Betty Tomlinson passed away at the Meaford Long Term Care Home on July 18, 2024, at the age of 92.
Betty was predeceased by her husband Ivan Tomlinson in 2011.
She is survived by her sister Kathy (late Russ) Bumstead and brother Carl (Mary) Adams, and her many nieces and nephews. Betty is also remembered by her sister-in-law Doris (late Roy) Tomlinson and family friend Norma Dunlop.
Predeceased by her siblings Marjorie (James) Nesbitt, Doris (Edwin) Hutchinson, Leslie (Betty) Adams, Melbourne (Lenore) Adams, Wilford ‘Bill’ (Mary) Adams, Jean (Bob) Henning, Eleanor (Reg) Conley, Ray (Helen) Adams, and Helen Bowins.
Betty was born into a large family on February 16, 1932. She attended Meaford Elementary and High School, and was the valedictorian in Grade 13. She went on to study a year at the University of Toronto, before then coming home to work at Bell Telephone.
Betty met Ivan at Brown’s Restaurant and they were married in May 1954. They bought their first home on Cook Street and spent many years there entertaining their many neighbours. Betty loved to knit and crochet and make smocked dresses for little girls. Social activities included bowling, playing cards, golfing, and dancing.
Betty loved family gatherings: the people, the entertainment, and the food, and she loved a good chat with her family including her nieces and nephews and their children over a piece of cake and a scoop of ice cream. Betty and Ivan travelled south for a few years, however after a serious car accident in Jamaica they stayed closer to home and enjoyed their later years at their home on Grandview Drive.
She spent over a year in St. Mike’s Hospital recovering from the accident. She received so much love and support from friends, relatives, and the medical community that she wanted to give back. She volunteered with the Meaford United Church Pastoral Care, the hospital gift shop, and the Meaford Nursing Home visits. Betty was honoured as Rotary citizen of the year in 1991, something she was surprised about but proud of: “I get more out of it than I put into it.” she said.
A funeral service will be conducted at the Meaford United Church on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at 11 o’clock, with visitation 1 hour prior to the service. As your expression of sympathy, donations to the Meaford United Church or the Meaford Hospital Foundation would be appreciated and may be made through the Ferguson Funeral Home, 48 Boucher St. E., Meaford, ON, N4L 1B9, to whom arrangements have been entrusted. www.fergusonfuneralhomes.ca
