Wendy Lilian Downing

Wendy Lilian Downing (nee Shilling) was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north of England, the eldest daughter of William G. Shilling, a scientist and decorated WW I hero, and Lilian Clark, a school teacher. When Wendy was still young the family moved to Hertfordshire, a then rural county on the outskirts of London. She and her beloved younger sister, Judith, loved dogs and horses. Following the war the family moved to a beautiful old farmhouse with land so that they could keep horses for the girls. Wendy was an accomplished rider, and much of her social life revolved around horses and country life. She met the love of her life, Kenneth Downing, through riding friends. Ken used to joke that although he never owned a horse it was his strict policy to only date women who did.

Wendy trained professionally as a physiotherapist at St. Mary’s hospital in London. She worked for a few years in London, and then decided that she wanted the adventure of moving to Canada for a stint. Family lore has it that she told Ken of this decision, and he said he would come along. She responded that there was no way she would move to a foreign country with someone to whom she was not married, and that finally spurred Ken into action. They were married in January 1959 and following a skiing honeymoon in Switzerland, they set sail for Canada.

Wendy and Ken established themselves in Toronto. Wendy worked at Princess Margaret hospital and Toronto Re-hab. She took a ten year hiatus from work to have three children and get them started in school. She then went to work at Willowdale Physiotherapy, where she continued until she was 68.

Ken sadly passed away in 1985, leaving Wendy with two kids in university and one still in high school. Wendy worked harder than ever and saw all three through university. Wendy was proud of her three kids and the successful careers that they built after graduation.

Wendy continued to be an animal lover, trying to introduce her children to horses, with notable success in the case of her daughter Ann. Once the children grew up and moved out Wendy got serious about dogs and owned six Springer and Cocker Spaniels over the years. She was an enthusiastic obedience trail trainer and won numerous championships with her dogs. She made many wonderful friends in the dog world. She volunteered for many years with the St. John Ambulance hospital and seniors Therapy Dog program. In 2012, she was awarded the Service Medal of the Order of St. John for her work by the Lieutenant Governor at Queens Park.

Wendy leaves her three children and their spouses Mark (Joanne), John (Alissa) and Ann (Todd), and nine grandchildren.

Memorial donations, if desired, would be welcome to the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program.

Memorial Service will be held on Saturday February 9, 2019 11:00 AM at R.S. Kane Funeral Home, 6150 Yonge Street, Toronto, to be followed by a reception.