Juliet Rae Spear

Juliet Rae (Bradford) Spear

November 10, 1934 – January 9, 2024

Passed away peacefully after a long battle with dementia and a short one with Covid-19.

She is survived by her children Janice, Susan (Sylvester) and Jennifer (Kai), grandson Jacob, her sister Bettie and brother Richard, and is predeceased by her son Kevin and by her husband of 67 years, Reginald just five months earlier.

Julie was born in England and the eldest of the 3 siblings. As a young girl during the war, her family moved to Northern Ireland, where she met Reg as a teenager at a dance. As a young girl Julie would go with her mother every Saturday to the library so it was no surprise when she pursued a library career.

Reg and Julie emigrated to Canada in April 1956 after they were married, spending their honeymoon on the freighter that carried them to their new country. They lived in Montreal where they had their first three children before moving to Toronto where they had their fourth and favourite child (who is obviously writing this) and where they lived until their retirement. Upon retiring Reg and Julie moved to Guelph until 2014 when they moved back to the Toronto area to live in a retirement home and be closer to their adult kids.

Julie studied Library and Information Sciences and when her fourth child started school, Julie returned to work. Julie worked at several public libraries in North York until she retired and then volunteered her time at a library in a health facility in Guelph that focused on mental health. Julie’s love of books and learning was contagious, and all of her children caught it, including belonging to book clubs and one daughter who even followed in her footsteps to have a career in libraries.

Julie’s love of learning was strong and varied. She started taking courses at Waterloo University through correspondence – well before online learning was a thing. She would diligently listen to cassette tapes of recorded lectures on history, science and psychology and view slides to study art and architecture. She started taking courses to feed her curiosity and eventually realizing she had amassed enough credits to graduate. Julie graduated the University of Waterloo with a BA the same year her youngest daughter graduated.

Julie’s other interests included acting, always performing in plays put on by her church and community; sewing, including her children’s clothing; knitting blankets for the family; and volunteering her time to community services. Creative and resourceful, Julie was always able to entertain her children without spending a dime by igniting our imaginations. Julie and Reg were always outdoors engaged in different activities such as walking, kayaking, cross-country skiing, and gardening. One of their favourite places to spend time was at their cottage on Little Pike Bay on the Bruce Peninsula. When indoors, Julie surprisingly became an avid basketball and soccer fan, following Michael Jordan and Lionel Messi and she always enjoyed watching ice skating and movies.

We recently uncovered a class project of Julie’s grandson Jacob when he was seven years old and interviewed his grandmother. Her advice for him is good advice for us all:

- Eat healthy food

- Get lots of exercise

- Read everything you can

- Don’t be afraid to try new things

The family would like to thank the staff at Atrium Kew Beach Transitional Care for taking care of Julie in her last days.

A private service will be held by the family at a later date.

In lieu of flowers you may make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Society.