Margaret Ann Lorimer Continues Decades of Community Giving with Endowment
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Margaret Ann Lorimer continued to give after her passing. She made a plan in her Will to create the Lorimer Family Cardiac Endowment Fund, which was an area of personal importance to her and her family. |
By Heather Vita - January 10, 2018
Margaret Ann Lorimer was never one to shy away from an adventure or the unknown. As a young woman, she decided she wanted to work for a summer on the SS Noronic – a passenger ship that sailed the Great Lakes, with stops in Sudbury and Duluth, among others. Margaret Ann boldly took a role as a housekeeper and quickly graduated to serving, where she earned great tips, and earned the respect of her family for her adventures.
Following her delightful summer sailing the Great Lakes, Margaret Ann attended the University of Toronto (Victoria College) where she earned her degree in Home Economics. She later attended Lakehead University and received her Bachelor of Education and became one of the first staff members at Forest Park School. While teaching Home Economics at Forest Park School she continued her education and became certified to teach Special Education which she taught for the remainder of her career. She was very well-known with many former students at a variety of schools who remember Mrs. Lorimer and her patience in helping a multitude of people.
A Mom of 5, Margaret Ann was always kept busy raising a family at her home on Winnipeg Ave. Her daughter Anne recalled that, “no matter where any of us were in the world, it was always home base for us.” Her home was of great importance to her and she took great pride in it.
An avid art collector, she was also a savvy investor, who was involved in finances right up until a few months before she passed away. Anne said, “Mom was always good with money and wouldn’t throw anything out. There had to be a use for it.” When not investing, you could find Margaret Ann out being active. Anne proudly stated, “Mom was skiing until she was in her seventies!” She was also a member of a hiking club that met on the first Saturday of every month up until about 3 years ago.
In thinking about her Mom, Anne mentioned, “She was so dignified. She always left the house well dressed, with her hair done, head up and ready to greet the world. She was also very personable. I think one of her best qualities was that she would open up to people about what she thought they wanted to discuss, not necessarily about what was of interest to her. This actually meant that many people weren’t aware of many of her interests because she was more interested in them. It was just part of her personality to be that way.”
She was also highly organized and when Margaret Ann passed away at the age of 88, it was of no surprise to anyone that she had already laid out a plan. Part of that plan included creating the Lorimer Family Cardiac Endowment Fund at the Hospital to contribute to the cardiovascular surgery program. It was an area with deep personal meaning to her as Anne was the recipient of a heart transplant in June of 1991, when she was just 28 years old.
“We weren’t at all surprised that she would have done something,” said Anne of her and her siblings. “I think, though, it really opened our eyes as to what we could each do. In fact, it inspired my brother Jim to put part of his estate towards the endowment.”
“It’s a way for my Mom to continue the Lorimer name in a positive way in our community and I know that was important to her,” said Anne. “She was always involved in so much, from St. Paul’s United Church, to her many activities, and teaching – it just makes sense that she will be remembered in this way.”