Elizabeth Anne CRANGLE

With sadness we announce the peaceful passing of Elizabeth Anne Crangle (nee Birkenhead) at Centennial Place Millbrook on Saturday, November 5, 2022. Lovingly remembered by Brian, her husband of 57 years. Beloved and devoted mother of Fiona (Denis Desjardins), Moya (Alan Martin), and Sara Kate (Sam Ladkin). Cherished grandmother of Maia, Quinn, Seth, Wyatt, Po, Guthrie, and Ace. Daughter of the late Joseph Birkenhead and Ruby Jackson, sister of Margaret Cooke. She joins her dear friends Pat Cameron Watts and Isla Fishwick. The family would like to express their special thanks to long-time friend Margaret Jarvest (of Bethany) and all the staff and support workers at Centennial Place for their kind care of Liz. Born in Liverpool, England, in 1939, Liz's early years on Herondale Road were defined by war-time scarcity and the working-class neighbourhood in which she grew up. Issued a Mickey Mouse gas mask, she participated in the mammoth operation that moved children to different parts of the English countryside to avoid German bombing raids. Growing up on food rations she prized the foil wrappers of the infrequent chocolate bar that came her way. A school classmate of John Lennon, Liz is said not to have been much impressed by his music, although she did embrace the glam fashion of the 1960s, and the decades that came after. She met Brian while teaching at St. Patrick's School, a Dickensian establishment near the Liverpool Docks. The first two things that caught Brian's eye were her big bouffant of red hair and her yellow Austin Healey Sprite. The couple, along with first-born Fiona, emigrated to Canada in July 1967, sailing into the Montreal port in the midst of Expo. It was a rough Atlantic crossing, although she was one of the few to not experience any sea sickness, perhaps having inherited sea legs from her mariner father. Canada offered a clean break from the dreary austerity of post-war Britain. The Liverpool Echo ran a picture of the young family leaving under the headline "Britain's Brain Drain Goes to Canada"—part of a major exodus of skilled British labour then heading to Canada. Settling first in a cottage along Lake Ontario, off Thickson's Road on the Lakeshore in what is now Whitby, the family later moved to Brooklin, then Bethany, and finally Peterborough. Moya and Sara Kate arrived during these years. Liz was a long-time educator and teacher, a talented artist, and an avid gardener. During her career she served as a librarian and drama teacher in several junior schools within the Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, most notably St. Teresa's in Peterborough where she directed several Easter Passion plays. Although not an outwardly political person, Liz believed in fairness and human rights. She was a founding member of Group 74, an organization that advanced women's equality in the wider Brooklin community. As a union member she fought for the rights of educational support workers. After retiring she served as President of the Peterborough Photographic Society. Liz was independent minded and had creative and practical traits she passed on to her three accomplished daughters. From a young age, she mentored them in her love and knowledge of painting, sewing, and knitting. She was a loving and supportive spouse, encouraging Brian in all his professional and personal pursuits, even going so far as to serve as his navigator during car rallies. The latter is a metaphor for the trust and bond the couple shared throughout their marriage. Relatives and friends are invited to a Celebration of Life Reception at the Highland Park Funeral Centre on Saturday, December 10th from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. with words of remembrance at 2:00 p.m. Liz's family welcomes you to come and share your stories and memories. In her memory, please consider donating to the Alzheimer Society Research Program (https://alzheimer.ca/en/research/alzheimer-society-research-program).

Online condolences may be expressed at www.highlandparkfuneralcentre.com