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Elizabeth Metcalfe Obituary
Memories and Condolences
for Elizabeth Metcalfe
11 Entries
Ruth Davies
March 5, 2017
Betty became Liz to sound more professional but is remembered here in Pembrokeshire, Wales as Betty. She came here to visit after meeting two of our merchant seamen on a visit to Montreal on the St. Laurent river who then became a firm friend of John Evans and then mine when I met up with John in her home on Sherbrooke St. West when I lived in Pointe Des Cascades. What a warm hearted, kind and lively girl Betty was when we were in our early 20s and Marlene her flatmate. I spent a month then in an area with boutiques run by those who had left London when it became commercial, off St Laurent Boulevard and cycled over to Betty and Marlene on a racing bike to isit thCarnabyCarnabyisitnd went dancing with John and girlfriend Jenny to a progressive music disco open till 3a.m. I left for London, England and Betty corresponded for some time. She was already interested in bikes, worked as a waitress and then began her new career as Liz. Her laugh was noteable and her heart was very big. So sorry to read now that she died in tragic circumstance too young as I am sure this energetic kindly lady would have much to give still to all of her good friends as so supportive and warm. Xx much love. Xx Ruth Mary Davies.
Jena & Colin Bamsey
June 26, 2011
Godspeed, Liz. You were a great lady and a great friend.
Victoria Reese
June 25, 2011
You touched so many lives, in so many ways and in doing so you made this world a much better place. Thank you for all you so selflessly gave.
You were our guiding light. Godspeed
A de Aguayo
June 24, 2011
My heartfelt condolences to all of Liz's friends and family for their loss. Our Loss. I worked with Liz at Gazetel in Montreal in the late 1980s and loved her warmth, wit and story telling. Her life in Texas, her early days moving to Canada, such great stories, her fingers flying, sewing the sequins back on a burlesque dancer's costume in mid act... Will miss her a lot! A real original.
Liz Metcalfe
June 22, 2011
June 19, 2011
I remember Liz as generous and supportive.
Liz gave me my first break in editorial, back in late '89 or early '90, at the legendary Gazetel / Bell Alex project she headed up under the management of the wonderful Mr. Clair Balfour.
How lucky I was to land a spot working alongside Liz and her well-chosen, slightly eccentric and well-nurtured (thanks to Liz) editorial team.
Liz had extremely high standards for the work we performed -- i.e., basically shrinking long-form news-wire copy down to minuscule bulletins (as on Twitter today, every character -- and space -- was precious, as breaking news features were condensed down to eighty words or less for readers on a Minitel-style home terminal and, later, those text-only news screens that appeared on Cable TV).
I remember it as though it were yesterday. Liz was a bit of a chain smoker in those days (and we staff were delighted to see her come to grips with that vice and conquer it). I picture her now, proof-reading some news copy: perhaps crushing a cigarette into one of those cork-sized extinguishers, pressing her owl-eyes glasses up the bridge of her nose, her hair styled in a natural Wiccan frizz, and holding a long dot-matrix-printed roll of condensed news that we editors -- including Liz herself -- had boiled down to its essence. She would scan all of our work for glaring errors, then pore over it closely and closer -- sometimes even reading the copy backwards, word by word, her felt-tipped pen darting back and forth to vanquish mistakes and variations from the law as laid down by Joe "Gazette Style Guide" Gelmon and other bibles of orthodox English.
That's just a vignette; it doesn't tell half of the story. In meetings with supremos, Liz would always single out members of the team for justified recognition. She gave everyone their moment in the sun. We even received invitations to dinner at her home, on Decarie St., south of Sherbrooke St.
Her involvement in the evolution of the new-media project knew no limit or bounds, and her commitment to it was inspiring. That's dedication.
As speculative, red-ink ventures so often did in the early new-media days, Gazetel eventually parted ways with its original backers and became Southam New Media. Liz, along with a number of willing editors, moved off to Edmonton to see the project through to its final days -- that was in about 1995.
With the lessons I had learned working with Liz, I went on to edit a weekly newspaper (on real paper!) and eventually switch to freelance writing -- something Liz also did, with great skill and passion. I don't think I would have made such a go at it, if it weren't for Liz.
I will always retain the highest regard for Liz, for her talents and abilities, and also for her inspiring belief in others. She was a great character and lots of fun for all that, and will be profoundly missed.
J.D. Gravenor
Calgary
June 18, 2011
Liz was always our "Betty Lou" . . . one of our Texan cousins. I'll always hold dear her laughter and how I respected her for her independence. Memories will keep her alive in our hearts . . .
Kathy
Vicky
June 18, 2011
I was very sad to hear of her tragic accident! I am an old friend of a friend of Liz's who is also an avid 'biker'. Thinking of her loved ones!
Mark Stachiew
June 16, 2011
I am shocked and saddened by the news of Liz's passing.
I remember her from our times in school and in those early online days of Gazetel back in the late 80s and early 90s. She was always a consumate pro in her work life and a genuinely nice person.
I am glad that I got to see her again at the World Science Fiction convention when it was in Montreal a few years ago.
She will be sorely missed. I would like to offer my sympathies to her family and friends.
Glen Farrelly
June 16, 2011
I wrote this post to highlight the important role Liz had in my life and in shaping the Internet for Canadians:
http://glenfarrelly.blogspot.com/2011/06/in-memorium-liz-metcalfe-digital.html
Deanna Dunn
June 16, 2011
Liz, you were one of a kind. Your last action on earth was a good deed for other people. Our sincere sympathy to your family -- you will be deeply missed.
We will meet again, my friend.
Deanna Dunn (former co-worker at Rogers) and Philip Murton
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Memorial Events
for Elizabeth Metcalfe
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Benjamin's Park Memorial Chapel2401 Steeles Avenue West, Toronto, ON M3J 2P1