Doreen Hurley

How do you leave a life well lived? Courageously, without regret, surrounded by love. Doreen Hurley did just that on Tuesday, May 26 in her 84th year after a brief illness in hospital. Her death breaks the hearts of many, but in particular her husband of 53 years Michael Hurley, her children Janet (Andrew) and John (Jennifer), her grandchildren Fiona, Julia, Devon and Daniel, and her sisters Lee (Bob) Pollock and Mary (d. Harold) Rossiter.

In her final days, she consoled us by reminding us she had lived that good life, one that began with her birth in 1931 in Parry Sound, Ont. Her beloved parents George and Katherine White raised her in a home on the shores of Ahmic Lake where their creativity, hard work, conservation, tolerance and respect shaped her into a young woman who realized these gifts of nurture would make her an excellent teacher. And so she pursued a career in the classroom: Kew Beach, Indian Road Crescent and Derrydown public schools provided the most memorable platforms for her to share her knowledge, her enthusiasm, her belief in even the most challenged of children. In a drawer full of end-of-year teacher gifts, it was always the notes of gratitude from parents and students that she most cherished.

And as much as she loved being a teacher, it was life after the dismissal bell that also brought her much joy. That time would bring her home to her husband, Michael, whom she met in 1960 at the Locarno Dance Club in Toronto, and to her two children. A tight-knit family that thrived under her strength, attention and care, it eventually expanded to include a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and her four adored grandchildren, who made the last chapter of her life so very rich.

In the intervening years, she was many things to many people: She was a baker of delicious pies; a maker of quilts; a voracious reader; an impressive walker; a fastidious ironer of socks; a tireless attendee of whatever dance recital/soccer game/play her grandkids were involved in that week; a fierce defender of both her own children and those who just needed someone to root for them; a foster mom; a gracious and frequent host; a curious traveller; a best friend.

In 84 years, she was all these things. A very good life, indeed.

There will be visitation at R.S. Kane Funeral Home, 6150 Yonge St. on Sunday May 31, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a short reflection beginning at 7:45 p.m. Church service will be Monday June 1 at 1 p.m. at Blessed Trinity RC, 3220 Bayview Ave. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Covenant House or the Daily Bread Food Bank.