Obituary of Hope Gooding Harris

HOPE GOODING HARRIS (nee Robinson) May 15, 1915 - November 3, 2016 After a long life, well lived, Hope died on Thursday, November 3, 2016 at the Claremont Retirement Residence in Toronto in her 102nd year. Hope was predeceased by her parents, Fred Kimball Robinson and Charlotte (Reid) Robinson, her husband of 60 years, Sidney Deane Harris, and her sister Barbara Moss. She is remembered lovingly and with a certain degree of amazement, by her two sons, Sidney Harris (Pat) of Norval, Ontario, Michael Harris (Laura) of Toronto, her daughter, Mary Kirton (John) of Toronto and her daughter-in-law Janet Harris. Her grandchildren will always remember their Nannie with love: Christine Clayton (Tim), David Harris (Erica), Michael Harris Jr. (Kim), Jeffrey Harris, Briana, Taylor and Meghan Maguire, Michael Kirton (Linda), and Joanna Maplazi (Dennis). Visits from her great-grandchildren were guaranteed to make her eyes light up: Andrew and Melanie Clayton, Jaxon, Maverick, Ryder, Emeric and Gemma Harris, Charlotte Kirton, and Ezra Maplazi. Hope was born and brought up in the west end of Toronto, living with her parents, sister, grandmother and three uncles. She graduated from Humberside Collegiate, followed by secretarial college, which landed her a much-needed job as a bookkeeper during the Depression. Hope displayed an early independence and love of the outdoors. She would cross country ski alone well into the late evening in High Park. She travelled an hour each way by street car to swim at a YMCA in Scarborough where a kindly team swimming coach allowed her in though not a team member. On her wedding night in 1939, she and her husband Deane took the train to Regina, Saskatchewan, then Swift Current, where Deane had been transferred. Hope fell in love with the West - the great Prairie skies, the crisp cold winters and the warm-hearted people. In the mid-1940s, Hope and Deane moved to North Bay, Ontario, where they embraced everything the North had to offer - curling, hiking, downhill skiing at Nipissing Ridge, cross-country skiing, swimming, boating and cottaging on both Lake Nipissing and Trout Lake, culminating in ownership of Wasi Falls Resorts. Hope was a member of the Stork Club, the North Bay Granite Club, the Nipissing Naturalists Club, and the North Bay Choral Society. She and Deane were founding members of Christ Church Anglican, where Hope remained a faithful and active member until her move to Toronto three years ago. Hope loved card games, especially bridge, driving, and reading. She never lost her interest in the world and the people around her, devouring two newspapers every day. Her love of learning and her inquisitive nature kept her young. Hope's family would like to thank the staff and residents at The Claremont who welcomed and cared for her so well over the past three years. Cremation will take place in Toronto. A service will be held at CHRIST CHURCH ANGLICAN, North Bay on Friday, November 25th at 2:00 p.m. with a reception to follow. In acknowledgement of the role the church and its congregation played in Hope's life, donations may be made to Christ Church Anglican, 312 Greenwood Avenue North Bay, Ontario, P1B 5G4. Condolences, photographs and memories may be forwarded through www.humphreymilesnewbigging.com.