Obituary of Mary Violet Horton

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Passed away peacefully on Friday, November 8, 2024, surrounded by her children and by flowers from her still-blooming balcony. Vi was predeceased in 1986 by her beloved husband S. Anthony (Tony) Horton. Vi is survived by her children: Mark, Lynn (John Gregory), Joan (Brian Foxall), Tim, and Lesley (Colin O’Connor). And by her grandchildren Liam and Eve Gregory, Bronwyn Foxall, Ethan and Maya O’Connor. Born to Arthur and Martha Lulu (Quinsey) Lishman, Vi was predeceased by her sister Audrey Halnan and by her brothers Nelles, Harold, Ross, Jack and Richard.

After graduating from Hamilton Normal School, Vi taught in a one-room rural schoolhouse in farmland now part of the Lakeshore suburb and graduated to a two-room school where the KW Bilingual School now sits. She then taught in Toronto where Tony was studying architecture. True love developed out of a long friendship dating back to their first meeting while skating in Victoria Park. They married in 1954 and moved to Hamilton where Tony started his career. They moved back to KW where Tony and his best friend Jim Ball started Horton and Ball Architects.

Five children kept Vi busy, but she found time over the years to serve in many capacities at the Waterloo Library, St. Monica House, the Regional Library System, K-W Little Theatre, Federated Appeal, Region of Waterloo Swim Club, as well as in church and service clubs.

As her kids fledged, she took up new interests. Always an artist, Vi showed great talent for sculpture. She also took to golf with gusto and for more than three decades, spent many happy hours at Westmount Golf and Country Club. At Westmount ladies’ revues, she revealed an unsuspected talent for stand-up comedy.

When Tony died, Vi followed her dear friend Mary Kuntz’s advice and started a happy, very successful eighteen-year career as a real estate agent. After retiring from real estate in 2004, she reveled in her third career as Grandma Vi. She loved to visit with her daughters out West and with the family at Grand Bend. She enjoyed traveling with her friends to Florida, the Caribbean, China and Europe. She also refined her famous repertoire of jokes and loved to make people laugh.

Fiercely independent, Vi drove, baked, gardened and looked forward to Wednesday night Zoom video chats with her extended family. She kept up a busy schedule of bridge online and in person, Probus, CWL, managing her portfolio, and regular Friday night dinners at Westmount.

In all of this she was true to her values, a model of fairness, kindness and generosity. She will be dearly missed.

Visitation will be held at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. S., Waterloo, on Sunday, November 17, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The funeral service will take place in the chapel of the funeral home at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, November 18, 2024, with Father Phil Reilly C.R. officiating. A reception will immediately follow the service in the funeral home’s Fireside Reception Room. Cremation will have taken place, and a private family interment will be held at Parkview Cemetery, Waterloo.

 In lieu of flowers, condolences for the family and donations to MSF Doctors Without Borders or Canadian Mental Health Association may be arranged through the funeral home at 519-745-8445 or www.erbgood.com