ROSEMARY KILBOURN

(April 3 1931 – July 26 2025) Rosemary Kilbourn, RCA, died on July 26, 2025, at the age of 94. Born in Toronto in 1931 to Kenneth and Mary (Fawcett) Kilbourn, Rosemary is a notable alumna of Havergal College. She graduated with distinction from the Ontario College of Art in 1953. Art was Rosemary's passion and livelihood. She began painting as a girl and went on to master the techniques of wood engraving and stained glass. These two challenging mediums proved well-suited to her intense artistic vision, which explored the rhythms of nature and the journeys of the soul. As a wood engraver, Rosemary illustrated books by historian, William Kilbourn (her brother); novelist, Farley Mowat; and poets, Florence Wyle and Richard Outram. In 2012, The Porcupine's Quill published Out of the Wood, a collection of wood engravings from her 50-year career which features Rosemary's reflections on each work. Rosemary received commissions to create stained glass windows for several Anglican churches. Her swirling, colourful works can be seen in Toronto at St. Thomas's, St. Timothy, St. John's York Mills, St. Michael and All Angels, St. James Cathedral and Hart House Chapel. In Ottawa she has windows at Trinity Anglican and St. Bartholomew. Rosemary's work was featured in various exhibitions, including at the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Hamilton. She was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the Society of Wood Engravers in the UK. Her entire collection of print works is housed at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto. From 1957, Rosemary lived and worked alone in a remote 19th-century schoolhouse on the Niagara Escarpment in Caledon East. Affectionately known as The Dingle, Rosemary's idyllic home was enveloped in nature. There she practiced organic gardening, fed the deer on winter evenings, and went for long walks through deep wooded valleys and grassy meadows. But Rosemary was not a recluse. She received a steady stream of visits from friends, family and fellow artists. Ever compassionate and generous, she was quick to offer refuge at the Dingle to anyone in physical or emotional distress. Rosemary will be remembered for her stunningly beautiful art. But she will also forever be cherished for her gentle personality, her funny stories, her never ending hospitality, and her love of new ideas. A memorial for Rosemary will be held at Morley Bedford Funeral Home, 159 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto, on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. Visitation from 10 a.m. Service at 11 a.m., followed by a reception. Instead of flowers, friends may wish to make a donation to Ontario Nature. The Kilbourn family wishes to thank the team at Hawthorn Woods Care Community in Brampton for their assiduous care for Rosemary during her final years.