Hallsworth, B. Gwenda

Gwenda Hallsworth, born in Chester, England on February 25th, 1930 to Caroline and Richard Morgan-Jones, slipped away in Sudbury, Ontario on November 16, 2016, family at her side. Gwenda grew up in the Waverton village post-office and shop and together with her brother, David, had many colourful stories of a WWII childhood. Gwenda had a great sense of adventure. At 21, she boarded a ship and sailed to America for a one year work experience. A few years later, she travelled to Canada where she met her future husband, Peter, while working at the Sudbury Public Library. She was Peter’s wife, true love, very best friend and staunch travel companion for 56 years. On their many journeys, they visited every continent except Antarctica, and describe Australia, Chile and Indonesia as amongst their favourites. Gwenda loved to learn. Her children remember sitting in the back seat as she learned to drive and although she was a wonderful mother and great cook, she was an awful driver. While her children were in high school, she started university, earning both a BA and MA in history from Laurentian University. These degrees led her on a path to being a local historian and published author whose works included “The Vast and Magnificent Land” and two bibliographies of Ontario History. Sudbury was Gwenda’s adopted home. In the 1970’s, she fought to preserve Lily Creek from development and took particular pleasure in watching her kids and grandkids play soccer on those fields. She was a Brown Owl when Caroline was in Guiding, she ran the canteen at the Lo-Ellen Playground where Rob and Steve played hockey and for many years she served on the executive of the Canadian Cancer Society. In her youth, Gwenda played badminton and netball. For decades, she and Peter were regulars at the tennis “Igloo”. She often rode her bike to the university and walked in the neighbourhood. At Lohi Lake, she always wore her glasses as she did her stately daily breaststroke across their bay. She had an extensive circle of friends with whom she played some quite competitive bridge, planned elaborate dinner parties or had a scotch while planning trips to Stratford or the Shaw Festival. Gwenda was delighted by and devoted to her grandchildren, sharing with Brendan, Charlotte, Laura, Ian, Aidan and Claire her love of books and interest in all their activities. To them, she would say “Go for it”. Caroline and her husband, Guy Roy, Robert and his wife, Lisa, and Stephen and his wife, Lori Huisman, would like to thank the staff at Pioneer Manor for their dignified and compassionate care of Gwenda in recent years. In honour of Gwenda’s love of learning, her feminist sensibilities and her passion for travel and books, please consider making a donation to World Literacy Canada at http://www.worldlit.ca/ In the spirit of Gwenda’s British heritage, the family invites friends and colleagues to celebrate her life with afternoon tea at the Apollo Restaurant on Saturday, November 19th between noon and 4:00 pm. Arrangements entrusted to the Jackson and Barnard Funeral Home.