Class of 1970
This year’s Class News is dedicated to our classmate, Linda Beamish Arthur, who sadly died on August 19, 2024, at the West Parry Sound Health Centre, from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy with family by her side. Averill Ambrose takes great pleasure painting 4 times a week, playing pickleball twice a week, singing with the Sweet Adelines, and working on genealogy projects when not reading or gardening.
Jill Bennett celebrated daughter Juli’s wedding on Sept. 8, 2024, in Banff at the Tunnel Mtn field on a gorgeous “summer” day. Outdoor projects on the environmental house have included a greenhouse, fencing and an outdoor shower privacy screen. Sadly, Sally Flatt Brown lost her last sibling this year which left a deep void in her life. She voiced that “life goes on” and decided to finally get a puppy. Otis is a Bernedoodle livening up the family dynamics. Yes, Averill has painted him already.
Monica Heron took a trip to Oxford to reunite with former boarding school roommates from Westonbirt school, followed by 3 weeks in Malaga, Spain enjoying Churros, Malaga style before visiting a hotel she loves in Lisbon called “Wine & Books.” Treats all rounds! Beth Hillary McEwen is back from a month in Brooklyn, where daughter Annie had her second son. Here she is waiting for the ferry to Manhattan with 22 mos.-old Linden and 6-day old Robin.
Leslie Jennings The big news – son Billy got married, no fuss, at Ottawa City Hall. Bracebridge “boasted” 58 metres (19 ft.) of snow followed by “THE” ice storm of 2025. Travel took Leslie to Buenos Aires, Fairbanks, Alaska and Portugal. The photo shows friend Nancy, and Leslie overlooking the National Palace in Sintra, Portugal. Ginny Ludlow is thrilled to be expecting a granddaughter on June 3, 2025. She is currently crocheting a baby blanket and shared that Miss DeFreitas would be so pleased as Ginny was probably one of her biggest disappointments in grade 8!
Ros Morley travels 4 times a year to Halifax to teach the viola da gamba to a dozen players. Her quartet, Parthenia, played a concert of 16th century French music performing on copies of instruments made by a Venetian luthier who lived and worked there from 1540-1591. Ros noted that Venice was probably the most cosmopolitan city in Europe then, where everyone went to buy instruments. The picture shows Ros playing her historic bass viola da gamba made in Sweden circa 1725. Margie Ryrie Pacini had a first this year – a “face” plant, that resulted in a cast. Thankfully her left wrist, not her face, took the brunt of the fall. She enjoyed meeting up with Sybil and Shelagh for Havergal Prayers.
Sybil Patterson Reburn has taken up Mahjong with Shelagh Tippet Fagyas. Margie Mills and Sybil had a great visit with Gillian McCleary and her many dogs and cats in Ennismore. Carole Rubin is ensconced in her new rental ocean home. The house has an amazing yard with flowering shrubs that bloom in succession. No longer a hermit, she is getting used to seeing a street, people, and cars. Sue Rutherford is grateful to be in remission from breast cancer. She offered a bit of advice, “If you have a friend with this disease, check in with them now and again as the feeling of friends backing away is far worse than the surgery, chemo and radiation. Every bit of support helps as a positive attitude is vital!”
Philippa (Pip) Samworth’s most important life journey this year was the birth of her first grandchild “Oliver Samworth.” Travel included a trip to Berlin, hiking with family through the 5 National parks of Utah and a mother/daughter holiday with daughter Emma (HC 2011). Emma is finishing her veterinary critical care residency in Phoenix before writing her Board exams. Debbie Scott ventured forth on a 2 ½ month epic “Around-the-World” trip to Ireland, France, Japan and New Zealand with her husband Munroe – what she calls “soak and poke” travel. They stayed in rentals and lived like the locals. When home she loves her hobbies of genealogy, rug-hooking, yoga and pickleball. The photo is of Debbie hiking to Cuppabaya Tower in the wilds of Corsica.
Patti Sheppard is booked for her second knee replacement and is thrilled to be acting with a local theatre group. Shelagh Tippett Fagyas’ life has been a combo of travel to England, Portugal and Naples with downsizing to a condo, and lots of tennis and pickleball. Her granddaughter carries on the Havergal tradition this year in grade 7 and is thriving! Jane Andrews Sloggett lost her dear daughter Elizabeth unexpectedly at the age of 47. Sybil, Judy and Margie shared her loss by attending the visitation in her honour. Debbie Todd (Toddy) Merritt celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary in May 2025 – a true milestone. Last fall, Toddy had a dream come true. Workmen repurposed her unfinished basement. It has a designated area for her to sew and do projects with grandkids.
Laurel Vanderburgh celebrated her 50th Queen’s Reunion with her former roomie Philippa Samworth. They toured the Kingston Penitentiary followed by Happy Hours, dinners and a football game with classmates. A fantastic weekend. Ginnie Welsman took a long trip to Africa – from Nairobi to Joburg to South Africa, with stops at safari camps to tour wildlife – elephants, water buffalo, rhinos, lions, impalas, and giraffes. Carole Rubin moved by necessity to a small 5th wheel on the gorgeous acreage of local beekeepers and honey producers. The 5th has an open, stunning view of a small lake. Before the move Carole sold or gave away almost everything. In her words, “It feels good! Snapping turtles in the lake, or I would be IN there! lolol.”
Class of 1971
Class of 1971 Endowment total as at August, 2025 | $78,622.35
Our 500-word limit can’t possibly do justice to all the cross-country news, but here it is in a nutshell! From west to east: Anne Menzel Larson (BC) winters in Nanoose Bay and cottages at Christina Lake (Kootenays) in the summer. She and Erling went on a 25th anniversary trip to London, then cruised from Istanbul to Barcelona. Phyllis Jane White (Kaslo), now fully retired, has found her “heart and tribe” in the Kootenays. Viewing life from a spiritual lens, she trains with “Heartfulness”, facilitating group and individual meditation sessions and teaching core principles and concepts. Phyllis and her dogs delight in Kaslo’s unimaginably beautiful hiking all year round. Her son, a Red Seal Heavy Duty mechanic, lives nearby.
Pam Smith Poole (London) spent a busy winter skiing and attending hockey games and Cheers competitions with the London grandkids. No in-person visits with the Australian grandkids this year, but many Facetime calls! Lyn Howes Labenski (Oakville) is happy to have son No.1 working back in Ontario from Washington State, sons #2 and #3 are gainfully employed in personal training and tech respectively, and her daughter is a professor of English Lit in Alberta. For 35 years, Lyn and her husband have travelled to St. Augustine, Florida, originally with four kids in tow, and now their granddaughter. From Toronto, Jane Wilson reported a wild ride barrelling down a swimming pool slide in Florida last March with her great nephew, and Anne Gibson is kept busy volunteering for Sunshine Therapy Dog visits with Pierre.
Judy Betteridge Haust’s “pen pal” friendship sparked in 1965 by Grade 7 teacher, Mrs. Helen Renton, with her British niece, Elizabeth Fitzgerald Gould, is still blazing on 60 years later! Peppered with in-person visits, it has morphed from handwritten letters to typewriter, to fax, to email, to phone, and now Facetime. Kathie Pickup Hughes backpacked solo on a two-week adventure to the Cote d’Azur – an extremely positive experience blessed with glorious weather! Kathie said grandkids continue to be an absolute delight and her greatest joy. Nancy Wright Bark (Port Perry) reported that her mother would be turning 100 in May. Well done, Mrs. Wright! Nancy is also excited to be attending the small Halifax wedding of Debbie Morris’ daughter Jess to Brendan (from Zimbabwe) in August.
Patricia King-Edwards (Prescott) keeps the faith and stays positive amid several health challenges, including triple by-pass surgery. Once recovered, she and Cliff look forward to an autumn cruise to Bermuda. In July, Debbie Morris will attend her daughter’s larger Zimbabwean wedding, followed by a trip to Victoria Falls and a safari! To be closer to Jess, Deb’s returning to Halifax from Belleville, where she’ll continue her real estate career. Spending every summer in Nova Scotia with Eric, Heather Kitchen completed her eighth year of teaching in the Arts and Cultural Management MFA program at the University of Connecticut. She and Eric plan to be fully in San Francisco next winter. Their grandson Ronen completed his sophomore year at RPI in Troy, NY, and is a competitive track athlete. Judy Betteridge Haust and Elizabeth White
Class of 1972
Class of 1972 Archives Endowment total as at August, 2025 | $79,232.25
Jane Barnett Drake and Jimmy have finally retired and moved to the country near Markdale. They are enjoying the new pace of life and don’t miss Toronto traffic. In August, they are anticipating their 7th grandchild. Life is good! Di Crawford Gregg and her husband had a great year on their little farm in Burlington! Wheelbarrows full of apples, cherries, pears and plums. Freezers packed with every vegetable imaginable; yes, even okra! For the past twenty years, Di has been involved in the fight against a quarry expansion on the Niagara Escarpment. Di and Chris still own and operate a travel agency and enjoy adventure travel whenever possible. It’s a great life!
Nancy Goodwin Berry shared that her son, Scott, proposed to a lovely gal from Detroit, Michigan at the end of November before he was deployed by the Canadian military to Latvia. Their wedding is scheduled for November 29, 2025. Her daughter, Adelle, and her partner continue to thrive and now have two cats. Nancy skied a week in Whistler in January and then another week at Lake Tahoe, Colorado. They thoroughly enjoyed both vacations. In September, they visited Adelle for her birthday and then took a quick trip up Vancouver Island before returning to Nimpo Lake. This year’s Christmas celebrations were with Andre’s family at an AirBnB on Galiano Island. Unfortunately, the week was marked with an Atmospheric River and gale force winds which hampered their plans for walks, but we made up for it by playing billiards and Scrabble.
Susan Lloyd Dougall’s biggest news is that she and Alex now have 13 grandchildren – seven in Jamaica and six in Grand Cayman! Anthony and Rachel have 4 children: Emily (8), Taylor (girl/6), Aaron (3) and Leia (9 months). Jon and Jen have 3 sons: Max (14), Tristan (12) and Myles (10). Their 2 daughters and husbands live in Grand Cayman. Anna and Kraig have Mia (13), Alexander (12) and Claire (10). Julia and Alex have 3 daughters: Harper (5), Cora (4) and Juliana (2.5 months. With their sons and families in Jamaica and their daughters and families in Cayman, the short flight between the islands keeps everyone connected. Anna runs two businesses, Anna Hislop Home and Tips ’n Toes Spa, while Julia has built a successful 17-year career as a music manager, now focusing on Jamaican superstar Sean Paul.
Louise Park MacMillan wanted to share this: “The biggest news is that we are suffering whiplash at the hands of our new President. Every day he comes up with another outrageous Executive order, comment or idea which has everyone in my world spinning. So many of his outbursts are meant to distract the public from his goal – to dismantle our Constitution. We are horrified by his treatment of Canada. Everyone I know is fighting his aggression in different ways – but together we pray that we will prevail.” Márta Ecsedi continues to enjoy her retirement using her time to volunteer as the co-founder of Climate Action Richmond Hill, on various election campaigns, mentoring women engineers and spending time at the local foodbank. She enjoys time with her family: her daughter Laura (45) has two sons, Darren (16) and Ian (13) and her son Eric (31). She and John enjoyed plays at the Shaw and Stratford festivals and her local theatres.
Heather Hayes Sherk is now happily settled in Naples, Florida, after selling her Bloomfield Hills, Michigan home of 21 years last June. Life at Naples Heritage is full and active, with golf, water aerobics, fitness classes, and plenty of social activities – “we are busy seniors!” Her son, Ian, also moved nearby and works remotely for a German healthcare company, while her niece, Liz Hayes, sold him his home and has since established her own real estate business close by. Heather enjoys time with her seven grandchildren, ages 3 to 11, who keep her on her toes when they visit. She also remembers with gratitude her late brother, Alasdair, and his wife, Kate, who inspired the move south; their memory is honored each spring through the Hayes Memorial Golf Tournament before Canadian snowbird’s head home.
Class of 1973
Class of 1973 Bursary total as at August, 2025 | $16,001.02
Carroll Nicholls Baker loved seeing so many old friends at our 50th reunion. She’s still enjoying life in Niagara-on-the-Lake, with lots of time for grandchildren and golf, both there and in Sarasota, Florida, in winter. A trip to Australia and NZ is planned for next year! Betty Andrews had a traumatic year. Her daughter and son-in-law were in a tragic accident last fall, in which her son-in-law died (leaving two daughters, ages 12 and 4) and her daughter was airlifted to Sunnybrook. Thankfully, she was finally discharged in May and still has some healing ahead, but otherwise they are all just learning slowly how to live their new life. Betty visited her sister in Belize for some ‘me time’ before heading back to work in February and hopes to have better news next year.
Janet Davies reports that after 11 years as a ‘snowbird’ flying between Mérida, Mexico and Prince Edward Island, it’s time to stay put in Canada and go on smaller trips! Life in Mérida was fun, though, with lots of reading, walking, volunteer work and small side trips. Lolly Gillen, our squash Queen, was in Hong Kong last December and in April won her 30th Canadian National Doubles title to put her doubles record up to 62 titles. She’s off to Santiago, Asuncion, and Rio de Janeiro this summer, all for Pan Am Squash Federation work! Sally Southey and Ben continue to travel several times a year, adding trips to Ecuador & the Galapagos, Egypt & Jordan, and France to the list this year. They even managed to have an airport picnic with Shelagh Speers on a layover in Miami! With a second grandchild due this fall, more trips to Montreal as well as family time at Blue Sea are in the cards.
Janet Frost and Brian spent a month in Zurich visiting the grandkids. What a thrill to see a 4-year-old and a 70-year-old skiing together in the Swiss Alps! They hope to see Lorraine Baker again either in Victoria or in Ottawa, the home of their golden doodle granddog (and daughter). Liz Belshaw continues to work alongside Bill and deal with her crazy Wheaten Terrier, Georgie. Frequent, short trips now dominate life – this year they’ve been to Montreal and Mont Tremblant several times, and to Charlottetown, PEI, Bill’s hometown, and with both children and their grandchild living in Sault Ste. Marie, Liz visits regularly. Liz was so disappointed to miss our 50th anniversary dinner due to Covid – next time for sure!
Yvonne Lenz has been travelling… a lot!!! Recently she started in Antalya, Turkey and ended in Heraklion, Crete on a German ship where her partner is the lecturer. She then flew to Sylt, Germany on the North Sea to lay her last living relative to rest, then back to Greece. She plans to celebrate the summer solstice on the Acropolis of Rhodes, then fly home to Baltimore, and hopefully spend some of the summer in Canada. This year, Julie Todd McMeekin played with her grandchildren, mentored a young artist struggling with disabilities, studied French at U of T, and curated a series of art exhibitions in Toronto. She spent April in France and will return for the summer as work continues on their ancient farmhouse, with much anticipated visits from her sister Debbie Todd Merritt ’70 and daughters Anna McMeekin Morrison ’03 and Eve McMeekin Sayers ’05 with their families!
Patti Bunston Gunn loves being a grandma! She joined a singing group this winter which brought back great memories of Mrs. Muir, the Havergal choir, and the great choir trip to England! Lorraine Baker has given up her Ottawa pied á terre to enjoy life fulltime in Picton, ON, home of vineyards and sand dunes. She’s looking forward to reuniting with her golf clubs and chilling at home with her graying poodle Eddy. She visited Janet Frost, Judi Baker and Shirley Marsh in Victoria, BC, with lots of laughter and walks by the ocean, and chats regularly on WhatsApp with Anne Palmer in Panama who is flourishing with a growing group of supportive friends in her new homeland.
Patty Vyoral Tutte is enjoying retired life in Southwest France with her husband and six cats. She remains involved in fundraising for an animal charity and spends time gardening, quilting (70 to date), and relishing all the wonderful places, gastronomy, and experiences France has to offer. Sally Moffat and Dave had a good year splitting time between their homes in French River, ON, (relaxing lifestyle on the water) and Fernie, BC (snow and winter activities) with visits in between to her parents in Sarasota, Florida – both in their nineties and doing well! Sally had a hip replacement in September and recovered quickly, in time to ski! They’re expecting another grandbaby this fall.
Judy Lamb and Gordon continue to travel, with winters in Grand Cayman, (home for Christmas) and then another trip – last year Spain & Portugal, this year Morocco! Summer is divided between their two cottages, Balsam Lake and Lake Muskoka. Their kids and four grandkids keep them young at heart, Judy’s recent knee replacement notwithstanding. Brother Doug’s granddaughter, Halle Lamb, is now at Havergal, the 5th in their family! With the birth of granddaughter Lyla this year, Willmot Woods Macleod has nine grandchildren. She took her eldest grandchild Ryley, a baseball fanatic, to Arizona for his 13th birthday, and included a couple of Cactus league games in Phoenix – great fun! Willmot sold her home (very traumatic) and moved into an apartment in downtown Wilmette, but loves not doing maintenance, yard work, or property taxes!
Lynn Plummer Morse writes that their middle son is getting married to a lovely woman that he has been with for 15 years – finally! Lynn and hubby have two grandsons, ages 2 1/2 and 10 months. Life is good! Shelagh Speers enjoyed the birthday party of her life last spring, when Greg surprised her with a catered al fresco dinner at a beautiful Palmetto Bay venue! Other highlights – singing services at St.Thomas Fifth Avenue in NYC with the RSCM National Choir, a week in Paris with family for her nephew’s 40th birthday, a week with Sally Southey and family at Blue Sea, and exploring Scotland with Greg, including a Whisky Tour of Islay!
Wendy Vansteinburgh Bourgon is living in a seniors’ residence where staff do all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Heaven! Her son Malo is CEO of an AI company in California, married, no kids, and visits her at Christmas, which is such a blessing! Susan Escoffery Jones is still teaching English to newcomers in PEI part-time. Her two youngest daughters are in university, one in 4th year and one in grad school in Ontario, both in Psych. Last fall, Sue took her oldest daughter on a cruise around the UK and will travel there again with her other daughters this summer.
Class of 1975
Class of 1975 Endowment total as at August, 2025 | $39,521.44
Still in the UK, Jennifer Stutz Flexton visited her granddaughter in Toronto for her birthday. With her husband retired, they are looking forward to more travel time, along with gardening. Diane Selby moved from Toronto to Burlington to be closer to her children and granddaughter. Her new love is pottery. Travel included Panama, Mazatlán, Disneyland & Disney World. Missy Dean teaches half-time, is editing an anthology of 19th century Canadian writing for Routledge and published an article in BC Studies on early literary culture in Victoria. Her daughter works at Aon in Saskatoon, and her son is with the provincial government in Victoria.
Susan Rutherford works full time as an ophthalmologist. Her youngest daughter is getting married this October. Edwina Dick Stoate enjoys travelling, gardening and many cuppas with friends! New countries visited: Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Algeria and Tunisia. She volunteers for the Old Girls in the Catherine Steele Archives. Latest activity – indoor skydiving in preparation for the real thing….! Lani Schmidt Lorenz sold their home of 23 years and is moving to Lake Rosalind. She enjoyed trips to San Jose, CA to visit grandsons and family. Gwyn Grant enjoyed small pleasures near home with friends and family exploring summer fairs and local places of interest. No travel as they couldn’t leave their 14-year-old dog.
Sara Hindle retired seven years ago then managed her own company. She spends time at the gym, travelling and de-cluttering. She and her husband visited Turkey. Their oldest son graduated in chemistry and got engaged last March & their youngest son is a chemical engineer. Anne Livingston Murray, Pam Macdonnell Love & Wendy MacDonald Kaifosh gathered for lunch at Pam’s home in Guelph. Wendy and Anne walked the West Highland Way in Scotland staying in haunted and modern inns. Brenda Bunting worked in community mental health while raising her special needs daughter. Returning to school to become a Jungian psychoanalyst, she is a senior training analyst with the Ontario Society of Jungian Analysts and Treasurer of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts.
Judy Floras Rance enjoys retirement, visiting grandchildren and travelling. She skied Mt Tremblant and travelled to Greece and looks forward to spending time at her cottage. Clela Errington works part time for a nutritional consultant. She is promoting her new album, Walkin’ Each Other Home, release date October. Her daughter sings a duet on the track “Full Moon Dark Time”. Visit her website: clelaerrington.com. Laurie Omstead caught the “painting bug”, especially enjoying en plein air painting. Her half-time job as the Interim Director, Re-Imagining Formation, Anglican Accompaniment at Atlantic School of Theology by the Diocese of Nova Scotia and P.E.I. ended in June.
Janet Eccles Caceres maintains her private practice as a Registered Psychotherapist. She enjoys visiting her closest son and his family in Hamilton, ON. Her eldest son resides in Singapore, and youngest son in Portland, OR. The Sign of the Skier, where Anne Daniher Kirkpatrick worked for many years, closed its doors. For now, she is going to clean out closets and enjoy time with family. In 2024, her son Tyler and partner Kyla welcomed their daughter Maya.
Class of 1976
Class of 1976 “Still in our Hearts” Bursary total as of August 2025 | $62,800.36
Well, we’re not exactly sure how to describe these times that we’re in, but we love seeing how you’re each surrounding yourselves with joy to fill your worlds. Debbie Winspear Allan plays golf, competitive bridge (she recommends it as great brain workout) and gardening on Vancouver Island. The highlight of last winter was a cruise through SE Asia. Judy Mitchell Carlton is headed to Japan in May and, when back home, fills her life with grandchildren, golf and tennis.
Debra Wells Fletcher finds herself in the glorious position of now having all her kids living close by, so stays very busy with her four grandchildren, before her youngest daughter marries and moves to Norway. When not coming up with creative projects for the grands, she hikes, volunteers at school and the local foodbank in St. Mary’s, knits up a storm and has recently gotten into needle felting. Anne Maier Schattmann was on a 7-week tour of SE Asia this spring and explored many Buddhist temples- many on top of mountains that she had to climb first. She reports that her knees have recovered (well done Anne!).
Anne and Sally Hawks still do an annual road trip together and this year they headed to NY and PA, to see Frank Lloyd Wright homes (which they have a thing for). Christine Lautenschlaeger Acconcia headed to Paris and Berlin to celebrate her husband’s milestone birthday. When back home, she enjoys tennis, swimming, yoga and gardening. Lisa Kimball is finding joy with her two dogs on their 150-acre farm in NJ. She also teaches and advises seminarians and leads a team at The Department of Lifelong Learning. Leslie Omstead sailed with friends from Trinidad to Curaçao last November and then went to Egypt with her daughter’s family this spring. She’s loving retirement and grand mamahood with her two granddaughters, who visit almost daily for fun at the beach, park or dining room table.
Jeannie McLeod has a lot of family nearby so visits her father, children and grandchildren – cheering the latter on at gymnastics competitions. She still sings in ‘My Pop Choir’ when she isn’t playing bridge, golfing, hiking or gardening. With her daughter expecting her first child about to move to Guernsey (Channel Islands), she sees much travel there in her future. Mary Rusz has settled back into Toronto and is very active in The Arts & Letters Club and the Heliconian Club in Toronto, where she displays many paintings and monotypes. She headed to Italy in June to attend an International Urban Design Congress and planned day trips around Rome to gather more inspiration.
Kathy Thom is pulling up stakes and moving to Kingston. Time to get back to the country, fresh air and life on the water. The bonus is that Barb Langmuir lives just 6 doors away. With our 50th reunion (What?!!) fast approaching we’ll reach out to you a few months ahead with plans. We can’t wait to see you all there and get caught up on more of your news. Christine Lautenschlaeger Acconcia and Kathy Thom
Class of 1977
Class of 1977 Bursary total as at August, 2025 | $24,353.15
In case you missed it be sure to look at the profiles section in last year’s Chronicle 2024 featuring our own classmate Dr. Catherine Eplett, havergalchronicle.ca. The article ‘Caring for the Windows of The Soul’ is a fascinating look at the tremendous work Dr. Eplett and other Havergal Old Girls are doing in the field of Ophthalmology. Way to go Cathy! Nan Laine Dunlop and husband John is still enjoying owning and operating Vance’s Resort and Camp North in Spanish, Ontario, on the North Channel. They love entertaining and fishing. Winters are spent traveling but mostly in Costa Rica.
Class of 1978
Class of 1978 Bursary total as at August, 2025 | $72,353.93
Eden Oliver writes, “I don’t really have news, but I am a member of the Council of Trustees of Havergal, practicing business law with a leading Toronto boutique law firm, Allen McDonald Swartz LLP. I saw Brenda Morrow Barry who is doing great, playing golf, doing hiking trips and enjoying her family, including granddaughter. I also saw Jodi Niblett Wilson this past year – she is busy working and enjoying life in TO and Muskoka- their two kids are thriving.” Dorothy Warly writes, “visited Allie (Alice) Hayhurst in November of 2024 in Vancouver.”
Devon Codesmith writes, always good to hear from you. Where on earth does the time go? I hope things are well with you. I have been enjoying life since I retired from teaching 5 years ago. Though I did enjoy life when I was a teacher too! I think I wrote you in 2023 re class news and told you that my husband and I were going on a trip to Italy which would also include some cycling. Well… we went and enjoyed ourselves and then also went back again in spring 2024. I don’t think I wrote you last year re class news…apologies for that. And this spring we are off to Italy again for more cycling plus our visits have also always included catching up with my husband’s father’s relatives as his father was born in a small town in northeastern Italy. Our bike tours often include Austria and/or Slovenia. It’s amazing over there… the bikeways are fabulous. Some are near the roads but not on the roads and there are lots of bikeways through many valleys. Beautiful!” Claire Bull writes, “selling wearable art, silk scarves and Cancer beanies in my Etsy shop ‘Claire Bull Art on Etsy’, living in Orillia and happy to see fellow classmates anytime.”
Kathryn Kredl McGarvey writes, “still love living in Vancouver where I have been for more than 40 years! Jim and I last year celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary by spending 10 days in Yellowstone and surrounding areas. Fabulous part of the world. Trying to retire from work but haven’t completely managed that feat yet. My family office clients don’t want me to leave! Still golfing but not competing anymore. My new passion is photography which I have jumped into whole-heartedly. Very involved in my local photography club where I was recently the President. Still actively involved with the board, co-chair of the major fundraiser and as treasurer. Have had my photos chosen to represent Canada on seven different occasions. The biggest thrill was being chosen as part of Team Canada at the World Photographic Cup, which is like the Olympics for photographers, with over 40 countries participating. This is my Team Canada entry. Hope everyone is happy and well and please look me up if you are ever in Vancouver. There are a few of us 78s out here.”
Class of 1979
Class of 1979 Bursary total as at August, 2025 | $41,597.64
Mary Ross is semi-retired, maintaining a small private psychology practice three afternoons a week. Her focus remains on trauma and grief, but – perhaps not surprisingly – she now works more with life transitions such as divorce and menopause. She spent a few weeks volunteering at a wildlife rescue in Costa Rica, where she got up close and personal with howler monkeys and sloths. Mary is generally enjoying a slower, more relaxed lifestyle in Vancouver. Susan Willemsen shares that 2025 marks the continuation of her quest for youth. Most recently, new bionic parts were added to her spine at St. Mike’s, restoring an inch of lost height! Onwards and upwards. The Siren Group Inc. – her public relations and marketing communications agency – celebrates 24 years and is still going strong. Susan is also continuing her wine education, which includes WSET accreditation and studies through Fine Vintage Ltd. She does pro bono work with the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers, where she serves on the Board as Chair of Communications, Ontario.
Jane Wansbrough Philp is thrilled to be a Nana to two adorable grandchildren, with a third arriving in September. She continues to play a lot of tennis, participating on several summer teams. She’s also enjoyed taking a few art courses and continues to paint. Katie Aird Porter writes, “All good here. Just finished making maple syrup – many hands needed!” Jane Ross writes, “Love seeing all from our class! I recently saw Katie Aird Porter with Kim Allaby – Katie makes beautiful glass plates and delicious maple syrup! I also saw Lisa McAlpine, our cheese sommelier, and will soon see Julia Young ’80, Philippa Campsie ’75, and Eleanor Barker ’72. I’m still facilitating team-building sessions, coaching individuals through career changes, and helping people manage work-related issues. I also sing in an all-women’s choir with Dawn Creber O’Dwyer ’88.” Thank you to Sarah and Jane for keeping us connected! Big hugs to you all 🙂 xoxo
