| Notes |
- Helen's obituary in Globe and Mail, 7 Jan. 2020:
Helen Marie Crawford passed away at the Oakville Trafalgar Hospital on December 19, 2019. Sadly, it was only 5 months ago that Helen lost her husband (Donald James Crawford) of almost 70 years.
Helen was totally devotedto not only caring for her ailing husband over the years, but totally devoted to hosting and excitedly sharing in the lives of her four children (Fred, Shelley, Tom and Robert); her eight grandchildren (Amanda, Lindsay,Shannon,Emily, Mike, Sarah, Jacob and Abbey); and her four great-grandchildren (Ethan, Ava, Austin and Maisie).
Helen will be remembered as a very charming, sophisticated and friendly lady who had a wonderful sense of humour and a positive personality. She never lost her sense of humour, even in the last few days of her life.
Helen and her only sister (Marian Engel) grew up living in a variety of different towns around Ontario from Thunder Bay to Sarnia. By the time Helen had graduated from grade 13, she had attended 10 different schools. This was very hard on Helen, because she would just be starting to make friends and feeling comfortable at one school, and then her father, who was a teacher,would be transferred again to some other town. Helen never let this stop her from being able to make friends and being able to make the most of her new surroundings.
As part of her early education, Helen's parents decided to take a year off and homeschool her and her sister while travelling in a trailer around the United States. Helen often mentioned that this was one of the best and happiest times in her life. They even visited Mount Rushmore as it was being constructed.
Helen later attended McMaster University, studying English and History, and this is where she met her husband Donald, after inviting him to a Sadie Hawkins dance. They were married a few years later and she enthusiastically and unselfishly supported and followed Donald to a variety of different cities around Ontario and Quebec, as he was being promoted and transferred by Dupont. Helen continued to show her ability to make new friends, set up a new home for the family, and make the most of her new surroundings.
Helen's parents also introduced her to a love of travel which she and Don shared throughout their lfe together. Helen became a travel consultant when her youngest child Robert was in school full time. This allowed her to learn about a variety of destinations she and Donald would later visit and also allowed her to take care of her many loyal clients. Helen loved working as a travel consultant, was consistently a Top Performer each year and did so on a full time basis until she was 83 years old.
Helen also loved her church and was an active member at Lorne Park Baptist Church for many years. When she could no longer attend Sunday church services, she would go online and read the church bulletin to keep up to date on church activities and finances.
Helen will be missed and remembered with much love by all. There will be a small memorial service to be held in the spring at the Churchville Cemetery, where Helen will be buried alongside her lifetime companion Donald. If anyone is interested in learning more about this, please feel free to contact any of the family members.
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1927 - 2019 (92 years)
