Elizabeth CHALMERS Obituary

ELIZABETH CHALMERS Elizabeth Chalmers (born Margaret Elizabeth Russell) passed away peacefully with family at her side on Monday, December 18, 2023. Elizabeth will be greatly missed by her three children -- Joanna Winter (David), Frances Brendon (Casey) and Richard Provan (Marusia); and by her nine grandchildren -- Amie Rotherham (Brady), Mariel Rotherham (Jamie), Kyle Stuart (Anthony), William Stuart (Leah), Malcolm Bell, Jack Brendon, and Audrey, Callum and Dashiell Provan. She also had one great grandson, Bennett Stuart, and another on the way. Elizabeth will also be missed by her brothers Gavin Russell (Gwyn) in England and Peter Russell (Ann) in Australia as well as her nieces and nephews. We are all grateful that she is at peace and free of the pain that made her last years so difficult. Elizabeth was born on November 9, 1935 in London, England and spent the war years in Edinburgh, Scotland. As was typical for women of her generation, she was not able to pursue her love of literature at university, but was instead encouraged to take up a sensible line of work. She became a nurse at University College Hospital in London, where she met her husband John Provan, the father of her three children. The family immigrated to Toronto in 1969 and Elizabeth embraced life here. She was finally able to pursue her dream to attend university and graduated in 1980 at the age of 44 with a combined Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and a Bachelor of Education, and an OSSTF award for academic excellence. All of this she accomplished while raising three unruly teenagers as a single parent. Elizabeth spent the majority of her teaching career at Branksome Hall School. She was a skilled teacher who enthusiastically shared her passion for literature with many students over the years, some of whom kept in touch with her for decades after they graduated. A fiercely independent woman her whole life, Elizabeth legally changed her name to one of her own choosing shortly after she became a teacher. She kept Elizabeth, but made it clear she no longer wanted to be called 'Liz', and chose the surname Chalmers after her paternal grandmother Agnes Chalmers, whose spirit and tenacity Elizabeth greatly admired. Elizabeth shared her many interests with all of her family and friends. She was an avid birder, travelling near and far to see rare (or not so rare) birds, often with a reluctant grandchild or two. She was a lifelong patron of the arts and regularly enjoyed and supported the Canadian Opera Company, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum and Tafelmusik. She loved going to see movies and films in any language. Elizabeth's music collection spanned every genre from classical to jazz to folk to rock and roll, and she loved to blast it. Her love of travel took her on adventures across Canada and around the globe. She was always up for a lively debate, an interesting chat about things big and small, and a great laugh over a good scotch or a lovingly cooked meal. To the end, Elizabeth maintained her sense of style, a sharp tongue, a wicked sense of humour and a keen brain, reading the Globe and Mail daily, delighting in the cryptic crossword, the brain games at her retirement home, and of course, reading. If you wanted to know what book to read next, you only had to ask her and she would enthusiastically recommend her recent favourites. People naturally gravitated to Elizabeth's warmth and humour. Her many close and enduring friendships span the globe. The family greatly appreciates the love and constancy of those friends, especially over the past few years. The family would also like to thank the caring staff at The Teddington Retirement Residence who looked after Elizabeth in the last three years. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In the meantime, play some great music, read a good book, or enjoy a home cooked meal with loved ones in memory of Elizabeth. If desired, a donation in Elizabeth's name may be made to Médecins Sans Frontières or the Daily Bread Food Bank. Condolences may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.