Elsie Lewis

Elsie Lewis’s Excellent Adventure
I would like to thank all of you for coming here today. Seeing so many friends and family would have put a smile on Elsie’s face. In fact, she would have made sure that every last one of you would be holding one of her crystal Cross and Olive stemmed glasses, filled with something special to cheer her on as you waved her goodbye. And her stepson Jim would do the pouring. We are sorry that he cannot be here today, due to illness.
The past 98 years have truly been an adventure for our mom. Everyone loved her and it seemed the older she got, the more she was loved, and the more loveable she became.
She was always classy and elegant, and looked like a million bucks. Who else but Elsie at the age of 98 could apply a bright coral lipstick perfectly, in anticipation of visitors?
In many ways, Elsie’s life was a charmed adventure…charmed by a husband she loved and who truly loved and indulged her. They were wonderful companions. Shortly before she died, I asked her how she and Ernie managed to stay so happy for so long. She told me that they always talked over any big decisions, and made them together. I remember some of those discussions around the kitchen table, glasses in hand, filled with rye and ginger, and the clink of an ice cube.
The adventure continued with children and grandchildren and great grandchildren who brought interest, substance and meaning to her life. She never tired of hearing tales of romance, of trips abroad, of advanced degrees and professional achievements, of successful rugby games, or of new jobs and babies and all the adventures of her extended family.
True to her Scottish heritage, Elsie was never above hard work or getting her hands dirty. There wasn’t a garden she couldn’t tame, and flowers bloomed both inside and out, everywhere she lived.
Elsie McKenzie Bannerman’s adventure began on a cold January day in 1915 on her mother’s kitchen table in Toronto. Her Scottish immigrant father was a rural blacksmith turned city ironworker for the CP railroad; her mother, a housekeeper in the very grand Seagram mansion. Maybe that was the beginning of her love affair with Crown Royal! Five years later, a younger brother, Don, was born and they remained lifelong friends and companions.
In the 1930’s, as a senior in high school, Elsie was selected by her peers to attend a course at Oxford University in England. Never one to miss an opportunity, she hopped a flight to the Orkney Islands in a two-seater biplane, during the inaugural year of Orkney air transport. What an adventure that must have been, when most people in the world did not even know someone who had flown in a plane!
Not every young woman chose a career in the business sector in the 30’s, but Elsie loved this time of her life. Always dressed to the nines, she often recounted stories of her apres work 25 cent roast beef dinners at Fran’s restaurant, close to the Toronto Star building where she worked. As a resourceful sister, she was able to secure a job for brother Don who did her proud. He started as an office boy in short pants, and finished as a key advertising executive.
The adventure continued after her marriage to Ernie. The happy couple spent many of their married years in the “countryside” of Lorne Park, Clarkson and Streetsville. One of the original “Birchwood Beauties”, Elsie’s life was filled with social activity and the loyal camaraderie of women who became close and lifelong friends. This proved to be a great time to enhance hearth and home. Regular day trips and forays with “the girls” netted carloads of wonderful antique finds, from 200 year old French clocks to her prized sparkling cranberry goblets.
What adventure in Ontario would be complete without mention of trips to the cottage? Summers in Honeywood and Midland were filled with swimming, fishing, boating and beer; winter visits to Florida with sunshine, good times and adventures with family and friends.
Elsie lived many years without her Ernie. Although she must certainly have been lonely at times, she never, ever, complained. She continued to live independently well into her 90’s until, on Christmas Day several years ago, a serious fall sidelined her. She would have been mortified if anyone knew that she fell, sneaking outside for a smoke, just before her turkey dinner!
Every milestone brings its own adventures, and for Elsie, this meant a move to a supported living residence, halfway between my home and Joan’s. As her most regular companions, we sadly watched the adventure wind down. In 2011, with the loss of the last bit of her vision, life truly changed for Elsie. Although she was totally reliant on others, she continued to exhibit a strong, determined and positive outlook. She always had a smile and I know that she, in her final chapter, would want me to ask you to raise your hand, and wish her luck as you wave her goodbye.