Obituary of Dr. Adelaide Louise Fleming McLeese

DR. ADELAIDE LOUISE FLEMING McLEESE We are sad to announce the passing of Dr. Adelaide Louise Fleming McLeese on Thursday, December 26, 2019 in her 99th year. Born to Robert Fleming and Isabel Louise MacGregor on November 19, 1921 in Bridgewater, NS, she grew up in Halifax attending Halifax Ladies College. Always a lady, she loved her sports and culture and had such a lovely voice that after moving to Toronto, she joined the Mendelssohn Choir. She also sang at the weddings of special friends. She attended Mount Allison University in New Brunswick for pre-med and subsequently attended Dalhousie for medicine, graduating as a doctor in 1944. She interned at Chicago Children's Hospital but had to return home in early 1945 to care for her dying mother. Subsequent to that, she moved to Toronto where she interned at the Hospital for Sick Children, which became the center of her existence for about 50+ years. In the late 1940s in the HSC cafeteria, Dr. Crawford Anglin introduced her to Willis McLeese whom she married three years later in 1950. She will be missed by her son, Robert (Rosemary); and three grandsons, Paul, Geoffrey (Heather) and Stephen (Lisa); and great-grandchildren Lachlan, Maisie Rose + 1. She loved her family! In the mid ‘60s Adelaide became a Paediatric Gynecologist at HSC tutored by Dr. Richard Wilson. She loved her specialty and continued to practice into her 80’s. That was not all, she loved her twice weekly tennis games, bridge games, Junior League, Toronto Symphony, riding, skiing, her dogs (Tawney, Taffy), her cats (Buffy, Misty), her Heathcote Farm and, after age 75, her golf at the Toronto Hunt Club. She was never one to miss a party. We think she may have been the creator of the expression FOMO. We would like to thank the caring, kind team led by Maria, Tess, Solina, Arlene, Emy and Jolene, as well as Phoebe and Maria from CCAC who all showed great caring and compassion, often in difficult circumstances. Adelaide was a remarkable woman and early pioneer! We miss her. A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, February 6th at 11:00 a.m. at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, 230 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto. Reception to be held afterwards. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Georgian Riding Association for Challenged Equestrians (GRACE) in Owen Sound (www.graceriding.ca) or the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Condolences may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.