Elizabeth Gillian Watt (née Robinson)

ELIZABETH GILLIAN WATT (née ROBINSON) 1937 - 2023 Gill died in Southlake Hospital on November 20th after suffering two major strokes. She is survived by her husband Gavin K. and her three children: Nancy of Newmarket; Sarah and her husband Christian Cameron and daughter Beatrice of Toronto; and her son Gavin A., his wife Laura Graffi and their son Alexander of Niagara Falls. Predeceased by her parents, John R. Robinson and Elizabeth M. Robinson née Boultbee and five of her six brothers Jake, Harry, Tom, Bill, Peter, her niece Marco and granddaughter Genevieve. Her younger brother Stony remains, as do 24 nieces and nephews. In recent years, she enjoyed helpful, affectionate relationships with cousin Louise Boultbee; her nephew Drew Robinson, and her grandnephew Jack Cassidy. Gill was passionate about her offspring, her wonderful mother, and her broader family. She was the organizer of decades of annual family gatherings at her home north of King City and greatly enjoyed the family farm and cottages in Waupoos, Prince Edward County. Gill was a lifelong learner. She was educated at St Clement’s as a girl, she read voraciously, listened to CBC radio incessantly, and to her quiet satisfaction, attained a B.A. in Humanities at York University in her 50s. She was immensely proud of her famous political journalist aunt, Judith Robinson. For over thirty years, Gill meticulously sorted Judith’s papers, and when done, she donated them to McMaster University, which specializes in commemorating Canadian journalism. Their archivist told Gill that Judith’s collection was the best organized that he had ever seen. She had tremendous empathy for others and cared for and visited dozens of elderly and infirm family, friends and nursing home residents, not for accolades but from a well of compassion and a sense of duty to others that was remarkable. One of her older friends was Blair Burrows who had built a unique, rammed-earth house in King Township. Gill wrote a history of that endeavour for the local archives. Gill loved her wooded property in King and was a natural, artistic gardener, weaving wild and cultivated flowers, bushes and trees into lovely patterns. She spent countless happy hours in her several gardens, weeding, planting and cultivating, and on rainy days ‘making rivers run.’ She was a determined conservationist and an almost 50-year member of Concerned Citizens of King Township, coming to serve as the organization’s secretary. She was instrumental in the campaigns to Save the Oak Ridges Moraine and to block the Big Pipe. Her involvement, with an open heart and common sense, led to the making of a great many friends and the recent founding of the Ladies’ Lunch Club. In short, Gill was a woman of consequence. Her romance with Gavin K. began in Sunday school (St. John’s, York Mills) at age 9, followed by several years in church groups, then a date at age 17; five years of courtship and 64 years of marriage. Gill supported Gavin in his final year of university; the highs and lows of his business career, and in all his outlandish pursuits, often becoming involved in his history projects. She is the love of his life. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Yonge Street Mission, Canadian Friends of Public Broadcasting or Concerned Citizens of King Township, Box 875, King City, L7B 1A3. At the request of her family and in memory of Gill, please do whatever you can to protect yourselves and others from Covid. A Gathering of Friends will be held at King Heritage and Cultural Centre, 2920 King Road, on Friday Dec 8th between 4-6:30 PM. The Funeral Service will be conducted on Saturday, Dec 9th at 1 PM at All Saints Anglican Church, 12935 Keele Street, King City.

Elizabeth Gillian Watt (née Robinson)

November 20, 2023