ROBINSON, Nora Kathleen (Henderson) - B.A., O.D.T., - Suddenly, but not unexpectedly, Nora, a gentle lady, whose life was lived with integrity, honesty, laughter and love, died April 22, 2020 in Toronto.
Born in Lethbridge Alberta on July 13, 1919, she was the only child of William Thoms Robertson Henderson of Monikie, Scotland, and Edra Kathleen Smith of Fort Qu’Appelle, North West Territories.
Finishing high school at Bishop Strahan School in 1937, she attended University of Toronto in the Occupational Therapy program, graduating in 1939. During the war she worked primarily at the Shriners’ Children’s Hospital in Montreal.
Nora married Frederick C. Robinson on February 20, 1943 and they had 33 wonderful loving years together. In late 1945, after service in the R.C.A.F., Fred joined the Bank of Montreal and they lived in Toronto, Preston, London, Elora, Toronto, Windsor and finally Toronto again until Fred’s sudden death on June 13, 1976. During that time Nora worked as an O.T., ending her career as Charge Therapist of the Red Cross Children’s Centre in Windsor.
Following Fred’s death, Nora remained in Toronto as a staunch member of St. Leonard’s Anglican Church, where she was their first female warden, one of her many firsts. She was awarded the Order of the Diocese of Toronto on January 1, 2019 for her many services to the Anglican Church.
She was an avid and accomplished downhill skier till she was 80. She was an accomplished bridge player, at Kate Buckman’s and The Monday Club. She was a club director from the early 1980s at The Skating and Cricket Club and The Ladies Golf Club for over a decade as well as in Muskoka and Parry Sound.
Summers were spent at her beloved cottage, Rakres.
In the latter years, she had two goals: to reach the Ruby Life Master level in bridge and see her daughter graduate with her doctorate. She achieved both in 2019.
We are grateful to the magnificent staffs of West Parry Sound Hospital, Humber River Hospital, Weston Terrace and Guardian Home Care, all of whom made her final nine months easier. They are too numerous to name individually.
She is survived by her daughter, Billie Anne, and her cousins, the extended Donald Rankin family of Peterborough and many friends world wide.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory to any of the following groups would be greatly appreciated. Bishop Strachan School, Toronto; Haven of the Heart, R.R. #1 Palgrave L0N 1P0; or the Trinity College Faculty of Divinity.
Interment took place April 25, 2020 at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. A memorial service will be arranged after the pandemic has receded.
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