JUDITH MARY MCMANUS TAIT

(1941 - 2025) Following a brief illness, Judie passed away peacefully, with family at her side, on Wednesday, October 22nd. She was predeceased by husband Burt Tait, and parents "Mac" and Margaret (Hutcheson) McManus, of Toronto. Loved and by her side in her final days her family includes daughters Victoria Tait (partner to Melissa Wolf), Sasha Tait, sister Marion Davidson, and grandchildren Emma, Andreas and Samuel Liebich and his fiancée Kaylee Wilbur. She will be missed by joyful, loving, Hutcheson and Tait cousins, nieces, nephews and extended family. Judie was born in Toronto, and attended various schools including Rawlinson, Armour Heights, Summit Heights, Bathurst Heights and Downsview. She graduated high school at Luther College in Regina when her father's work took the McManuses west. She returned to Toronto to study English Literature at Trinity College in the Class of '62. While there she met her future husband Burt Tait of Toronto (Osgoode Hall '65). At Trinity she lived at St. Hilda's College where she made cherished friendships which lasted her lifetime. In 2014, Judie was honoured by the University of Toronto as a recipient of the Arbor Award, the highest honour granted by the university to volunteers, for her sustained contributions towards Trinity College. Upon graduation, exceeding the gender norms of her day, Judie became a copywriter at the advertising firm McCann Erickson, where she won many awards for her ad-writing skill. Her proudest accomplishment there was giving us the famous line "Mr Christie, You Make Good Cookies". She selflessly gave up her career and returned home on Oriole Gardens in Toronto to raise her two young daughters in the early '70s. Needing to stay busy and engaged, Judie soon applied her leadership talents to social and artistic causes. She was a lifelong member of the Volunteer Committee of the National Ballet of Canada, serving as its President for several years. There, she proudly took fundraising to an impressive level, creating the "Build a Ballet Fund" which, in 1977, funded its first production, La Fille Mal Gardée. The committee has since gone on to fund over 50 new productions for the NBOC, a legacy of which Judie was very proud. In the 1980s, Judie's drive led her to become President of the "Save 21 McGill Street" membership committee which rescued one of Toronto's first all-women's private clubs from being sold at auction. Judie felt strongly that, as with her male peers, the women of Toronto should have a distinguished space to call their own. Through both of these major campaigns Judie would often be described as "formidable", and is also remembered as full of smarts, laughter, and great story-telling. Many of Judie's dearest relationships were formed while working on those projects, and she cherished those connections all her life. As with her work, Judie threw herself into recreational passions. She was an accomplished and adventurous cook over many decades. Her dinner parties in the 1980s and 90s were hot tickets! Beyond all else though was Judie's desire to travel the world. With Burt, her daughters, and sister Marion, as well as many tours with friends she travelled across the UK, Europe, Scandinavia, the Arctic, the Caribbean, Asia, and on safaris in Africa. In her later years, she retreated to enjoy the comforts of home at Bay & Bloor, and at "Highland Fling" the family cottage in Haliburton Ontario. Following Burt's death in 2017, Judie moved into residence first in Port Perry Ontario to be close to her grandchildren (parents Sasha and Jonathan Liebich), and then later "came home" to Toronto living her final years at Belmont House. A funeral service will be held at Trinity College Chapel (6 Hoskin Avenue, Toronto) on Monday, November 3rd, at 1 p.m., with reception to follow on site. In lieu of flowers, in the spirit of Mum's passions, donations would be welcome to the National Ballet of Canada (https://national.ballet.ca) or a Charity of Your Choice. Condolences may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.