RORKE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2008-02-15 published
RORKE,
Gwendolyn (née
WANNAMAKER)
Gwendolyn RORKE
Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, breast
cancer survivor. Born October 12, 1908, near Ameliasburg, Ontario
Died November 17, 2007, in Souris, Prince Edward Island, of old
age, aged 99.
By Derek NEWTON,
Page
L10
Gwendolyn WANNAMAKER began her life on a small farm, the only
surviving child of Zella
TRUMPOUR and Walter
WANNAMAKER.
An intelligent and determined woman, Gwen believed in the importance
of education, deportment and etiquette. She was one of few women
in Canada to earn a university degree in mathematics during the
1930s.
Gwen was an enthusiastic alumna of Queen's University in Kingston.
She returned many times, most recently to celebrate her reunion
70 years after graduating. True to her guidance, all of Gwen's
three children and eight grandchildren completed postsecondary
education. Much to her delight, some of them went to Queen's.
Gwen married Colin
RORKE, a fellow Queen's alumnus and mechanical
engineer, and they eventually settled in Toronto with their children.
In the 1950s, the
RORKEs purchased a property in the Kawarthas,
northeast of Toronto, beginning the labour of love of building
a cottage. Always resourceful, Gwen fashioned curtains out of
old soap bags from Lever Brothers Ltd., where Colin worked.
One of Gwen's proudest accomplishments was her term as president
of the Canadian Home and School Federation in the 1960s.
A true lady, Gwen was always dignified, her outfits adorned with
an elegant brooch or scarf. Kind actions were always promptly
acknowledged with a thank you note, and there would be no stacking
of dirty plates or resting of elbows at her table. But she wasn't
one to take herself too seriously.
Gwen played a significant role in her grandchildren's lives and
education, providing tireless homework assistance and even tutorials
in cribbage and bridge. She braved numerous recitals, performances
and commencement ceremonies.
Generous in spirit, Gwen knitted hundreds of teddy bears for
a local women's shelter. Well into her 80s, she maintained her
sharp mind, organizing indoor lawn bowling tournaments and playing
bridge twice a week. She battled breast cancer and came through
it with her spirit intact. Sadly, by her mid-90s, her intellect
was lost to Alzheimer's disease. She outlived two of her three
children, Harvey and Beverley, and spent her last few years in
her daughter Sally's care in Prince Edward Island.
Gwen always enjoyed giving guided tours of Ontario's Prince Edward
County to any willing grandchild. On the drive back from one
such trip, we pulled off the road to admire the sunset at the
end of a day of memories, history and a lesson on our family's
roots. It is this picture of Gwen, strong and proud, that I will
fondly remember.
Derek NEWTON is Gwendolyn's grand_son.
R... Names RO... Names ROR... Names Welcome Home
RORKE - All Categories in OGSPI