Muriel Genevieve Kneebone

Muriel Genevieve Kneebone (Evans) the only child of Floyd and Edith Evans was born in 1926. She grew up in Port Dover and Chesley, Ontario. Small towns. She left home to study nursing at the Hamilton General Hospital where she graduated as a Registered Nurse in the class of 1947. While studying nursing she met Jim Kneebone on a blind date. He won her heart, they married and settled down in Hamilton. They raised four children, all sons, James, Douglas, Ronald and Gary.

Muriel was widowed in 2010 when Jim died at the age of 84. Despite losing her partner of over 60 years, Muriel carried on as she had always done; managing her own household independently until, at the age of 97, she was finally persuaded to move to a senior’s residence. Muriel passed away in her sleep on May 14, 2025 just short of her 99th birthday.

Her sons James and Gary pre-deceased her leaving an inconsolable sadness. But even with that sadness, near the end of her life she reflected: Looking back at it all, I wouldn’t change a thing. I would have married Jim again and raised a family. We had a good life together.

Her life was guided by a simple code from her small town roots and a simpler time. One did the right thing. One was kind and honest in dealing with everyone. One tried to be a good person. In all those things, Muriel succeeded.

She cherished the enduring friendship of Wendy Soyka, Fulko Hew, Barbara Martin and Kathy Lucas. Words cannot describe the gift of their companionship especially after Jim’s death. They were in her thoughts at the end.

Muriel leaves behind her surviving sons, Douglas and Ronald, her grandchildren Michael, Sarah, Elissa, Lara, Dawn, Jennifer and Jason, and her great-grandchildren Maya and Gavin.