Obituary for Patricia Margaret "Pat" Lythgoe (Hildred)
With much sadness we announce the passing of Patricia (Pat) Margaret Lythgoe (nee Hildred), a long-time resident of Burlington, Ontario. She passed away peacefully with family at her side on May 12, 2021 at Tansley Woods LTC. The memory of Pat’s love, strength and spirit will forever surround and inspire her family and friends. Mum was the matriarch and centre of our large family and will be dearly missed.
Loving and doting wife of David (for almost 66 years). Beloved mother of Wendy, Julia, Susan, Kate and Jessica. Kind mother-in-law to Atipol, Sam and Chris. Proud and loving “no-nonsense” Granny to Jon, James, Sarah, Chris, Nick, Emma, Jenny, Allison, William, Jessie, David, Susie, Luci, Tim, Meghan, Matt and Sophia. Also, precious Great-Granny to Annabelle, Marigold, Penny, Aurora and Gianna. Pat is predeceased by her parents William (Bill) and Ethel Hildred, sister Marian (Penny) and brothers Donald (Peggy) and Philip. She leaves behind sister-in-laws Marie (David) Hilton, Anne Hildred, and many nieces and nephews in England and around the world.
Born in Solihull, Warwickshire, England, December 1931 during the Great Depression, Pat lived over her parents’ grocery shop and recalls her mother Ethel making the food for the store from scratch including pressed ham, tongue, baked goods, jams and pickles (despite not having indoor plumbing). During WW2 she was evacuated with her sister Marian to Evesham, but was not happy there so came home, despite bombing raids. Later, due to postwar rationing, she learned how to be economical in her cooking and housekeeping, and became an amazing cook and seamstress, sewing all our dresses and coats when we were young. Mum trained as a nurse at Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham and met the love of her life, David, at one of the regular nursing–engineering dances. They were married at Lickey Church, outside Birmingham on June 11, 1955. A brave and adventurous young couple, they immigrated to Canada in 1956, where dad had accepted an Engineering position at Westinghouse in Hamilton. When mum’s nursing qualifications weren’t accepted in Canada, she worked as a meter-maid, helping save for their first home on the Hamilton mountain. Mum was a modern woman of her day. She insisted on natural deliveries and breastfeeding her babies when it was not yet popular and helped organize the 2nd cooperative nursery school in Ontario (at Huntington Park Community Centre in Hamilton) with her friend Joyce Falco. Later, once the family moved to Monica Cres. in Burlington, she became a social worker and and worked for many years in adoption.
Beyond her busy career, mum was the glue that held the family together and taught all of us the importance of "family". We have so many fond memories of family get togethers…Christmas’ with the Stevens, holidays in England, renting a cottage at Sauble Beach, and later, our yearly trip to Red Pine Camp, which became such an important part of all of our lives. Mum hosted many holiday meals (often with 17 or more around a festive table), with delicious baking, and organized all sorts of fun activities for her grandchildren, including games of Canasta, cups of tea in bed, "King of the Castle", special cuddles and treats when they were sick, camp in the summer, sleepovers, and even had some come to live for a time. She taught them them to cook, read, sew and knit, and helped with homework, learning times tables and practicing presentations. She loved our kids as her own and would do anything for them.
Pat also enjoyed her hobbies. She enjoyed sewing, knitting, quilting, needle point, playing bridge and had a passion for gardening. She had the best garden on the street and instilled a love of gardening in all of her daughters. She liked to entertain and hosted bridge club dinners, street parties, and special birthday parties for her sweetheart, David.
She was also very community minded. Pat certainly couldn’t sit idle if she saw something that needed doing. We grew up with the motto, that “there is always room for one more person at the table”. She will be remembered for her capacity to care, her warm enveloping hugs, her thoughtfulness and generosity to friends, neighbours and newcomers. She was a woman of faith and treasured her involvement in St. Christopher’s Anglican church where she helped start the youth group, organized the Christmas Market and tea-room, helped sponsor a refugee family, the list is long. After mum retired from social work, she also provided Pastoral Care services to grieving families. She believed in the healing power of touch, and trained as a Therapeutic Touch practitioner, founding the Burlington Therapeutic Touch group. She volunteered her services to anyone who was suffering from pain.
Most of all, she loved her family and instilled in her daughters and grandchildren strong values that have served us all incredibly well. She lived resilience. No matter how challenging life seemed at times, her constant refrain was “aren’t we lucky!” She was a warrior who ceaselessly advocated for her family and others. We are grateful that she allowed us to be of some help to her in her final years. She will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.
Thank you to Dr. Chris Raganetti and all the wonderful and dedicated staff at Tansley Woods LTC and retirement home for their excellent and loving care.
A celebration of Pat’s life will be held post-COVID. In honour of mum, please give (a great big long hug like mum always gave) to your loved ones.
If you wish, in lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation in mum’s memory to the Salvation Army or the St. Christopher’s Anglican church youth group.
Loving and doting wife of David (for almost 66 years). Beloved mother of Wendy, Julia, Susan, Kate and Jessica. Kind mother-in-law to Atipol, Sam and Chris. Proud and loving “no-nonsense” Granny to Jon, James, Sarah, Chris, Nick, Emma, Jenny, Allison, William, Jessie, David, Susie, Luci, Tim, Meghan, Matt and Sophia. Also, precious Great-Granny to Annabelle, Marigold, Penny, Aurora and Gianna. Pat is predeceased by her parents William (Bill) and Ethel Hildred, sister Marian (Penny) and brothers Donald (Peggy) and Philip. She leaves behind sister-in-laws Marie (David) Hilton, Anne Hildred, and many nieces and nephews in England and around the world.
Born in Solihull, Warwickshire, England, December 1931 during the Great Depression, Pat lived over her parents’ grocery shop and recalls her mother Ethel making the food for the store from scratch including pressed ham, tongue, baked goods, jams and pickles (despite not having indoor plumbing). During WW2 she was evacuated with her sister Marian to Evesham, but was not happy there so came home, despite bombing raids. Later, due to postwar rationing, she learned how to be economical in her cooking and housekeeping, and became an amazing cook and seamstress, sewing all our dresses and coats when we were young. Mum trained as a nurse at Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham and met the love of her life, David, at one of the regular nursing–engineering dances. They were married at Lickey Church, outside Birmingham on June 11, 1955. A brave and adventurous young couple, they immigrated to Canada in 1956, where dad had accepted an Engineering position at Westinghouse in Hamilton. When mum’s nursing qualifications weren’t accepted in Canada, she worked as a meter-maid, helping save for their first home on the Hamilton mountain. Mum was a modern woman of her day. She insisted on natural deliveries and breastfeeding her babies when it was not yet popular and helped organize the 2nd cooperative nursery school in Ontario (at Huntington Park Community Centre in Hamilton) with her friend Joyce Falco. Later, once the family moved to Monica Cres. in Burlington, she became a social worker and and worked for many years in adoption.
Beyond her busy career, mum was the glue that held the family together and taught all of us the importance of "family". We have so many fond memories of family get togethers…Christmas’ with the Stevens, holidays in England, renting a cottage at Sauble Beach, and later, our yearly trip to Red Pine Camp, which became such an important part of all of our lives. Mum hosted many holiday meals (often with 17 or more around a festive table), with delicious baking, and organized all sorts of fun activities for her grandchildren, including games of Canasta, cups of tea in bed, "King of the Castle", special cuddles and treats when they were sick, camp in the summer, sleepovers, and even had some come to live for a time. She taught them them to cook, read, sew and knit, and helped with homework, learning times tables and practicing presentations. She loved our kids as her own and would do anything for them.
Pat also enjoyed her hobbies. She enjoyed sewing, knitting, quilting, needle point, playing bridge and had a passion for gardening. She had the best garden on the street and instilled a love of gardening in all of her daughters. She liked to entertain and hosted bridge club dinners, street parties, and special birthday parties for her sweetheart, David.
She was also very community minded. Pat certainly couldn’t sit idle if she saw something that needed doing. We grew up with the motto, that “there is always room for one more person at the table”. She will be remembered for her capacity to care, her warm enveloping hugs, her thoughtfulness and generosity to friends, neighbours and newcomers. She was a woman of faith and treasured her involvement in St. Christopher’s Anglican church where she helped start the youth group, organized the Christmas Market and tea-room, helped sponsor a refugee family, the list is long. After mum retired from social work, she also provided Pastoral Care services to grieving families. She believed in the healing power of touch, and trained as a Therapeutic Touch practitioner, founding the Burlington Therapeutic Touch group. She volunteered her services to anyone who was suffering from pain.
Most of all, she loved her family and instilled in her daughters and grandchildren strong values that have served us all incredibly well. She lived resilience. No matter how challenging life seemed at times, her constant refrain was “aren’t we lucky!” She was a warrior who ceaselessly advocated for her family and others. We are grateful that she allowed us to be of some help to her in her final years. She will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.
Thank you to Dr. Chris Raganetti and all the wonderful and dedicated staff at Tansley Woods LTC and retirement home for their excellent and loving care.
A celebration of Pat’s life will be held post-COVID. In honour of mum, please give (a great big long hug like mum always gave) to your loved ones.
If you wish, in lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation in mum’s memory to the Salvation Army or the St. Christopher’s Anglican church youth group.