Enid Agnes Reed will be remembered as smart, beautiful, light-hearted, a talented artist and champion of pastel painting in Canada. She died in Antigonish, Nova Scotia on January 16, 2015.
Enid was born February 1, 1918 in Montreal, Quebec, to Thomas Webster and Mary Alice (Sadler) Gilson. She was predeceased by her husband of 59 years Percy Arthur; her son Gordon Stanley; and two siblings in early childhood and infancy. She is survived, and sadly missed, by her daughters Carol Brown, Toronto, Ontario; Barbara Buirds (James), Toronto; and Alice Reed (Bob Bancroft), Pomquet, Nova Scotia; grand-daughter Jennifer Johnson (Brendan), Hamilton, Ontario; grandson Christopher Brown (Dianne), Windsor, Ontario; and great-grandchildren Ava and Lily Johnson; Anna and Sam Brown.
As a young woman, Enid graduated with honours from Ecole des Beaux Artes in Montreal. She moved to Toronto, Ontario, studying at the Ontario College of Art and Design. Through her artwork, Enid shared her love of people and nature. Her portraits, landscapes and street scenes hang in countless private and corporate collections at home and abroad. She was a Founding Member of Pastel Artists Canada in 1989. For many years Enid taught pastels, mostly in Southern Ontario. She once reflected that teaching was the most rewarding part of her artistic career. Some of her students and fellow artists became life-long friends, a testament to her enthusiasm and sincerity.
Enid believed laughter to be one of the best medicines. She loved being a mother and said that her happiest times were spent with her family at their Lake of Bays, Ontario cottage, where swimming, sailing, paddling, boating, skiing, walks in the woods and painting the Muskoka landscape were regular pleasures. At age 86 Enid moved to Antigonish. The Reed family is most grateful to the staff of the R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home, to Dr. John Hickey and Dr. Brian Steeves, for the care they provided her. Though memory became a challenge late in life, Enid maintained her bright spirit to the end.
Donations in Enid’s memory could be made to Interval House, the Council of Canadians, World Wildlife Fund or the International Fund for Animal Welfare. A memorial will be announced in future. Her remains will be interred in the family plot at Highland Memory Gardens, Toronto.
A special smile,
a special face,
In our hearts
a special place.
Memories are
a gift to treasure;
Ours of you, Mother,
will last forever.
Safe in God’s arms.