ENID AGNES REED

ENID AGNES REED (nee GILSON) Enid Reed will be remembered as smart, beautiful, light-hearted, a talented artist and champion of pastel painting in Canada. She died peacefully in Antigonish, Nova Scotia on January 16, 2015, in her 97th year. Enid was born February 1, 1918 in Montreal, Quebec, to Thomas Webster and Mary Alice (Sadler) Gilson. She was predeceased by her husband of 59 years Percy Arthur; her son Gordon Stanley; and two siblings in early childhood and infancy. She is survived and sadly missed by her daughters Carol Brown, Toronto, Ontario; Barbara Buirds (James), Toronto; and Alice Reed (Bob Bancroft), Pomquet, Nova Scotia; granddaughter Jennifer Johnson (Brendan), Hamilton, Ontario; grandson Christopher Brown (Dianne), Windsor, Ontario; and great- grandchildren Ava and Lily Johnson; Anna and Sam Brown. Graduating with honours from Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Montreal in 1940, Enid was first employed as a designer of printed fabrics at Canadian Textiles. Upon marriage, she moved to Toronto. There she worked as a graphic illustrator in advertising before starting a family. She pursued further studies at the Ontario College of Art and Design. Through her artwork, Enid shared her love of people and nature. Her portraits, landscapes and street scenes hang in countless private and corporate collections at home and abroad. She was a Founding Member of Pastel Artists Canada in 1989. For many years Enid taught pastels, mostly in Southern Ontario. She once reflected that teaching was the most rewarding part of her artistic career. Some of her students and fellow artists became lifelong friends, a testament to her enthusiasm and sincerity. Enid believed laughter to be one of the best medicines. She loved being a mother and said that her happiest times were spent with her family at their Lake of Bays, Ontario cottage, where swimming, sailing, paddling, boating, skiing, walks in the woods and painting the Muskoka landscape were regular pleasures. She also enjoyed travel, sketching numerous locales at home and abroad. At age 86, Enid moved to Antigonish, where she continued to paint in pastels and watercolours. Her family is most grateful to the staff of the R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home, to Dr. John Hickey and Dr. Brian Steeves, for the care they provided her. Though memory became a challenge late in life, Enid maintained her bright spirit to the end. Donations in Enid's memory could be made to Interval House, the Council of Canadians, Nature Canada, World Wildlife Fund or the International Fund for Animal Welfare. A Memorial will be held Sunday, April 26th, 1-4 p.m. at the Art Gallery of Burlington, Ontario. No flowers please. Her remains will be interred in the family plot at Highland Memory Gardens, Toronto. A special smile, a special face, In our hearts a special place. Memories are a gift to treasure; Ours of you, Mother, will last forever. Safe in God's arms.