Obituary of Dawn Roberts

DAWN ROBERTS (nee ARBLASTER) October 9, 1926 - July 19, 2014 It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our darling mother, grandmother, mother-in-law and friend, at the age of 87. She will be sorely missed by her children, Michael, Mark (Katie) and Margot (David); her grandchildren Andrew, Natalie, Caitlin, Lauren (Roberts), Jack and Scott (Williamson); and her former daughters-in-law who became her virtual daughters, Krystyna and Marina (Roberts). Dawn was born in Sydney, Australia, and although she travelled far and wide and lived in many different countries during her life, she never stopped being a proud Aussie. She trained us all to sing Waltzing Matilda, fed us Vegemite, and instilled in us a strong sense of being Australian. Mummy left Australia when she was 22 to follow our father, Neil Roberts, to England. They married in 1951 in Germany and lived in Canada, Australia, England and Switzerland before the marriage ended in 1980. At that time, Dawn moved to Canada to be with her children and settled into her new life in Toronto. She worked at Jaeger for many years before retiring in her 70s. Dawn was a loving, beautiful, graceful, courageous and irreverent person who loved life and never lost her sense of humour. She made friends with people from all walks of life, young and old. She loved her many pets, her classical music, her garden, and gatherings with her family and friends over wonderful food and wine. She was a true tennis fanatic to the very end, never missing a match on television. Dawn's calling in life was to be a mother and grandmother. It was her one true mission to love and support us all unconditionally and we have lost our greatest cheerleader. Our sincere thanks to the team at The Balmoral Club for making her feel safe and content over the last few years of her life, and to the team at Mt. Sinai Hospital. If desired, in lieu of flowers, donations in Dawn's memory may be made to the Toronto Humane Society www.torontohumanesociety.com. In keeping with Dawn's wishes, there will be no funeral. A celebration of Dawn's life will be held at a later date for family and friends. Condolences and memories may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.