Jean Reilly

Jean Reilly died peacefully on April 28, 2017 in her 96th year. Daughter of Cliff and Annie Howard. Beloved wife of Ed who died in 1965. Predeceased by her son Kevin in 2015. Fantastic mother to her six children, Teresa (Chris), Maureen, Tom (Suzanne), Kevin, Mary (Nuri) and Tim (Mary Anne). Beloved grandmother and great grandmother. Mom was a force to be reckoned with. She had three loves in her life, her husband, her family and the law. After graduating from the University of Toronto, mom attended law school at Osgoode Hall. Mom was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1945. She married Ed in 1949 and after his death in 1965 returned to the practice of law and continued to practice until her late 80s maintaining her law licence until her death. You could never call mom a pioneer but she was her whole life. She was the first female night librarian at the Great Library, Osgoode Hall and was within the first 100 women called to the Bar in Ontario. She was one of the few female lawyers of her generation who practised law. Mom served her clients and community well. She was determined, hardworking, dedicated and was fiercely loyal to her family and friends. She will be missed. A special thank you to the staff at Nisbet Lodge, especially Maricel, Sheila, Caroline, Nena and Nneka. Visitation and Service at Giffen Mack, 2570 Danforth Avenue, Toronto. Visitation on May 4th, 2-4 p.m. and 7-9pm. Service on May 5th at 11 a.m. Reception to follow. Donations in Jean’s memory can be made to Nisbet Lodge, Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.