Obituary of Ruth Constant Whitmore

Ruth Constant Whitmore (Nee Forrest) 1911-2014 After a long and remarkable life, Ruth Constant Whitmore died in the early morning hours of October 23, 2014, one month before her 103rd birthday. Ruth was predeceased by her father, William Melville Forrest in 1929, her mother Ruth Helene Forrest (nee May) in 1974, her husband Norman in 1984, her brother Douglas Forrest in 1987, and her granddaughter Anne in 1994. Born in Haileybury, Ontario in 1911, Ruth grew up in New York and then Toronto, where she attended Brown School and Bishop Strachan School, the latter primarily because the class schedule allowed her to pursue her passion, figure skating, each afternoon. The practice paid off. In 1931 she became the Canadian Junior Figure Skating Champion, and with her two good friends, Cecil and Jimmie Smith, enjoyed performing at events in Canada and the United States. In 1946 she married Norman Whitmore and moved to Regina, Saskatchewan. Although a transplanted easterner, she came to love the prairies and particularly their family cottage in the Qu’Appelle Valley. She became an active volunteer at St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral and the Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery. A founder of the Travelling Art program at the Mackenzie Gallery, she remained an active volunteer until late in her nineties, and kept her keen appreciation of art until her last day. She and Norman spent many enjoyable winters in Palm Desert, but she gave that up several years after Norman’s death and took up travelling around the world with her daughter and best friend, Victoria. Just before her 100th birthday, she moved to Heritage House in Wintergreene Estates where she was cared for with kindness and compassion by their wonderful staff. Although her mind remained sharp until her death, her health failed over the past year. She faced her inevitable end calmly, reassuring her children she was at peace. She was a woman of grace and style who met every challenge with good humour and determination. She was well read and very open minded, welcoming generations of friends to her home. She will be lovingly remembered and greatly missed by her son John (Deborah) and their children Amy, Sarah Giuffre (Matthew) and Torie; her son Peter (Jill) and their son John, and her daughter Victoria. At her request a private family service will be held. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St Paul’s Cathedral, 1861 McIntyre Street, Regina, SK, S4P 2R2, or The Regina Humane Society, P.O. Box 3143, Regina SK, S4P 3G7. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.speersfuneralchapel.com