Valerie Hill
WR Record
Kitchener, ON, Canada
Contact Valerie
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Past articles by Valerie:
Lifetimes: Dynamo raised hundreds of thousands for local charities
Lillian Weiss was a red-haired firecracker famous for refusing to take “no” for an answer when it came to fundraising. If you did have the chutzpah to resist, she’d press harder until surrender was the only option. Thanks to her efforts, more than half a million dollars was raised for cancer research at the annual Daffodil Tea and Fashion Extravaganza. And any remaining bruised feelings, well… → Read More
Lifetimes: Susan Gerth was a natural healer
Doug Gerth said his wife Susan had an innate ability to soothe others, sometimes with a mere touch. “She was very compassionate,” he said. “She seemed to have healing hands. I could feel it when she just touched me. It felt good.” Susan used these gifts to help others, through the fitness programs she taught throughout Kitchener and with therapeutic massage and reiki, an alternative therapy that… → Read More
Lifetimes: Cabinetmaker had lifelong love of music, made his own violin
John Bailey’s early life was interrupted by war but he found solace working with his hands, and playing his violin. John was born March 26, 1937, in London, England, one of Melville and Heather Bailey’s four kids. His father was a municipal worker, his mom a nurse and secretary. The family struggled during the Second World War. The children were often evacuated to the countryside and billeted… → Read More
Lifetimes: Accountant, sailor, foster parent: Moe Webster believed in giving back
Moe Webster had kindly invited the nursing students to sit at his table at the Concordia Club, which would have been fine except it was their table. They always sat there. Perhaps he knew and his invitation was simply a ploy to get the nurses, particularly Anne Marie Benninger, who he had met a few weeks earlier, to join him without being too obvious. “We danced all night together,” said Anne… → Read More
Lifetimes: Gerry Lindo was a fan of cricket, politics and helping others
By the 1960s violence in Jamaica following its independence from Britain had led to political instability, and any promise of a bright future for young men like Gerry Lindo seemed uncertain. “People were leaving. It was starting to feel unsafe,” said Gerry’s daughter, Laura Mae Lindo. “There was no opportunity to grow.” Gerry’s longtime friend, former Liberal MPP Alvin Curling, was also born in… → Read More
Lifetimes: Frank Voisin’s love of work led to successful development company
If Frank Voisin had a single catchphrase that summed up his life, it was “work is fun.” Work. Hard work. Work that started when he was a little boy growing up on a Crosshill farm and continued into his 20s when he was building houses with his wife Glady Voll. That hard work led Frank to start a development company, one that over the years erected hundreds of houses plus retail developments. Then… → Read More
Lifetimes: Natural teacher was fundamentally kind, generous
Don Kraft’s decision to become a teacher was a good one — he was a kind man, and he became an educator who possessed a keen understanding of how children think and learn. “When I had problems with things in school, he’d find new ways of learning,” said son John Kraft. Don was born Oct. 29, 1928, in Bridgeport, then a farming community. He was one of two sons of Sanford and Leona Kraft. Sanford… → Read More
Lifetimes: Writer had lifelong love for the history of the automobile
Billy was only four when his single mother Teeny Robson dropped him off at a neighbour’s house. Listening to her retreating footsteps, the child somehow knew she wasn’t coming back. Teeny had been struggling to care for herself and her son, taking cleaning jobs where he had to tag along. It was the end of the Great Depression but the economy was still battered and single women had few options.… → Read More
Pastry chef, dad, ski coach of future Olympian
The boy who grew up ski racing, hunting and climbing in the Swiss Alps could not have imagined how his life would influence an Ontario community years later. Peter Bassin was born one of three kids on Aug. 21, 1935, in Madulain, Switzerland, to Martin and Erica Bassin. The couple worked in a family winery but when they received a tempting offer, it was time to move. The family relocated to La… → Read More
Lifetimes: Marion McQuabbie had an independent spirit and a determination to maintain Ojibway traditions
She kept her only child far from the clutches of authorities who demanded all Indigenous children attend residential school → Read More
Lifetimes: Songs and laughter were part of daily life with Frank Parks
Watching Frank Parks on stage in Drayton Productions’ “Sorry ... I’m Canadian” was seeing the transformational magic of live theatre. For 13 years, the actor played the role of Clifford — Cliffy for short — the goofy nephew to Neil Aitchison’s RCMP Const. Archibald F. Inkster. In real life, Frank bore little resemblance to his alter ego. “Frank was the complete opposite of his character,” said… → Read More
Lifetimes: Family, music, the outdoors enriched a long medical career
Philip Leahy was one of nine boys born to Agnes and Frank Leahy, an Irish Catholic farming couple in Lakefield, Ont. There were so many males in her sphere that Agnes had the schoolteacher board with them, “just so she would have another woman in the house,” said Philip’s daughter, Paula Leahy. It was a lively household, filled with traditional Celtic fiddle music, as all nine boys learned to… → Read More
Lifetimes: Jack Wall defied poor health to found charity in Haiti
Bargaining with God while life fades from your body is the stuff of movies. In Jack Wall’s case, his pledge as he lay in bed with pneumonia as a young man would be the beginning of a lifetime caring for the poor and the forgotten. Jack’s vision, supported by his wife Anne Wall, would take several years to realize but the results had impact. Jack founded of a Canadian charity, the Foundation for… → Read More
Lifetimes: Mary Harrison was as open-minded as she was open-hearted
At the age of eight, Mary Harrison was in charge of cooking, cleaning and caring for her siblings. As the eldest in a Mennonite family, she had serious responsibilities, particularly as more and more children were born and her mother was needed to help in the fields on the family’s Wellesley-area farm. The result of this labour was never bitterness or self-pity. Instead, young Mary developed a… → Read More
Lifetimes: Rudy Dorner was a fierce advocate for his clients
When lawyer George Crossman met Rudy Dorner, he knew the business broker was unique. He was smart, capable but had a determination that later in their business relationship sometimes ended with slammed phones. Rudy could be infuriating, admitted George, a mergers-and-acquisitions lawyer who worked with Rudy on at least 50 deals where Rudy would represent clients wanting to sell their business.… → Read More
Lifetimes: Shadows of the past never left decorated war veteran Ed Strauss
Ed Strauss was the epitome of resilience, suffering through years of deprivation yet never letting it affect his determination to thrive. Ed was born on a farm on Nov. 4, 1923, in Powassan, Ont., south of North Bay. The land was poor, certainly not enough to sustain the Strauss family’s 12 children. A government agency swooped in and put the girls up for adoption while the boys, including Ed,… → Read More
Lifetimes: Stephen Todd was ‘surrounded by music’
Musician, teacher, motocross racer and mad scientist, the labels speak of a man with multiple talents and a robust sense of humour. Stephen Todd was born June 25, 1952, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, a country that would have a profound impact throughout his life, particularly in music. Founding member of Celtic groups Failte and Thorne ’n’ the Sides, Stephen was well known in the region’s Celtic… → Read More
Caring Eastwood guidance counsellor ‘had a calling’
Following in the footsteps of an admired parent is easier when you have a natural gift. That was the case for Steve Hooper, head of the guidance department at Eastwood Collegiate since 2013. His mother had been a teacher, and his father, the head of guidance in their hometown of Windsor. “Guidance was always where he was headed,” said his wife, Kelly Hooper. “He had a calling.” Steve’s special… → Read More
Bob and Donna Wall known for tireless advocacy
It was not surprising that Bob and Donna Wall, a couple with a strong, loving bond, died within three days of each other. The thought of living without the other must have been unthinkable. The couple were known for their tireless advocacy as co-founders of the Vasculitis Foundation Canada (VFC) which evolved out of their desire to start an Ontario Wegener’s Support Group. Vasculitis is an… → Read More
Mary Ann Wasilka stood up against injustices
Mary Ann Wasilka understood the language of municipal protocols. She knew how to research, formulate and express her ideas in a way elected officials understood this was not an average citizen. She was informed and wasn’t about to be fluffed off as someone with just an opinion opposing theirs. Mary Ann wouldn’t be surprised that the very issue she fought so hard to change, that of a living wage… → Read More