Obituary of Grace Isabell Marlatt Peebles

A joyful young woman lost to us at the age of 23.

She was a loving and devoted daughter and sister, and we cherished her. Grace leaves behind her mother Constance Marlatt (“Mumsy”), her father Dana Peebles (“Dada”), and her sisters Alice and Eleanor (Norah). Grace adored her Mum’s partner Sasha Darling and her daughter Brooke (Grace’s stepsister), and was so happy to make them part of her family. She had been happy this last year to embrace her Dad’s partner, Lindsey Love-Forester.

Liza Delos Reyes, her former nanny, will always be her “other Mom”. Grace told us that our family was a patchwork quilt that became more beautiful as we added to it. We were fortunate when Nani Detti joined our quilt, and we have other chosen family too who loved and supported Grace. We are all so grateful for Grace’s welcoming heart.

Grace adored her Nana and Papa, Irene and Don Peebles of Bowmanville, and her Grandma Gloria Marlatt of Oshawa. She was blessed with close relationships with her extended family, and was beloved as a niece and cousin. Her Aunts Christine and Kirsten and her Uncle Eric played a very special role in Grace’s life. We are very grateful to have been surrounded by the love of our family, chosen family and friends this last little while. Grace’s birth was a miracle to us, and we are so grateful to have had her with us for 23 years. Grace was kind, gentle, and loved to laugh. Nothing was more important to her than her role as a sister to Alice and Eleanor. She took care of them, and she often knew what they needed (favorite foods, Starbucks’ orders, birthday presents) before they did. She was their fiercest advocate.

Grace was exceptionally bright. She was also astonishingly perseverant in the face of a learning disability and quite severe anxiety, and was very proud of what she achieved academically. She was a graduate of the Bishop Strachan School and loved her time there in Senior Choir, particularly the Nativity. She had teachers there who saw her strengths, and helped her grow. She chose Mount Allison University to follow in her Nana’s (and her great-grandmother’s) footsteps, and graduated in 2020, on the Dean’s List. She continued to excel in her studies this year at York University, and had an exciting summer job lined up in Yellowknife.

When Grace loved you, you always knew it. She adored her friends Emma, Chloe, Tracey and Elliot and Ellis. Her very favourite things in the world included Angela Lansbury, Murdoch Mysteries, playing Nancy Drew Mysteries with Eleanor and Uncharted with Alice, and birthday parties at the Toronto Humane Society. She watched everything that David Attenborough made and shared his belief that nature is magical and extraordinary, and that we must work together to protect it. She found joy in her pets Maggie, then Moxie, then Wile E and Lestat. She loved Mr. T. at Sunnybrook Stables, and basset hounds everywhere.

Grace cared deeply about social justice issues and thought we could and should do a better job of taking care of each other, especially those who are powerless, vulnerable and marginalized. She wanted us all to be more open about our frailties as human beings, and to provide real support to those who struggle, as she sometimes did. Her goal was to find work where she could make a real difference in people’s lives. She had so much to offer the world.

Grace had epilepsy. She died as a result of a seizure on April 4, 2021. A private family service and interment at Mount Pleasant Cemetery have taken place.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Grace’s memory may be made through canadahelps.org to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Raincoast Research Society or Epilepsy Toronto; or to the Zoological Society of London (supported by David Attenborough). Alternatively, we have arranged a Memorial Fund in Grace’s name at bss.on.ca/donate (email advancement@bss.on.ca or call (416) 483-4325 ext. 1874.) She would also love it if today you could tip generously and thank those around you who do work that goes unseen.

Memories of Grace and condolences may be sent to her family or forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.

Finally, we hope that everyone has (or has had) a Grace in their life. Do something today for that person, or in their name, or memory. In the end, it is only love that lasts forever.