(née Snowdon) It is with great love and profound sadness that we announce the death of Virginia "Bonnie" Adele Graham (née Snowdon) on the 28 of November, 2025, at the age of 83. Bonnie will be lovingly remembered and deeply missed by her husband of 57 years, Barry; her daughter, Meg, and her husband, Andre; her daughter, Nicole; her grandchildren, Cate, Hunter and Lucy; her brother, Jim, and his wife, Patty; her sister-in-law, Christy; her nieces and nephews and their families; and by her friends, neighbours and colleagues, who knew her for the joy she exuded, her generosity, curiosity and fierce tenacity. Bonnie could make everything right. Born in Toronto, Bonnie was the elder child of Ted and Evelyn Snowdon, and big sister to Jim. She was a gifted student, graduating from the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Toronto as one of its first 100 graduate dental hygienists in 1963. An active advocate for the profession and its scope of practice, Bonnie was elected the fourth President of the Canadian Dental Hygienists' Association in 1966. A few years later, having met and joyfully married Barry, Bonnie paused her professional medical career to raise her girls. Ever keen to learn new things, she enrolled in college to study Library Science; with this new area of knowledge gained she ran and expanded the library at the girls' elementary school, moving it out of the hall closet to which it had been relegated into a larger, brighter and beautiful room that much better reflected its importance. When the girls were older, Bonnie returned to dental hygiene, continuing to work as a trusted and beloved hygienist until retirement. In between all that, Bonnie wore many hats (literally and figuratively!). She was a champion figure-skater as a girl, an avid reader, photographer, artist, fashion maven, seamstress, genealogist, gourmet cook, traveler, lover of Christmas and special occasions, proud Canadian and all-round beautiful and interesting person who kept on going when the rest of us slowed down or stopped. Known for her joy, kindness, integrity and the sparkle in her eye, Bonnie loved to laugh, stood by her beliefs, taught us that God was in the details, and never gave up. She was the light and the heart of our family. A visitation will take place at Turner & Porter "Yorke Chapel," 2357 Bloor Street West, Toronto, on Thursday, December 4th, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Funeral Service will take place at St. Olave's Church, 360 Windermere Avenue, Toronto, on Friday, December 5th, at 10 a.m. Interment to follow at St. James' Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Olave's Faithlift Accessibility project will be gratefully received. Please make cheques out to "St. Olave's Anglican Church" (360 Windermere Ave., TO, M6S 3L4) and write "Faithlift" on the memo line. Donations can also be made online at
stolaves.ca/giveonline or via e-transfer to
[email protected] Published by The Globe and Mail from Dec. 2 to Dec. 6, 2025.
