Eileen Johnstone

Johnstone, Eileen
(née Wilson)

Died peacefully on May 9, 2014, in her 102nd year, at the Civic Hospital in Ottawa, not far from her birthplace on Preston Street. She was born on October 16, 1912, to Moore Wilson and Mary Hammil, both from Ireland. As a young woman, during World War II, she moved to Toronto and worked as a safety inspector in an artillery factory. She met her future husband at a dance, just before he sailed to the United Kingdom, and she accepted his proposal by letter during the final months of the war. They married immediately on his return from Germany in 1946. She then became a full-time mother and housewife, following her husband on postings in Canada, Germany, and the U.S. while he served in the Canadian army. Later, she worked as a nurse’s aide, taking care of Canadian veterans at the Perley Hospital.

She is predeceased by her three brothers, George, Moorie, and Harry, and by her husband, Chris.

She is survived and lovingly remembered by her son George and his wife, Jody, of Ottawa; her grandson, Alex, and his wife, Amy, of Vancouver; her granddaughter Negar, and great-granddaughters, Ashley and Hillary, of Kingston.

She will be missed dearly by all who knew her. The family is grateful to the staff of Walden Village for their wonderful care of Eileen over the years, and to the Ottawa Civic Hospital, especially those in emergency and neurological care departments. Those who wish to honour her memory are invited to make a donation in her name to the Salvation Army or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.