Ms. Rosario Farro

Rosario de Wit Farro (nee Pomona de Wit Fernandez de Castro) Monday August 24th at 16h25, having lived on 4 continents and travelled through countless countries, the loving matriarch left this earth to explore the unknown beyond. She departed this life the same way she lived it: without signs of fear or pain. In 1928, her parents named her Pomona, but the Bishop in Valencia refused to baptize her as such. The knife-wielding Roman goddess of flourishing fruit trees was not an appropriate namesake for a catholic child. However, renaming her for Santa Maria del Rosario could not ensure future conformity to any norms. Her independence and early love of music led 7-year-old Rosario to sneak out of the house and walk to the centre of town on evenings when dances were held, learning the steps by sight until the day she would be tall enough to twirl with her own handsome partners. Precocious in leadership, at 9 and being the only child who spoke French, she guided her 11 and 14 year-old brothers from boarding school in Holland, by rail and bus through France to be reunited with their parents. In her teen years, having lived under occupation in Belgium during WWII, she rode smiling atop British tanks as they rolled in to liberate Antwerp. As an adult, after a life in diplomatic service, she dealt in art and antiques, and represented musicians before retiring to a grand estate in Wellington County. Rosario was a brilliant and opinionated polyglot, supporter of the arts, and connoisseur of intellectual and aesthetic pleasures. Until her final days, she continued to attend opera and theatre; swim and do Pilates; debate politics and ideas; and harvest the blooms and vegetables that she nurtured in her gardens. Never one to fall behind on trends, at 87 she actively used email and Skype; and with the screen name MegaPomona, she shared YouTube videos of her heartthrob, opera singer Juan Diego Flores. Hers was a life lived uncompromisingly to the fullest, right to the end. Rosario was a magnet for fascinating and talented people from all walks of life; everyone who met her was changed by their encounter. She joins her sister Carmen and brothers Juan, Pepin, and Felix. She will be greatly missed by her surviving siblings, Caty, Pilou, Tolo and Pedro and their children; her own children and their spouses, Roxana, Jorge Juan and Teresa, Diego and Robyn; grandchildren and their spouses, Camila, Gabriel and Shannon, Jerome, Julian and Katie, Chloe, Dominique; and great grandchildren Aubrey and Thea. Her extended family and many dear friends around the world also mourn this great loss. Her memory lives forever in each of us. A requiem mass in celebration of her fabulous life will be held at St Peter’s Mission Church in Oustic. If desired, donations can be made to charities she supported: Covenant House Toronto and Soulpepper Theatre. A requiem mass will be held at 11am, September 28th at St Peter's Mission Church in Oustic. The church is at the corner of Wellington 22 and 5th line. Here is a link to a google map of the location https://goo.gl/maps/BNKhx Following the mass, family and friends will gather at her home, La Casona to share stories and company with others who loved her.

Ms. Rosario Farro

August 24, 2015