Known to all as “Gwenn," she was born in Bengough, Sask., on Feb 22, 1939. When she was two, her mother, Evelyn Franks, moved Gwenn and her sister Audrey to southern Ontario, where she grew up in Stoney Creek and attended Saltfleet High School. Gwenn then studied botany at the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph, where she made many lifelong friends and graduated in 1961. At Guelph she met her husband, Keith French, from Mount Hope, Ontario.
She then taught science in the Hamilton public school until her and Keith seeking adventure went to Africa to spend three years teaching in Tanzania, where her first son, Timothy, was born. When she returned to Hamilton she had two more sons, Nevin and Liam, and focused on working on the family farm, driving tractors and raising goats and chickens. When she returned to teaching, she then spent the rest of her career as a learning resource teacher. She was particularly devoted to ensuring that Tim, who has special needs, had a great quality of life.
She loved travelling and learning about the natural world, often stopping during hikes and runs to examine rocks and leaves. She competed in running, skiing and orienteering, and tackled long hikes and kayak trips. She also played on the first U of Guelph varsity women’s hockey team. In her later years she became very active in the National Farmers Union, serving as the local chapter president. She is predeceased by her late husband, Keith French, and sorely missed by her sons Timothy, Nevin and Liam; her sister Audrey Nimmo; and her partner, Brian Griffith. The family is so grateful to Debbie Street, Cathy Bakker and Kamal Parma for their help, support and love for Gwenn while she was cared for at home during the pandemic. A celebration of Gwenn’s life will be held at the end of the summer. Her spirit was an example of how to live life well.
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