Obituary: Lesley Christina (Brady) Hall – April 7, 2022
Lesley Christina (nee Brady), 78, of Southampton, Ontario, with family by her side on 7 April 2022. Born in 1944 and raised in Aylmer, Quebec, the second of six children to parents Margaret Beatrice (nee Kelly) and James Oscar Brady, and survived by husband and best friend George Edey Hall, their daughter Jennifer Christina and her husband Jason Cooper, and grandchildren Eli Oskar Ralph and Madeleine Millie Sue. Dear niece of Sheila Portinari (nee Brady), and cherished sister of Barbara and her husband Bruce Caunter, Allen Brady and his wife Lorraine Yorke, Michael Brady and his wife Nancy, the late Christopher Brady and his wife Yuki, and Kevin Brady and his wife Sheila McCrindle. Beloved sister-in-law of the late David Hall, John Hall and his wife Carol, Carol Adlam and her husband Don, Richard Hall, Judy Hall, Warren Hall and his partner Nancy Plumadore, Toyoko Brady, Phyllis Hall, Katharine Hall, the late Fred Kinsey, and the late Pam Read. Fun loving ‘Aunt Lesley’ to twenty-two nieces and nephews, cherished by many dear cousins, and warmly remembered by countless close friends from throughout her life.
Upon graduating from Aylmer High in 1960, Lesley lived and worked in London, England before returning home to marry jive partner and high school sweetheart George. During her career at the Bruce nuclear site, Lesley also earned her degree from the University of Waterloo and brought her passion for civic engagement to serve on the Police Services Board, the Port Elgin Library, the Canadian Federation of University Women, and even the Curling Club, a hub of social life in 1970’s Port Elgin. As a parent, sibling, aunt, sister in-law, grandmother and cousin, Lesley imagined and organised the countless special gatherings we cherish and that keep our families together across oceans. Devoted to building close family ties, Lesley supported her family tirelessly, sharing family news, and offering her help and her compassion, always without judgement. She brought this devotion to her friendships, which span geographies and generations, with a beautiful mix of caring and joy and an uncanny ability to put together that perfect costume. We admire and will dearly miss her penchant for lively late night debates and her love of literature, as well as the world of laughter, adventure, intellectualism, public service and fairness that she worked hard every day to create for her community, for those she loved, and for herself. Lesley was always a dancer, swimmer, bridge player and an ahead-of-her-time world traveller. And because she constantly sought something new, she also became a golfer, mogul skier, curler, biker, canoeist, hiker, tennis player, puzzler and world class party host.
Lesley was so much fun to be with. We will dearly miss her organising, her advocacy, her vision, her curiosity, her love, her steadfast friendship and her amazing hors d’oeuvres.
“You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.” (E. B. White.)
Family and friends are invited to an open house reception on Saturday 23 April 2022 at the Saugeen Golf Club in Port Elgin, between 1pm and 4pm, with a tribute at 2pm. (We invite you to COVID test beforehand if you are able.) In lieu of flowers, we are remembering Lesley either with a donation, or by reaching out to help someone in need in your community, as Lesley so often did. For donations, we are supporting the ‘Women’s House Serving Bruce and Grey’ and the ‘Bruce Trail Conservancy.’
