Obituary

Died at Fordwich Village Nursing Home on Friday, February 11, 2022, in her 96th year. We remember her life with gratitude as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, neighbour, and friend. Pauline was born November 27, 1926, on the family farm in Minto Township, the second of Austin and Ethel (Downey) Stinson’s five children. She attended Harriston High School, spending part of the school year with her Ziegler cousins, to whom she remained close all her life. In 1947 she married Lloyd George Richards and together they moved to Fordwich where they operated a barber shop and pool hall, and began the family that would eventually include Bill (Sandra Beardsall), Jim (Sue Hundertmark) and Carol (Brian Shaw). In 1953 their business was destroyed by fire, and they moved back to the farm while George trained as a conservation officer for the Ministry of Natural Resources. In 1963 George’s work took them to Fanshawe Park, London. There they planted a market garden with a delightful variety of squash and flowers. Pauline became a director of the London and Ontario Horticultural Societies and a lifetime member of the Western Fair Association, which in 2011 named her Volunteer of the Year. “Growing for Showing” was her motto and every fall she judged fairs and flower shows across Ontario. She also worked with the Ministry of Agriculture to establish a school to train judges for the province’s many fall fairs, work she continued after she and George retired to Fordwich in 1982. Pauline belonged to the Women’s Institute and was a lifelong member of the Fordwich United Church and UCW. She served as treasurer for the congregation, participated in UCW studies and devotions, provided floral displays every Sunday, and sang in the choir. She was an artist who loved painting, gardening, flower and display arranging, and quilting. For years she “marked” the quilts for her quilting group who sometimes met in the activity room of the Fordwich Village Nursing Home. In 2015 the wonderful staff there welcomed Pauline as a resident. Pauline was proud grandmother of Liam, Mark (Kiko), Graeme, Aaron (Sasha) and Brianna (Nick), and doting great-grandmother of Malcolm. Sister to William (Nancy) Stinson of Calgary, and Laverne (Gloria) Stinson of Harriston, she was predeceased by her husband George, her brother Arnold, and her sister and brother-in-law, Maxine and Ken Heise. The family will hold a Private funeral service for Pauline’s immediate family at the Hardy-Lee Funeral Home, Harriston on Saturday, February 19th, at 2:00pm with our faithful friend and Pastor Rev. Jeff Hawkins presiding. The service will be recorded and the link available on the funeral home website. Spring interment in Fordwich Cemetery. Donations in memory of Pauline are gratefully suggested to the Fordwich Village Nursing Home Residents Association, 3063 Adelaide St E, Fordwich, ON, N0G 1V0, and may be made through the Hardy-Lee Funeral Home. Online condolences at www.hardyleefuneralhome.com