Leslie Joanne WHITTAKER

WHITTAKER, Leslie Joanne (nee SMITH) Beloved daughter of William and Joan Smith, passed peacefully on February 4th in her 77th year, with family by her side. Leslie is greatly missed by her children, Brad Whittaker (Nicole Scott) and Robyn Whittaker (Patrick Lau), five grandchildren, her sister (Penney Stevens) and brother (Richard Smith), as well as by many other relatives and friends, including her special friend, Robert Sheahan. For Leslie, family and friends were paramount and much of her life was devoted to nurturing others, including her pets. Her petite frame belied her incredible integrity, independence, and resilience. She found great joy in teaching and tutoring elementary children, learning about other cultures from ESL students she hosted at her home, and teaching ESL to seniors at the Almise Cooperative building during her retirement. Before rheumatoid arthritis made them impossible, she greatly enjoyed line dancing, calligraphy and riding her bike on daily jaunts up Mount Pleasant Road. A celebration of her life will be held at Mount Pleasant cemetery in the spring. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Arthritis Society, Diabetes Canada, or the Toronto Humane Society. For online condolences please visit www.etouch.ca