Obituary of Gail Alexander Corbett

Gail died at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, on April 18, 2023, aged 78. She was born in Toronto, the daughter of Dawson Corbett and Margaret McCordick, on November 10, 1944. Gail was educated at Branksome Hall from kindergarten to Grade XIII, and took the Modern Languages and Literature honours course at the University of Toronto. She then took a degree in library science (as it was then called), worked in libraries in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, moved on to toil in publicity and extension learning at the Royal Ontario Museum, at W5 at CTV, and real estate. After her marriage to Robert Bothwell in 1993, she worked at the Canadian Embassy in Washington while he was a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center in that city. In 1999 she transferred her field of operations to Port Hope, creating the home of her dreams in an old stone farmhouse north of the town, acquiring and attracting a whole new circle of friends. Gail made friends easily because of her natural grace and kindness, her skill in setting people at ease, and a wonderful ability to engage with virtually anyone she encountered. She was faithful to her friends, old and new, including her canine friends, Terence P. Terrier, Winston, Drummond, Lauchlin, and Brora.

She leaves behind her loving husband, Robert Bothwell; two daughters, Eleanor Bothwell (Keith Farrington) of Toronto and Alice Bothwell (Mads Berg) of Oslo, Norway; two grandchildren, Maddy Bothwell of Toronto, and Astrid Bothwell-Berg of Oslo; her cousins, Joan, Evan and Brian McCordick, Connie and Monty Bourke, Cathy Corbett, Jim Corbett, her cousin by marriage, Rudi Corbett, and her extended family, Burke and Janet Doran of Baillieboro, and the Aizpurua-Thompsons of Madrid, her second home: MariRo, MariBel, Sole, Nacho, Ken Thompson, all of the Aizpurua connection, and Spain more generally, where she made so many other close friends.

Her family extends grateful thanks to Dr. Kukreti and the medical staffs at Princess Margaret and Mount Sinai Hospitals.

There will be a memorial gathering at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Daily Bread Food Bank of Toronto and Westies in Need of Newmarket, Ontario. Condolences may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.

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