In Celebration of
Alison Ryce
July 10, 1934 - December 12, 2025
Alison Ryce departed this world the same way she lived in it—on her own terms.
Born in Toronto, Alison spent nine remarkable decades navigating life with quiet determination, independence and the enviable ability to notice small details, and find beauty everywhere.
Alison grew up spending summers on an island in McGregor Bay – on the northern shore of Lake Huron – a place that shaped her lifelong love of water, the Canadian shield, and the kind of sunsets that insist you stop talking and pay attention.
As a teenager, she boarded a train alone and crossed the country to study art for a summer in Banff. She graduated from the University of Toronto and went on to become a social worker, changing the lives of thousands of people over four decades in the profession. She married the love of her life, Barry Ryce in 1961 and was a devoted mother to their son Nigel.
In retirement, Alison renewed her love of painting. She always had a new canvas on the go, her home an ever-rotating gallery of colour and memory. She leaves behind a trove of work reflecting the people, landscapes, and dogs she cherished—each one a fragment of the world as she saw it: tender, vivid, beautifully imperfect.
One of the more surprising twists in Alison’s life was her decision to learn the cello—at age 88. She practiced daily and proved, to anyone lucky enough to hear the saw of her bow, that age is never an excuse not to try something new. Her determination was both inspiring and, at times … perplexing. Why choose the cello, and not a smaller, easier instrument? “I like the sound it makes. Besides … why not ?”
She will be deeply missed by her son Nigel and his partner Jessica, and the many others whose lives she touched .We will all remember her as a woman who chased curiosity, defied expectations, and lived life the way she painted: with colour, courage, and presence.
We will celebrate Alison’s life at a later date.
In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to Farley Foundation (https://www.farleyfoundation.org/) and Michael Garron Hospital (https://mghf.akaraisin.com/ui/memorial/p/a02a3125c2834106b26bb814d4358f5f), whose staff took such wonderful care of Alison during final days.
Born in Toronto, Alison spent nine remarkable decades navigating life with quiet determination, independence and the enviable ability to notice small details, and find beauty everywhere.
Alison grew up spending summers on an island in McGregor Bay – on the northern shore of Lake Huron – a place that shaped her lifelong love of water, the Canadian shield, and the kind of sunsets that insist you stop talking and pay attention.
As a teenager, she boarded a train alone and crossed the country to study art for a summer in Banff. She graduated from the University of Toronto and went on to become a social worker, changing the lives of thousands of people over four decades in the profession. She married the love of her life, Barry Ryce in 1961 and was a devoted mother to their son Nigel.
In retirement, Alison renewed her love of painting. She always had a new canvas on the go, her home an ever-rotating gallery of colour and memory. She leaves behind a trove of work reflecting the people, landscapes, and dogs she cherished—each one a fragment of the world as she saw it: tender, vivid, beautifully imperfect.
One of the more surprising twists in Alison’s life was her decision to learn the cello—at age 88. She practiced daily and proved, to anyone lucky enough to hear the saw of her bow, that age is never an excuse not to try something new. Her determination was both inspiring and, at times … perplexing. Why choose the cello, and not a smaller, easier instrument? “I like the sound it makes. Besides … why not ?”
She will be deeply missed by her son Nigel and his partner Jessica, and the many others whose lives she touched .We will all remember her as a woman who chased curiosity, defied expectations, and lived life the way she painted: with colour, courage, and presence.
We will celebrate Alison’s life at a later date.
In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to Farley Foundation (https://www.farleyfoundation.org/) and Michael Garron Hospital (https://mghf.akaraisin.com/ui/memorial/p/a02a3125c2834106b26bb814d4358f5f), whose staff took such wonderful care of Alison during final days.