ROBIN LAWS FIELD

(1936 – 2025) Robin died in Kingston, ON, on October 26, exactly when and where she wanted. She died of the wear and tear of old age at a time when the governments that look after our health failed to plan for us getting older, and older, and older. She was fed up with chronic leg pain, incontinence, withering taste buds, arthritis, runny nose and tearing eyes, foot cramps, escalating back pain, hearing loss, memory loss, insomnia, and shaky fingers trying to put earring posts through ever-closing holes. She'd had enough - not of life. She had a good one. She was grateful to have been born in the best possible time, in a country that is still great, ensuring her a free and uncomplicated life. She grew up in Ottawa, went to Glebe, and then studied journalism at Carleton University. She travelled the world with like-minded friends. She worked in advertising and new product development with smart, funny, loyal colleagues, and she hoped she served as mentor to a few juniors. There are five things she was most proud of: her four children - Caroline, David (who died in 2019), Jay, and Amanda - and the Globe and Mail column she wrote about them all in the late 1970s. In case you're wondering, they all grew into fine, compassionate adults - a credit to her and Bob, a good father who died in 1985. She retired from her beloved Toronto to Kingston in 1991, took up art, and became a successful fibre artist for 20 years until arthritis stopped her threading needles. Over the last ten years, she turned to acrylics and mixed media, taking numerous online courses and joyfully creating in her condo studio. Renovation was one of her passions, and over the years she renovated and redecorated five houses and a condo. She was a skilled wallpaper hanger and furniture refinisher. She was an early recycler and wore recycled or homemade clothes her entire life - obviously, the daughter of a pair of committed recyclers. She loved ships and the sea, especially the North Atlantic - she sailed across numerous times on those old, picture-perfect ocean liners. Her first trip, a life-changing visit at age seventeen on the Ascania to meet her father's charming, loveable family. So naturally, she wants her ashes scattered in the St. Lawrence River so they can wend their way eastward to rest somewhere southeast of Newfoundland. She was proud of being Canadian and hoped the next generation will start manufacturing useful things again, instead of buying them from somewhere else. Canada is not for sale! If you'd like to send money somewhere, she hopes you'll think of your local food bank. A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, November 27, 2025, in the ground floor gallery of the Tett Centre, Kingston, from 4 to 6:30 p.m.