Alice Creaser

It is with great sadness that the family of Alice Christine Creaser (nee Lethbridge), born on Dec 9,1916, announce that she peacefully breathed her last breath on Jan 30, 2018, at the age of 101, in Montreal, Quebec.

Known for her beautiful radiant smile and loving, grateful, compassionate nature, she was the sweet, beloved mother of four: Robert (St Thomas, Ontario), Janet (Westmount, Quebec), Evelyn (Vancouver, BC), and Hugh David (who died in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia in 1970 at the age of 9). She was the adored grandmother of Julia Rumley-Quenelle (Laurent) (London, UK) and Will Hutchins (Westmount, Quebec), and the beloved great-grandmother of Milo and Noah Quenelle.

She is deeply loved by her son-in-law Timothy Hutchins, who with Janet, cared for her at home in Montreal since 2010. She was much loved by her nephews Jay Lethbridge and Anthony Cook, and her niece Ann Loewen, as well as by a wonderful team who helped with her recent care and who loved her like family.

In 2011, Alice was predeceased by her husband of almost 63 years, Rev Hugh Creaser. Together they will be remembered by congregations and many friends in Ottawa, St Andrew’s NB, New Glasgow NS, Amherstview, St Thomas, Duart and London, Ontario, and Montreal.

Born in Galt, Ontario, into a family long involved in social welfare and justice, she was the daughter of George and Christine Lethbridge, Her brother Graham, her only sibling, held senior positions in Ontario’s Ministry of Community and Social Services for many years until his death in 1995.

Her father was organist and choir master of St Paul’s Cathedral, London, Ontario.

This tradition of the love of music carried on into Alice’s own life and the lives of her children and grandchildren, with currently five professional musicians in the family.

Singing alto all her life in choirs, at the time of her passing she was listening to one of her favourite hymns, Love Divine all Love’s Excelling.

A graduate of the University of Western Ontario in Honours French, Greek, and Latin. She was a graduate of Ontario Teachers College, and also the University of Toronto’s School of Social Work.

Alice and Hugh fervently loved the arts, attending many plays and concerts.

They enjoyed travelling, visiting family and friends across the country and abroad.

A teacher and social worker before her marriage in 1948, she became a dedicated minister’s wife, doing much work for the church. Alice, the consummate loving mother, ran a bustling, happy household in Nova Scotia, a period she and Hugh called “the golden years”.

She inspired us all throughout her whole life with her care for the welfare of others, her grace, dignity, courage and wisdom. In the words of one of her caregivers, she was “transcendent, calm, with unfailing generosity, largeness of spirit, deep, abiding thankfulness, mischievous sense of humour, a precision of clarity of language right to the end, a sense of right that was never divorced from care, and everything she did was infused with love”

A visitation will be held at A Millard George Funeral Home, 60 Ridout Street South in London, Ontario on Sunday, February 4, 2018, from 1-4 pm.

The funeral will be held on Monday, February 5, 2018 at 11am at Westmount Presbyterian Church, 521 Village Green Avenue, off Wonderland Road South, London Ontario.

A reception will follow in the church hall.

Donations in Alice’s memory may be made to Westmount Presbyterian Church, London, or to the Canadian Cancer Society.