Obituary of Hilda Marie Birkby

Our fiery ‘Lancashire lass’ has sailed across the pond. Born in 1926 in Manchester England to Walter and Jessie, Hilda Marie Birkby (nee Faulkner) was a fiercely independent, strong minded and wildly opinionated Brit. Immigrating to Canada in 1953, she married John “Frankie” Birkby in 1957 and gave birth to Hilda, Jane and Martha in the following years. Growing up during the depression and later enlisting in the British Army (much to mother’s dismay), she was a decorated WWII veteran. She served in the ATS, was posted in Germany and selected to attend the Nuremberg trials. Living through the war instilled a sense of pride, determination and a ‘waste not want not’ attitude. Sunday nights in the Birkby home consisted of a traditional English roast beef dinner prepared from scratch by mom while “Calling All Britains” blared from the radio. She enjoyed nothing more than an episode of “Coronation Street” or “On the Buses”, which reminded her of home. She was affectionately known as Big Mamma (although she was only 4’11 and 115 pounds soaking wet) to her son’s-in-law Ray, Rick and Gary. She was an amazing grandmother to Katelyn, Jessica, Spencer, Emma and Andrew, whipping them into shape on their ‘vacations’ with grandma. Grandma made sure they understood the value of a bus token, having them walk 3 miles with her to pick up groceries for the week. She always made sure there was a hint of fun in each visit, bringing the kids yearly to the Science Centre and CNE. In the last year of her life she welcomed her two precious great grandsons, Bennett and Malcolm, which brought her immense joy. We welcome friends and family on Saturday March 4th at 11:00 am to join us for a memorial service with a reception to follow, at Humphrey Funeral Home, 1403 Bayview Avenue, Toronto Ontario. A private interment will be at St John’s Norway Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s society. I’m sure she’s looking forward to a good, hot cuppa with John…