Donna Joan Dobson 1934-2025
It is with great sadness that the family announces the peaceful passing of Donna at the age of 90. Her final years of life were spent under the kind and compassionate care of the staff at The Meadows long term care in Ancaster, Ontario. Despite her long battle with dementia, it had not completely taken away her bright personality, her intellect, her warmth and her beautiful red hair. The staff told us that she was among their favorite residents. All of the staff who knew her became fond of her and they feel the sadness of her loss as much as the family and friends do. We wish to offer a heartfelt thank you to all of the personal care workers, the nurses, the Executive team and to Dr. Douglas. We will be forever grateful for the patience and the love that they showed to her.
Donna was born and raised in Dundas (Hamilton) Ontario. She was the only child of Norman Grieveson and Agnes (Connon) Grieveson. Norman was a hard-working labourer from England and although they were never wealthy Norm and Ag created a loving and supportive home for Donna on quiet Allan Ave. Donna is predeceased by her devoted husband William (Bill) Dobson. They shared a beautiful and loving marriage through 64 years at the time of his death in 2020. They adored each other and at the time of Bill’s death his only regret was that he would no longer be with her. She is survived by her only child and son Gregory, daughter-in-law Caroline, granddaughters Sarah and Olivia, nieces Carol, Ginny and Nancy and nephews Rick, Andrew, William and Fred. Her relationship with Carol (Croucher) was particularly strong and meaningful to her. She was more like the sister that she had never had. They travelled together, shared a good sense of humour and had so much fun. After the loss of her husband Bill, Ginny Dobson sent regular letters and pictures from her garden that gave Donna much comfort. The family wishes to thank all of the friends and family members who loved Donna and who have expressed their condolences or shared stories. A special thank you goes out to a family friend Suzanne Bauman. Over Donna’s time at The Meadows and until the very end she would visit every Sunday to share a Tim Hortons coffee and a donut and to have a chat. Even when Donna was not able to chat.
Donna was extremely intelligent, artistic, a gifted natural athlete and very beautiful. The story goes that when her future husband Bill spotted her in church for the first time, he told himself that she was the woman he was going to marry. She was one of the top students at Westdale Collegiate Institute and apparently, she was virtually unbeatable at the game of bridge. She was active in athletics and various sports became an important part of her future personal and family life. Bill made good on his promise to himself and after a short courtship asked for her hand in marriage. Donna and Bill were married on October 13,1956. After her successful career at Proctor and Gamble Donna then turned her energy and attention to becoming an incredibly supportive wife and mother. Their only child, a son, came along about a year after they were married. Bills career required them to move frequently all across Canada and he always said that it was his bride who showed the strength and resolve to get them through the stress. She would turn a new, cold house into a beautiful, warm, welcoming home very quickly. She had a tremendous flair for style and decorating. Donna enjoyed being social and she was the driving force behind quickly meeting new friends in an unfamiliar city. Donna touched the lives of many, and she remained in contact over the years with their friends from all across the country.
She was a devoted mother. Although she never gave herself enough credit for it. She always carried guilt that the sometimes chaotic family life of career transfer moves, new cities, new schools, the loss of friends was potentially detrimental to her son’s development and happiness and that it was somehow her fault. Nothing could be further from the truth. Her son, like many others, feels that he owes so much to her.
Donna still found the time to develop her own personal passions, and she always did everything well. They enjoyed golf as a couple, but she was the true golf talent. Bill would always just smile in admiration of her when she would typically shoot a lower score. She always became active volunteering and on committees at the various clubs they joined. She was a terrific organizer and knew how to get things done even when they were difficult. She also quietly, without fanfare, would often be in the top running for the ladies golf champion.
Donna loved gardening. The family remembers the presence of fresh cut flowers, often from her garden, in their home. Later in life she became a regular patron of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario. She took courses there and just found great peace and joy in spending time there. She was a terrific skier and despite her real fears of winter driving and icy slopes she was brave and strong and always came along on the family ski excursions.
She was an avid reader. She could always be seen with her latest book in her hand. Her granddaughters are convinced that their own love of reading has, at least in part, been passed down to them from Donna. She would always say that she did not love cooking and baking but in fact she was excellent at both. She did take great pride in serving a lovely dinner to friends and family and people always wanted her recipes. The good food and wine, the companionship and the fun that were always a great part of her dinner parties meant a lot to her and also to her pride and self-esteem as a host.
Donna had a presence in a room, and she truly enjoyed conversation, laughter and human interaction. Not in a selfish, arrogant manner but in her quiet, genuine way framed with humility. She lived a full, vibrant and meaningful life. We will miss her terribly.
Cremation has taken place. The family will announce the date and location of a celebration of life that will take place in the future. In lieu of flowers or gifts please direct any donations in her memory to the Royal Botanical Gardens. 905-527-1158 https://secure.rbg.ca/donate/q/18
Should anyone wish to share a personal story, or a memory feel free to send them along to gdobson@dal.ca.