Katherine Jane Canning

KATHERINE JANE CANNING Died on January 8, 2007 at the age of 64 after a long battle with cancer. Shortly before her passing she was able to enjoy one last snowfall…that was long awaited. On October 25th, 1942 a special and unique person came into the world in Collingwood, Ontario. Kathy grew up to be a vivacious, smart, classy, generous, caring, stubborn and always fashionable woman. Those who knew her will tell you she always stood out, and lit up a room no matter where she was. Kathy will be deeply missed by her loving husband, Gordon Canning, President of Blue Mountain Resorts Limited and her daughter Andrea, a Correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America, based in New York. Both were by her side until the end.Kathy is survived by her brother George Weider, sister Helen McGillivray and twin sister Anna Marik. Kathy is also survived by her 100 year old mother, Helen Weider. Kathy's father, Jozo Weider, who passed away in 1971, moved from Czechoslovakia along with his wife Helen in 1939 and together they founded Blue Mountain Resorts Limited. A whiz at math and sharp as a tack, Kathy achieved a BSc in mathematics at McGill University in Montreal. She went on to work as a computer programmer at the Toronto Telegram. It was in Toronto she met her husband Gord, also a computer programmer at Imperial Oil. Kathy returned to her roots and moved back to Blue Mountain in 1971. As a young girl she worked for her dad, Jozo at the Blue Mountain Pottery and waited tables. As a grown woman she managed Blue Mountain's retail, sold condominiums and always made the resort look beautiful and elegant with her interior design skills. Kathy was also a very talented downhill skier who raced for the Canadian National B Ski Team and won such honors as the Ladies Quebec Senior Alpine Championship in 1964. Kathy went on to race for the University of Grenoble in France in 1965. She could be seen almost daily on the slopes of Blue Mountain until her illness took over. Perhaps Kathy's greatest loves were fashion and Paris. She reveled in designer clothes and that "great buy" but also sewed many of her own clothes, spending hours in her sewing room. Kathy also devoted a great deal of time to the Blue Mountain Special Olympics program acting as the team manager. Our greatest thanks to the Weiders and Cannings and their friends who offered so much support and care until the end. The many visits, calls and deliveries of food and flowers are very much appreciated. The constant ringing phone and the many knocks at the door were proof of how many people deeply cared for Kathy. Special thanks to Kathy's sister-in-law Beverly McMaster founder of We Care Home Health, her partner Gary Moore and mother-in-law Sylvia Canning who were her angels here on earth and couldn't have taken better care of her. They were always there for her. What everyone should know is that Kathy fought until the end and never once complained about the hand she was dealt. She was a strong person who should serve as an inspiration. Kathy left this world the way she lived with class, beauty and dignity. Kathy's memorial service will be held on Saturday Jan, 13 at 1:00pm at The Weider Room in the Blue Mountain Inn Conference Centre at Blue Mountain. In lieu of flowers, the family have requested donations be made to "Titz'N Glitz" care of Front Line Collingwood Foundation (www.frontlinecollingwood.ca/titznglitz.htm) in Kathy's memory. Friends may leave comments for the family by visiting www.fawcettfuneralhomes.com