GAYLE NORMA ELIZABETH DUCHENE

In Loving Memory of Gayle Norma Elizabeth Duchene (1942 - 2025). With heavy hearts and deep gratitude, we announce the passing of Gayle Norma Elizabeth Duchene, aged 82, on April 8, 2025, in Toronto, surrounded by her best friends and two beloved nieces. Eldest daughter of Frances Geraldine Fitzgerald Duchene and Ralph Paul Duchene; predeceased by both her treasured brother, Ross, and sister-in-law, Peggy; beloved mother to Frances Beswick; elder sister to Bonnie Magilton; aunt to Kat and Erin Magilton; great-aunt to Fynn Morneau; and cherished by her many varied groups of friends, she lived a life marked by depth, grace, a remarkable sense of purpose, and a ceaseless joyful sense of humour. After finishing high school, she entered the Ursuline Sisters of Chatham convent, however she ultimately decided the nun life might not be for her (for which her daughter is eternally grateful), and she went out into the world to find her way, though having made lifelong friends with the women she met there. She spent some time living and working in Detroit and Windsor, met and married her first husband and started her travelling adventures, both around Europe and across Canada in a VW bus (with her in-laws). After some time, Gayle ended up working in Toronto, where she met her second husband and decided that the city was where she wanted to be. She completed an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto, got married, started working at Bell Canada, and other than a brief interruption to have a baby, she would spend the next 22 years of her career at Bell until her retirement. If anyone thought retirement would slow her down, however, they didn't know her very well at all. She began working as a consultant in telecommunications, both in Toronto as well as in London for British Telecom. and then moved over to working in senior leadership at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. She retired (again) and, inspired by a number of loved ones, found her great passion in spiritual and palliative care. She completed her Masters of Divinity at University of Toronto and threw herself into spiritual and palliative care with gusto at a number of organizations, notably Perram House, which specifically focused on low barrier palliative care for the most marginalized of individuals in downtown Toronto. After retiring (for a third time) from working in palliative care, she became a devoted volunteer, continuing to volunteer at least weekly, first at Dorothy Ley Hospice and then Kensington House until her death. She brought comfort, compassion, and unwavering presence to those at the end of their lives. It was in this final vocation that she truly shone, leaving an indelible mark on all who crossed her path. She was a voracious reader, cinephile and lifelong learner. She loved to travel, whether it was a quick trip to the west coast to visit her daughter, a transatlantic ocean liner with her friends on the QE2, or a roadtrip across New Zealand. Even years after, her face would light up when speaking about her New Zealand trip with Bob and Mark. For all her cosmopolitan ways, she was also a homebody, which is likely why she made Toronto her home. She enjoyed her own company and meeting friends for walks in her beloved High Park, tracking the seasons via nature photos she loved to share. She walked the paths of High Park almost daily, always stopping at "her" (unofficially) magnolia tree. The city also allowed her easy access to amenities like enjoying her season pass to the Canadian Opera Company or her yearly pile of tickets to TIFF. So proud of her roots and her parents, she loved telling stories of her rum runner poet father and her mother "with the heart of a writer." She often reflected on how grateful she was to have a lovely bond at this stage of life with her younger sister, Bonnie, and her brother-in-law, Jack, for whom she had deep love and respect. She was intensely proud of her daughter. She would tell you of Frances' "wonderful brain," her many career accomplishments, her kindness and creativity, her humour, her love for her partner, Jeramie, and her beloved pets, beautiful pies, and her passion for justice. She just loved to talk about her Fran. She was heard to say that Frances was her rock (and likewise she was that to Frances). She also loved to sit and chat like school chums with her great-niece, Fynn, and was so grateful for the evolution of their relationship. She was utterly spectacular - a woman of strength, intellect, warmth, and generosity. Her life was rich with experience, spirit, and love. We were all lucky to have known her, and we will carry her memory in our hearts always. A celebration of her life will be held in August 2025. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Journey Home Hospice (journeyhomehospice.ca), a hospice with a specific mandate to serve Toronto's unhoused individuals, or Kensington Hospice (kensingtonhealth.org).