956 they were married in Toronto. Soon after, they took the same boat back to England
for Michael to pursue an Athlone Fellowship, this time playing bridge to pass the time. In
London, they started building their lives together and traveling, often spending time camping
abroad in their Goggomobil, before eventually moving to Ottawa with their new son, Scott.
Once in Ottawa, Lisa helped design and then build their first house in Grenville Glen, where
they moved with Scott and son Mark and soon welcomed their daughter Nancy. Michael’s work
then took the family to Toronto, and later they moved into Lorne Park, Mississauga, raising
their three children and developing a great group of friends and neighbours. Lisa and Michael
ended their working careers in British Columbia.
Upon retiring, they split their time between Castle Glen, Collingwood, and Hilton Head Island,
South Carolina. Lisa spent many days on the hill at the Toronto Ski Club, time with her friends at
the Blue Mountain Golf Club and golfing and playing bridge with all her friends during the
winters on Hilton Head Island.
Lisa was fun, kind and generous; as our mom she taught us to work hard, pursue our passions,
and treat others as we wanted to be treated ourselves. She made sure that there was always
room for our friends to stay for dinner or overnight. Lisa was a faithful and supportive wife,
equally taking on many of the responsibilities for running a home, raising a family and doing the
finances. Together they discussed all aspects of their lives including Michael’s career.
The family would like to thank the many caregivers that helped during the last several years of
Lisa’s journey including Gillian Anderson, Doctor Bouchard and Doctor Sidhu, Lisa Vogel, Tracy Fryer, and
the wonderful staff at Raglan Village whose care made Lisa’s passing so peaceful.
“We all die. The goal is not to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” Lisa, our
mom, while the world is less bright without you and we miss you with all of our hearts, you
certainly created memories that will last forever.
A Celebration of Life will occur in the spring. If you wish to honour Lisa’s passing, please
consider the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (uhkf.ca/Home) and the
Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Foundation (cgmhf.com/)
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Elizabeth Lisa Marshall Harrison Ramsden 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Collingwood, Province: Ontario