Doreen Barbara Lamont

Doreen Barbara Lamont (née Kennedy) was born on October 3, 1932, to Alexander Kennedy and Mary Elizabeth Kennedy (née Snowden) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in the Depression among a large, extended Irish family and often reminisced about how her parents, aunts, and uncles all pulled together to make the most of tough times.

She worked at the library at the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in the early 1950s, where she met her future husband, Murray. After raising her two boys, she worked in retail at Ko’s Linen and Gifts, where she shared her strong sense of style, helping customers choose the perfect colours and designs for their linens. Later, she had a long career as a Corporate Leasing Manager for Cadillac Fairview. The job drew on her professionalism, personal warmth, and attention to detail. She was well-liked and respected there, as evidenced by how hard they tried to stop her from retiring.

Everyone will remember her for her grace and elegance. She had a great fashion sense and was always well made up, with equally fine taste in home design. She was also a wonderful cook, always willing to try new dishes. Her lifelong project was to expand Murray’s palette, and she succeeded for the most part. It was no wonder she was a popular hostess, entertaining family and friends regularly. She hosted Bridge parties as well as family gatherings around the Holidays, and always made it look easier than it was.

Doreen loved to dance and would come alive when the music started. Even in her later days, she started tapping her foot when she heard Duke Ellington’s “In the Mood”. She and Murray were usually the first ones on the dance floor and the last to leave, putting younger couples to shame. They filled their days with Jazz and Swing music, including many live concerts on the Thornbury waterfront. The summer breezes, meeting neighbours, and listening to live Jazz were a powerful combination, one that led them to organise their calendar around the concerts rather than the other way around.

She also loved to travel. She and Murray visited many parts of the world, including England, Ireland, former Yugoslavia, Greece, France, Spain, Italy, Hong Kong, Hungary, Romania, and the Caribbean Islands. She brought back stories from every trip, often about a secluded restaurant they found or a chance encounter with local people.

She is survived by her sons, Steven and Peter, daughters-in-law, Julie Pak and Rosemary (née Hagan) Lamont, grandchildren, Kevin, Erin (m. Tony Liu), Daniel, Dylan, Maxine, and Alistair, and great-grandchildren Morgan and Brigid, who will all continue to cherish her memory. She loved all her grandchildren and would break into a smile every time she saw a photo of her great-grandchildren.

The family will hold a private ceremony in 2026 when we can gather the whole family. We kindly request that any donations be made in her memory to Beaver Valley Outreach, a cause close to her heart in the area she loved.

Doreen shared her gifts of sharing, joy, laughter, and elegance with all of us. She delighted in hearing her nieces and nephews refer to her as “the crazy aunt”, for her humour and playfulness. Her warm, radiant smile pulled the world in and signalled it was time to get the party started.

Please join us in celebrating the life and memory of this beautiful person. She made the world a better place for all.