HON. HILARY MARY WESTON

O.C., C.V.O., O. Ont., 26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Hilary died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on Saturday, August 2, 2025. Beloved wife of 55 years to the late W. Galen Weston; dearest mother to Galen G. (Alexandra) and Alannah (Alexander Cochrane); devoted grandmother to Maia, Lola, Graydon, and Griffin. Predeceased by her parents, Michael and Noel Frayne; and her brother, John. Survived by her siblings, Deirdre, Josephine, and Robert; and several generations of the extended Weston family. She will be deeply missed by her many close friends and colleagues in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Ireland. Born in Dublin, Ireland, on January 12, 1942, Hilary worked as a fashion model at an early age to help support her widowed mother and four younger siblings. She met Galen in 1963 while he was working in Ireland, and they married three years later. In 1972, they moved to Toronto, where Galen became chairman of Loblaw. With her unfailing support, he turned around the business. Hilary served as deputy chair of Holt Renfrew, a director of Brown Thomas & Co. in Ireland, and a director of Selfridges Group based in the U.K. She tirelessly promoted Canadian designers and worked to bring international designers to Canada and to Ireland for the first time. She worked closely with her husband and daughter, Alannah, to transform Selfridges, which was named Best Department Store in the World four times. With a passion for gardens, design, and architecture, Hilary, together with Galen, developed Windsor, an acclaimed residential community and sporting club in Vero Beach, Florida. In 1997, Hilary was invited by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to become the second female Lieutenant Governor in Ontario's history. In this role, she championed the achievements of volunteers, women, and young people across the province, especially those working with the homeless, in hospices, and as mentors to at-risk youth. She established the Lieutenant Governor's Community Volunteer Award to recognize exceptional volunteers, expanded the Community Volunteer Award program to honour the voluntary work of students graduating from Ontario's secondary schools, and founded the Hilary M. Weston Foundation for Youth. In recent years, her passion for philanthropy and community service led her to found The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation. The foundation has committed close to $150 million since 2021, supporting organizations innovating in healthcare and research, social services, refugee settlement, arts and culture, education, and the environment. Hers was a life of service and volunteerism: as a director of the Weston Family Foundation, and a volunteer across a wide range of not-for-profit organizations, Hilary exemplified an unwavering commitment to community and country. She supported research into AIDS, neurodegenerative diseases of aging, and mature women's health. She founded The Ireland Funds Canada, a non-partisan, non-denominational organization that funded community projects in Ireland to promote peace; was founding chair of The Mabin School in Toronto; was a founding director on the board of the Aga Khan Museum; became a Trustee Emeritus of the Art Gallery of Ontario; and was Founding Patron and Chair Emerita of The King's Trust Canada. Hilary chaired Renaissance ROM, one of largest cultural capital campaigns in Canadian history, and in 2025, her family offered a landmark donation in her honour towards the revitalization and long-term maintenance of Queen's Park North. Proud of her Irish roots, she has funded scholarships for students of sustainability at Trinity College, Dublin, as well as at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. Herself an author of three books, she created the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction, given annually for excellence in Canadian literary nonfiction, and the Weston International Award, which honours nonfiction writing on the global stage. Hilary was the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario for her public service and philanthropy. For those fortunate enough to have known her, her high standards for herself and others were matched by a wry sense of humour, a warm and generous spirit, and a playful nature that always captivated friends, new and old. The great love of her life was her husband and partner, Galen. Together, they exemplified grace and commitment and the importance of family. They were also the life of every party. Hilary will be remembered as both a woman of great distinction and a person deeply committed to the happiness and well-being of others. She represented the best of her generation of remarkable Canadians and will be deeply missed. The family would like to extend their thanks to her wonderful team in Toronto, the U.K., and Florida. In keeping with her position as a former Lieutenant Governor, a state funeral will be held in Toronto later in the year, followed by a memorial in the U.K. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Weston and O'Born Centre for Mature Women's Health at Mount Sinai Hospital, Writers' Trust of Canada, 30 Birds Foundation, or a Charity of Your Choice.