Smith, Eleanor Marion; On Sunday February 16th, at Guelph General Hospital, peacefully after a brief illness and with her family at her side, Eleanor Marion Smith (née Cook) aged 84, wife of the late William Alexander (Jock) Smith. Long-time resident of Fergus, Ontario. Predeceased by parents Stanley and Dorothy Cook and sister Barbara Cook Endres of Winnipeg. Loving partner of Donald Fraser. Cherished mother of Tony (Alison), Andrea (Simon) and Laura. Beloved Nana to Jordan and Francesca Smith and Madeleine Derungs. Our mum was born in Toronto on October 28th,1929, and moved with her family to Winnipeg at age 16. Mum got a first degree in interior design at University of Manitoba. She went on to design many beautiful homes while at Eaton’s in Winnipeg. She married our father Jock in 1954, and as a family we moved to Rome, Italy, in 1961, where he became Head of Financial Operations for the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, and where our sister Laura was born in 1970. We lived a charmed life in Rome, alternating summers at our family cottage on Lake of the Woods. Upon our dad’s death in 1979, we returned to Toronto. Whilst living there, our mum acquired a second degree in Anthropology at the University of Toronto. Amongst other pursuits, she volunteered for UNICEF and also for the Royal Ontario Museum where she was able to apply her extensive knowledge of Egyptology. In 1988 she moved to Fergus, Ontario, to her beautiful stone house on St. David Street, which so perfectly reflects her eclectic character. She valued her strong family ties to the Fergus/Elora area, especially with her late sister-in-law Shirley MacRae and Shirley’s sons Ian and Hugh MacRae and families, and enjoyed many life-long friendships there. Just a few years later she met her partner Donald Fraser, and they both became actively involved in the local architectural conservancy community, playing a role in establishing the very first guidelines for conserving many of the beautiful buildings in the surrounding area. An avid world traveller, our mother was always ‘interesting and interested’ – she had many talents and pursuits, as an artist, humanitarian, dog-lover, archaeologist, and lover of opera, language and culture. Her curiosity never wavered, she loved to keep up with world events and she could talk to anyone about anything. She was always keen to know what her grandchildren were studying and their plans for university. “She was such a life force; a timeless beauty, with elegance and grace. Full of culture and appreciation of the finer things. Such a gentle soul.” These words of condolence received from a dear family friend describe our mother perfectly. She was loved by all who knew her, and although we are left shattered by her loss, we are comforted that we had her in our lives for as long as we did. She will live on in all our hearts forever. Her wish is for some of her ashes to be buried in the Elora Cemetery, and the rest scattered in the quiet bay at the cottage on Thompson Island that she loved so much. We would like to thank the staff at Groves Memorial Hospital in Fergus, and Dr Bishop and his staff at Guelph General Hospital, as well as our family and friends for sustaining us through our sad loss. The funeral will be held at 1pm on Saturday February 22nd at St. John’s Anglican Church, Elora. If so desired, donations may be made to the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario or the Humane Society of Canada. Condolences and memories may be forwarded through www.grahamgiddyfh.com (519) 846-5352
