Lisa was just lovely – in every sense of the word. Always full of life and joy and always up for adventures and new learnings. A great cook and baker, she also excelled in finances and at many sports including tennis, skiing and golf. Being born in England in the mid-1930s she never had the chance to do many of these things before coming to Canada and she always greeted new challenges with an adventurous attitude even when it meant standing on a ski hill cheering for one of her kids in -30 degree weather.
In 1954, she chose to sail on the Scythia to Canada with her best friend, Marie Taylor, dancing their way across the Atlantic to begin their new lives. That October, she met Michael and in June 1956 they were married in Toronto. Soon after, they took the same boat back to England for Michael to pursue an Athlone Fellowship, this time playing bridge to pass the time. In London, they started building their lives together and traveling, often spending time camping abroad in their Goggomobil, before eventually moving to Ottawa with their new son, Scott.
Once in Ottawa, Lisa helped design and then build their first house in Grenville Glen, where they moved with Scott and son Mark and soon welcomed their daughter Nancy. Michael’s work then took the family to Toronto, and later they moved into Lorne Park, Mississauga, raising their three children and developing a great group of friends and neighbours. Lisa and Michael ended their working careers in British Columbia.
Upon retiring, they spilt their time between Castle Glen, Collingwood, and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Lisa spent many days on the hill at the Toronto Ski Club, time with her friends at the Blue Mountain Golf Club and golfing and playing bridge with all her friends during the winters on Hilton Head Island. Lisa and Michael were involved in four Probus Clubs in the area including the Probus Club of Collingwood Ladies, Probus club of Collingwood Mens, the Probus Club of Beaver Valley and the Mountain View Probus Club where they spent many years with other members giving back to the community and developing great fellowships, friendships and having fun.
Lisa was fun, kind and generous; as our mom she taught us to work hard, pursue our passions, and treat others as we wanted to be treated ourselves. She made sure that there was always room for our friends to stay for dinner or overnight. Lisa was a faithful and supportive wife, equally taking on many of the responsibilities for running a home, raising a family and doing the finances. Together they discussed all aspects of their lives including Michael’s career.
The family would like to thank the many caregivers that helped during the last several years of Lisa’s journey including Gillian Anderson, Drs Bouchard and Sidhu, Lisa Vogel, Tracy Fryer, and the wonderful staff at Raglan Village whose care made Lisa’s passing so peaceful.
“We all die. The goal is not to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” Lisa, our mom, while the world is less bright without you and we miss you with all of our hearts, you certainly created memories that will last forever.
A Celebration of Life will occur in the spring. If you wish to honour Lisa’s passing, please consider the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (https://uhkf.ca/Home) and the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Foundation (https://cgmhf.com/). To sign her Book of Memories, please visit www.chattersonfuneralhome.com