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Willson KatherineWILLSON, Katherine McLean - Passed away on October 13, 2017 at 63 years of age at the Ian Anderson House Hospice in Oakville, Ontario.

Born in Windsor, Ontario on August 22, 1954. Wife of Robert Patrick. Grandmother to Makayla and Adam Patrick and Tristan and Tenley Worthy and stepmother to Andrew Patrick (Mandy) and Sherri Patrick-Worthy (Karen Worthy). Aunt to Jenna Millican (Ross), Maya Scherr-Willson, Ilya Golovaty, and Sarah Willson.

Survived by brothers Richard Willson (Robin Scherr) of Los Angeles, California and Ian Willson (Natasha) of Seattle, Washington and stepmother Patricia Moore of Windsor, Ontario.

Parents William and Jean McLean Willson raised Katherine in a house designed by her mother. She visited Japan and England as a child, and enjoyed horseback riding, the music of the 1960’s, and writing poetry. Katherine generously supported her younger brothers as they grew up.

Katherine attended Riverside High School. She graduated with Honours in 1976 from Victoria College of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and received a Master’s in Urban Geography from the Graduate School of the same university. Katherine lived in Toronto and Oakville most of her life.

Katherine married Robert Patrick on March 14, 1998 in the Oakville Municipal Greenhouse. They were soulmates and had many wonderful adventures touring Ontario, Michigan and Wisconsin in their beloved Subaru(s).

Katherine’s skill in quantitative analysis and computers led her to support early initiatives in bringing those techniques to geographical research. In her early career, she worked on housing policy for the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Later, she had a 10-year career at the Archives of Ontario. She retired in June 2015.

In her personal life, Katherine took a strong interest in family history and extended her archiving skills to scan and organize family pictures.

Katherine advocated for the preservation of natural lands and promoted education about the cultures of local people. She loved nature, which led her to nature photography and the purchase of a historic farmhouse in the ghost hamlet of Hopeness on the Bruce Peninsula. The farmhouse restoration is a legacy to her interest in history, places, nature, and good design. She also loved cats, and had a deep understanding of them.

Katherine accepted her diagnosis with grace and dignity, in a way that is an inspiration to us all.

Donations can be made to one of Katherine’s favourite charities: The Nature Conservancy of Canada http://www.natureconservancy.ca, Ontario Nature Sources of Knowledge Forum https://www.ontarionature.org/ or the Ian Anderson House Foundation http://www.ianandersonhouse.com/.

Arrangements entrusted with Kopriva Taylor funeral home, Oakville.

HaltonObituaries.com

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