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Obituary of Helen Anne Down
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On July 9, 1941, Helen Anne entered the world in her grandmother’s kitchen in Brougham, Ontario, the first child for John and Jean Knox. Helen became: the oldest sibling to Pat, Brian, Ken and Nancy; mother to Heather, Steven, Allison and Michelle, and grandmother to Natalie, Lindsey and Liam; Eric and Allan.
The family settled in Solina, where she and her siblings all grew up together creating an inseparable lifelong bond that kept them rooted to their family farm. It is on this same farm that we will gather to celebrate Helen’s life on Arbor Day, where we will plant a tree in the old pasture, as a reminder that the tree of life grows through the generations.
Helen was a gardener from early on, first learning to pick watercress in the creek on the farm, and her love of having her fingers in the dirt lasted a lifetime. She gardened for the delight of fresh lettuce, carrots, potatoes and beans, as well as the beauty of her flower beds. She loved bulbs and perennials as long as they didn’t have to be dug up in the fall! She always watched for the first signs of life to push through the ground in the spring, and the last thing that she did on the day she died, was to go to see the snowdrops in her own garden.
Helen’s early years included involvement in 4-H, Junior Farmers, her tight-knit group of neighbours and community. Eldad United Church was a focal point and shaped her into a woman of deep faith. This continued throughout her life as the church remained a guiding presence. She was also an active member in St. Andrew’s United Church Sunderland, Sorrento United Church, B.C., and Moscow United Church, and served the church community in many ways throughout her life.
Helen and Grant got married on the farm in 1962, and had 4 great kids. Helen could always be found supporting her kids at the arena for figure skating competition or hockey games; at Uxpool for swimming lessons; at the school for basketball or volleyball games; at the town hall for the music festival; at the fall fair for the calf show or the vegetable exhibits; at the CNE with a Dairy Princess; or in the ER waiting room after one of her kids had broken an arm falling out of the cherry tree, or a leg figure skating!
During these busy years, Helen went back to school and completed her nursing program at Durham College and graduated in May of 1980. In her national nursing exams, she achieved the 4th highest grade in Canada. Helen nursed at Uxbridge Cottage Hospital in Ontario and was the Executive Director of Hospice in Salmon Arm, British Columbia. She was also a healer through therapeutic touch and even travelled to India to both learn from and share with the people of small communities there.
Helen was a lifelong learner. She deeply valued knowledge and education, right from her start at Bradley’s School and encouraged all her kids to pursue education, celebrating when they graduated with their chosen degrees.
She also loved travel, and when each of her kids graduated from university, and went on a trip to see a new part of the world, she would either travel with them, or go to visit where they were. Helen also traveled with her own mom, and her two sisters. From bus trips to garden shops and quilt shows, to far away exotic lands, she was always ready to learn about a new culture in a new land.
While she did enjoy traveling, and has explored many corners of the world, she was also most content in the peace of her home and her gardens. Many hours were spent in the sewing room making clothes and quilts, and many hours in the kitchen canning fruits and making pickles, and chili sauce … but Helen was best known to have an open book in her hand. She was a welcome and familiar face at any local library! And as she got older and the books got heavier, she discovered audio books. You might think that she couldn’t hear you when you were talking to her, but no, she was listening to an audio book through her hearing aids and was lost in the story!
Right behind books were movies. Helen’s favorite thing to do was to go to the Screening Room, a small independent movie house in Kingston, and enjoy a movie and a bag of popcorn. She loved movies with real depth and story lines, and great actors. She had many favorites over many genres. The last movie that she saw was Conclave, and in true fashion, she saw it three times! She has been known over the years to get a carload together from Moscow to go to town to see a movie, or to go and see a concert of her favorite musician Andre Rieu on the big screen.
If you asked Helen her favorite things she would easily list off: The Sound of Music, fresh bread, the first rhubarb and asparagus, Christmas Eve service, and picnics at the lake, but it wouldn’t take her long to get to Pat, Ken, Brian, Nancy, Heather, Steven, Allison, Michelle and all the grandchildren, nieces and nephews, friends and neighbours that have filled her life. Helen had a deep love and appreciation for her Scottish roots and ancestors. She often spoke of the strong and independent family that came before her and she was fiercely determined to carry on the legacy of strong family character, loyal commitment to agriculture and creation, and a deep and abiding faith.
Helen remained stoic throughout her health challenges with kidney disease, and chose April 14, 2025 as her final day, closing the chapter on a life she considered well lived, full of quilt patches, book marks, memories, adventures, friends and family.
If you have known our sister, our mom, our grandma, our aunt, our mother-in-law, then we trust that you have been blessed as we have been. Please join us to celebrate her life and wisdom on Thursday, May 1st, 2025 on the farm where she was raised at 6325 Enfield Road, Hampton at 1:00 in the afternoon. Dress is casual and warm as the Service is outside in the barn. The funeral service will be followed by a light reception.
In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Helen’s honour to Edith Rankin Memorial United Church in Kingston, Ontario or the Moscow Friendship Hall in Moscow, Ontario.
1941 2025
Death notice for the town of: Odessa, Province: Ontario
death notice Helen
Anne
Down 1941 2025
obituaries notice Helen
Anne
Down 1941 2025
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Helen
Anne
Down 1941 2025 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
