Alice Thompson

It was with great sadness that the family of Alice Thompson received word of her peaceful passing on the evening of June 16, 2025, at Valleyview Long Term Care Home in North York, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s. She was a resident of Valleyview for almost four years, and the Thompson family is grateful for the excellent care she received there.

She is survived by her husband Rodger, daughter Catherine (Jon), and sons Robert (Chris), Richard (Gillian), and Michael (Tina), along with eight grandchildren (Cameron, Evelyn, Graham, Ian, Andrew, David, Erin, and Suhana), and two great-grandchildren (Josephine and Calvin).

Alice Elizabeth Lowry was born in Almonte, Ontario, and raised in nearby Cedar Hill, the daughter of Howard and Lucy Lowry. She is survived by her sisters Dorothy Duncan and Joan Armstrong.

Alice attended Almonte High School where she excelled in academics and various clubs, and went on to receive her nursing degree from the Ottawa Civic Hospital in 1957. On October 11, 1958, Alice married Rodger Thompson, and they lived briefly in Ottawa before moving to Willowdale in Toronto. There, Alice raised four children and was an incredibly active member of the community and her church, Newtonbrook United, where she became the first female chairperson of the church’s council.

Although she was always a Cedar Hill girl at heart, she quickly adapted to city life, and was able to continue pursuing her career in health care. She kept up her certification as a Public Health Nurse for the North York Public Health Department, and also worked at the Queen Street Mental Health Clinic and the Toronto YWCA, where she conducted programs for seniors and young mothers. For many years, Alice also ran a Mothers and Babies program out of Newtonbrook church and her own home, helping support young mothers and building strong community ties among strangers, many of them recent immigrants.

Throughout her life, she maintained a great curiosity about the world, and very much enjoyed her extensive travels with Rodger, venturing to Malaysia with four young children in 1970 for almost two years during Rodger’s posting there with an agricultural development project, with various stops in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Other adventures included later trips to Germany, Ireland, Peru, and the Philippines.

One of her greatest achievements was the publication in 2008 of a detailed history of her Lowry family roots, dating from her Irish ancestors who immigrated to Canada in the 19th century, to the many generations of the family now spread across North America.

Alice was a true pillar of her community—an industrious organizer, a fundraiser extraordinaire, a devoted hockey mom, and a tireless volunteer at her church’s Out of the Cold program for the homeless. She remained a supportive, loyal, and caring friend to many over the years.

Cremation will have taken place prior to a celebration of life service, being held on Tuesday June 24th, 2025.

The family welcomes any donations to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada.

A visitation for Alice will be held Tuesday, June 24, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Kane-Jerrett Funeral Homes, 6191 Yonge Street, Toronto. A funeral service will occur Tuesday, June 24, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 6191 Yonge Street, Toronto. A reception will occur Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at 3:00 PM, 6191 Yonge Street, Toronto.