RIDER, Jean Elizabeth - "Jean the Queen" to her many admirers - passed away peacefully August 15, 2021, aged 90.
We have no doubt she was greeted on the other side by a host of family and friends, many of them feathered.
Jean was a strong, smart woman with a core of kindness and a love of information and current events and, maybe most of all, animals.
She owned and loved many parrots - beating Canadian zoos to be first to breed an African Grey parrot, in her home - as well as dogs, cats and countless other beasts.
She was an excellent student at Parkdale Collegiate and the University of Toronto's Victoria College, earning academic medals while studying modern languages.
Jean married the late Don Rider in 1954. She raised four children -- Patricia (Brian Cross), Joanne (Peter Nicholson), Sheila (Chris Brown) and David (Dawna Dingwall) - and many pets while moving between Vancouver, Montreal and then home to Toronto.
Vancouver was particularly golden because neighbours included her beloved sister and brother-in-law, the late Joyce and Douglas Maddock.
Jean had boundless love and pride for her grandchildren Perrie, Adelaide, Parker, Benson and Tess. She will also be missed by her cherished brother and sister-in-law, Murray and Pat Wood.
In 1961, Jean and Don moved to Etobicoke and made lifelong friends on Jeff Drive. After their separation she worked at Etobicoke libraries, returning to U of T in her 50s to earn a masters of library science.
Jean spent her final years at Centennial Park Place retirement home surrounded, at various times, by orchids, tropical fish, a bird, a dog and bags of licorice.
A private family funeral will be held on Monday, August 23rd at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honour Jean are invited to make a donation to COPE Service Dogs: https://copedogs.org/support/donate/.
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