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Note: Her daughter, Carol, made a detailed scrapbook of her life. She was born in Stratford, moved to Brockville at the age of 1, moved back to Stratford at the age of 13 in 1928, and at 15 in 1930 went to Camp Wapameo, which she loved, with her cousin Edith. On her 16th birthday while visiting her cousin Edith in Toronto, her mother wrote, "you have such a sweet disposition, always quiet and calm no matter what." And her father wrote, "for sixteen years you have given us thankful hearts that you were God's gift to us and it is with high hopes that we look forward to your progress and success in years ahead." She attended University of Toronto from 1933 to 1938 majoring in English and French. She loved her residence Whitney Hall where she became head of Falconer House and enjoyed the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. After a year at the Ontario College of Education, she taught for two years at Fergus, Ontario, followed by a job as hostess with the YWCA in Port Albert. In 1943 (or early 1944) she joined the Wrens and was posted in Newfoundland. After the war she worked in Toronto with Manpower and lived in an apartment in Rosedale with her sister Marion. That is where she met Allan Findlay who was rooming in the same house with John Oldfield.
She and Allan were married in Old St. Andrew's Church, Toronto, by the Rev. Robert Martin (who had married her parents in 1913 in Stratford), with their reception at the Badminton and Racquet Club. The newspaper said, "the bride was charming in her wedding gown of ice blue satin, fashioned with a sheer yoke and sweetheart neckline, edged with valenciennes lace... Her full-length matching veil was caught to her head by a Mary Queen of Scots headdress, and she carried a cascade bouquet of gardenias, roses, and stephanotis, with touches of pale blue, yellow, and pink flowers. Her sister Miss Marion Smith was the maid of honour and Mr. John K. Oldfield was the best man." They bought their first house, 80 St. Leonard's Ave. in 1947, where their first three children were born. In 1954, they bought 191 Strathgowan Ave., where she lived after her husband's death until 1993.
Through the years, she had many strong interests, including committees and volunteer work at Lawrence Park Community Church -- Session, Worship Committee, Music Committee, United Church Women, Newsletter -- University College Alumnae Association, Toronto Symphony Orchestra Volunteer Committee and Music Lecture Series, C.G.I.T., volunteer work at Sunnybrook Hospital, teaching ESL to new Canadians, Glendon College English Literature Lecture Series, investing for women course, bridge lessons, golf, opera, smocking, reading, travel, and gardening. Summer holidays were spent in Muskoka and short ski trips were taken in winter. Her children and many grandchildren visited often, gathering around the pool. In the late '70s and '80s, she took many trips to Europe with her sister. She moved to the Muir Park condominium in 1993 at 2900 Yonge St. and lived there until 1998, when she moved into Sunnybrook Hospital due to her increasingly debilitating Alzheimer's Disease.
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