Obituary of Margaret Jean Silver Kamester

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Margaret passed away peacefully on Monday, March 3, 2025 at the age of 95, at the Trinity Village Care Centre in Kitchener, Ontario. She will be lovingly remembered by her three devoted sons, James Parkin, Neil Parkin and Andrew Parkin, her cherished daughters-in-law Margaret, Sylvie, and Eleanor, and her much loved grandchildren, Cameron (Robyn), Elizabeth (Sam), Jeremy (Claire), Sacha, Lucas, Julian and Misha.

Margaret was born and raised in Bristol (U.K.) to Scottish parents. She studied history at Bristol University and education at Oxford and combined her love for both subjects by becoming a librarian. In 1955, she married Douglas Parkin, and with him moved first to London, England and then in 1960 to Montreal, Canada. There she raised her three sons, pursued her career as a librarian, and returned to university as a student of Women’s Studies at the Simone de Beauvoir Institute at Concordia University. That led to a collaboration as a researcher working with historian Jo Vellacott; together they proudly edited a book of essays titled Militarism vs. Feminism: Writings on Women and War.

In addition to her professional and family life, her lifelong passion was music. Margaret sang in choirs in England and Canada and as a soprano soloist, and enjoyed many years at the CAMMAC music centre in Quebec. Alongside the village of Comrie in Scotland, her cottage next to CAMMAC on Lake MacDonald was where she was happiest, enjoying countless concerts and gatherings with family and friends. At her cottage, Margaret also took to watching and feeding the birds, and to shooing away the squirrels.

Margaret used her strong voice not only to make music but to advocate for herself and others. Her studies in history and feminism, combined with her experience as a child during the war, propelled her to be active in the campaign for peace and disarmament. Later, after moving to Waterloo, Ontario in 2013, as her hearing loss progressed, she worked to raise awareness of the needs of those living with this challenge.

The family would like to thank all those who cared for Margaret during her time at Luther Village and at Trinity Village, and extend a special thanks to Sarah Curtis, who brightened her mornings with her regular visits these last few years.

A funeral service will take place at Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King Street South, Waterloo, Ontario on Friday March 7 at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, Margaret’s friends are invited to consider a donation in her memory to support young musicians at CAMMAC (https://cammac.ca/en/about/don/).