Kathleen Mildred Clarke Taylor

Mom was born here in Walkerville, on Valentine's Day, in 1926 and, in our minds, was a true sweetheart. She was the 4th of six children of Art and Mildred Clarke. There were strong ties with her parents and siblings throughout her life. They say blood is thicker than water and it was certainly true in our family - although that blood was often fermented.

One of our favourite memories are the Sunday roast beef and holiday dinners - especially Christmas, at one of the sister's houses. We were loud and silly. Mom was often in the kitchen and trying to control the noise but she also loved these times (except perhaps the infamous Christmas toast year, when there was too much rum and egg nog and then toasts to everyone - Queen and all).

We have such fond memories of my aunts, uncles and cousins during these visits and want to say how deeply saddened we are by the loss of our cousin Susan a day before mom passed. We all agreed that a big party must have been in the works and Susan was in charge of the wine selection and mom the party planning. We dearly hope that everyone up in heaven is having a terrific time together.

Mom married dad in 1952 and next week would have been their 64th anniversary. While in some ways they may have seemed an unlikely pair they were perfect for each other and provided a warm and nurturing environment for the three of us. They never raised their voices at us or each other. Cathie always felt the sweetest thing was watching the two of the them walk down the street in their 80s, still holding hands. When dad developed Diabetes, mom researched and completely changed his diet. While this was not always to dad's liking, she was doing her utmost to ensure he remained healthy.

Mom was well known for her frugal ways. Likely a result of being born in the depression era and having seen her parents lose a few homes, she could teach a lesson on how to economize. She was the original reduce, reuse, recycle before it was a fad. She and dad were able to buy their first and only house when many couldn't afford it. Mom took great pride in ensuring we had everything we needed. She made most of our clothes, sewing endlessly to ensure that we were all well dressed. Mom always looked so elegant at every function.

Mom loved "her figures" and had an amazing memory with numbers. Cathy said that mom could recount all of our licence plate numbers without even trying. In the early years of their marriage, out of necessity, mom would account for and balance every cent that they brought in. She has a cigar box where there is an envelope for every bill. She was so good with bookkeeping that the owners of the Freeds clothing store had her looking after their daily business financial transactions. Her self-trained business practices eventually landed her a job at Sears in the cash office, where she stayed for 25 years. John said she understood payment plans and the benefit of never paying interest better than anyone he had ever known.

Mom and dad loved to travel. They have been to more places than we can imagine - Hawaii, England, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Prague as well as Bora Bora. While many of these trips were quiet times with just the two of them, several were with Aunt Rosemary, Uncle Ken, Aunt Ede, Aunt June and Uncle Syd. These always sounded like such fun times.

As we were growing up, we always went on 2 vacations a year. We would go to Aunt Dot's on the St. Lawrence and Charleston Lake in the summer and, in the spring, we would go to Florida. Mom ensured that we had great vacations. Through economizing and planning, she was able to get us to places at very little cost - it meant travelling free on the bus and eating chicken that she has previously fried and frozen but it allowed us to see the United States. In fact, we went to California by bus - stopping on the way to swim in the great salt lake, see the Grand Canyon and the giant red woods.

It is probably no surprise that mom's best vacation was going every year to her grandchild Kelly and husband Paul's cottage in the Muskokas. Mom loved family. From her three children, she has 7 grand children and 9 great grand children, who refer to her as big grandma. Nothing gave her a bigger thrill than hearing that one of the great grand children wanted to know where she was - that they missed her. She loved the fact that Reese, one of her great grand children, wanted her to sleep in her bed when she visited.

I asked her 7 grand children what they would most miss about mom. Most stated they would miss having her at every family gathering as well as tea/coffee time. Jen loved the endearing expressions that Grandma had for each of them; she would often greet Jen with "Hi Doll". Beth will remember the puzzles mom loved to do with the family. Kelly said it was wonderful the way that mom went out of her way to make sure everything was perfect. Meg remembers Grandma's stories that taught you something and made you think. Dom said that she had a quick wit and made you laugh. Alie loved that she always took an interest in what you were doing and was very supportive. Ryan will dearly miss his Grandma's snuggles. Troubles would just seem to melt away when she put her arms around you.

Mom also loved to read and garden. Every room in the house had a few books lying around and she was known to go through a couple while she was visiting you for a week. We had a big back yard and one of the nicest English gardens in the city. We just know that you have a garden and new seeds to work with in heaven, mom!

Mom was also a very moral person. A regular church goer, she was also a member of St Mary's afternoon women's group and for years organized and ran the bake table at the annual Christmas bazaar. Mom was always there to help a neighbour or to help us. When we were young, despite having to get to work, she would pile the neighbourhood kids in the car and drive us all to school on rainy days. She also always tried to be fair - spending the same amount on each present, dividing up vacation time equally between her children and even splitting the dessert fairly - one cut and the other picked!

Mom was a intelligent, classy, elegant, strong, dignified lady. Her work ethic, financial acumen, organizational skills were exceptional. In her life, she was extremely happy and a blessing to dad and the three of us. She taught us to be independent and to care about our fellow human beings. We will miss her dearly and hope she knows the lasting impact she has had on us and her family and friends.

God Bless you Mom

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90 years. Passed away peacefully on August 24, 2016 surrounded by family. Beloved wife of the late Leonard Taylor for over 60 years. Cherished mother of Catherine (Paul) Tompkins, John Taylor, Pat (Tom) Wudwud. Dear sister of Lt. Col (Ret) Kenneth (Rosemary) Clarke, the only surviving sibling of 6 children. Adored Grandma of Kelly (Paul), Beth (Ronnie), Ryan (Angela), Meg, Alie, Jen, and Domenic. Big Grandma to Sarah, Gavin, Brenden, Nathen, Reese, Brycen, Jaxsen, Tyler and Lilly. She will also be missed by many friends and family. She was a long time member of St. Mary’s Anglican Church and the ladies afternoon group. She retired from Sears after 25 years. Visiting to take place Sunday, August 28th , 2016 from 2-4 & 7-9 p.m. at Walter D Kelly Life Celebration Centre (1969) Wyandotte Street East). Prayer Service Sunday at 8:30 p.m. Cremation to follow. A memorial service will be held at St. Mary’s Anglican Church at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday , August 30th, 2016. Donations in memory of Kay may be made to St. Mary’s Anglican Church HVAC fund.