In Celebration of
Toni Blair
February 2, 1938 -
October 19, 2016
On Wednesday, October 19th, at Mount Sinai Hospital, at the age of 78, Anntonia Blair (née Lawson), or, as everyone knew her, Toni, lost her long and brave struggle with prolonged illness and passed away peacefully, having spent her last days surrounded by her loving family. Predeceased by her sister Roseanne Brown and brother Robin Lawson, Toni was the last surviving child of Frank and Marion Lawson, who brought their family to Canada from England in the mid 1950's. Toni ended up living in many places, from the Maritimes, to Minnesota, to Toronto and Louisville. In the end, she and her husband of 54 years, Gordon, lived her last decade as a classic snowbird, spending winter in Florida while returning every summer to Toronto. She loved to travel and was able to do so extensively, always fascinated by the people, history and culture of the places she went. This same inquisitiveness also made her a voracious reader and, as her hundreds of boxes of slides can attest, at one point, an avid photographer. She will be greatly missed by Gordon and their three children and partners, Catherine (Marlon), Chris (Trish) and Duncan (Tristen) as well as by her cherished grandchildren Samantha, Tyler, Nathan, Aidan and Oskar. Toni and the Blairs were grateful for the love and support, especially over these last few challenging years, of dear friends Sandra May, Norma May, Al and Marilyn Chisholm and Noreen Cooke. The family would like to thank the care providers at the Bickle Rehab Centre and the medical staff of the oncology ward at Mount Sinai, who were helpful, empathetic and supportive during these final few months. The family would also like to say a special thank you to Dr. Patrick Skalenda for providing advice, support and comfort to Toni throughout the last several months. At Toni's request, there will be no funeral service, and, a memorial will be held in late December, the details of which will be made available at a later date by the family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care, http://support.supportsinai.com/site/PageNavigator/DonationFormLandingPage.html