Dorothy Ann Bird

In her 81st year after a lengthy illness; beloved wife of Lorne Bird; selfless mother of Lorri (Richard), Greg (Connie), Arlene (Jim), Jenny (Kevin), Jeff (Louise), and Larry (Susan); devoted Nanny to Brandon (Candace), Sarah ( Adam), Brittni, Caitie, Alex, Maddie, Victoria, Callum, Ryan, Brooke, and Sienna. Dear sister of Berniece and Irene; predeceased by siblings Marie, Margaret, and Tom. Dear sister-in-law of Barbara Bird and predeceased by brother-in-law Bob Bird. Special aunt to numerous nieces and nephews. Dorothy was a skilled and avid bowler; she was a natural athlete who graced tennis courts and golf courses with her competitive fire. Dorothy lavished attention on her grandchildren and their pets. She will be fondly remembered for her laughter, neighbourly compassion, enjoyment of family celebrations, late night reading sessions, and her amazing butter tarts, lemon meringue pies, and oatmeal cookies. Dorothy was an enthusiastic employee of Eaton’s for over 15 years and starred on the lanes of Rouge Hill Bowl with “The Tuesday Ladies”. She maintained close ties with “The Girls in the Band” for parts of six decades, highlighted by euchre nights and luncheons. Visitation will be at Giffen-Mack Funeral Home & Cremation Centre "Scarborough", West Hill, ON.(one block west of Kingston Rd), (416) 281-6800, on Sunday, August ,17th 2014 from 2-4 PM and 6-8 PM. Funeral service will be conducted at Giffen-Mack’s Funeral Home Chapel on Monday, August 18th , 2014 at 10:30 AM. Interment will be at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Thornhill. In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested donations to the Scarborough General Hospital Palliative Care Unit . The family wishes to thank the nursing staff of Scarborough General Hospital Palliative Care Unit for their care, kindness, and compassion.

Greg's Speech at funeral service:

Spiritual, loving, kind, giving, smart and fun....Fearless, competitive, feisty, provocative, mischievous and cheeky.

These are some words that describe the dichotomy of our Mom.

I think we were all sort of in awe of her. She was kind of this beautiful force of nature that you rarely see - almost too good for this world.

Yes, our Mom was a natural athlete, but more than that she just loved to be amongst people, competing. Even in her final weeks when playing cards the competitive juices would start to flow - despite some serious health problems and numerous medications she was on - she just wanted to win. Our Dad's favourite pet name for her was 'Tieg', short for 'Tiger'.

Growing up with Mom we'd often see her just giddy with the sheer enjoyment of competing. I remember when playing anything with her it was always a challenge...and lots of fun.

Tennis, badminton, golf and especially bowling were some of the sports she excelled at. That glint in her eye and of course, that laugh after she'd make a great shot or win a point. We all remember that LAUGH !

It all seemed to be just instinct and her love to compete. Did she practice? no. Did she work out? no. Did she quit smoking? no. ...Imagine if she did...

And she always seemed to come out on top. For instance, it would only be a surprise if she didn't win high average in bowling every year...even into her seventies. It would both baffle and exasperate opponents, but not teammates. Talking with a fellow bowler recently she gushed "You just wanted to be on her team; she was always so much fun...and we'd always win!" And then as she aged you'd sometimes forget that athletic prowess but then be shocked back to reality when she would whack a clutch base hit up the middle or snatch a line drive at our annual Thanksgiving baseball game. The other thing is, our Mom was also always there for us when we needed her in life as well. To quote Mr. Lightfoot -'..she'd listen till she heard it all..'

I tried for the longest time to figure out why she would always win. I think it came down to 2 words with our Mom: Faith and Fun.

Faith of course was the 'X' factor. Let's face it, like all the Calow's she had the 'Big Guy' on her side all the time, Right?! A quiet faith in God and a faith and confidence in herself would always give her that steely focus with little or no ego involved. Now the 'Fun' part. She was always so loose and relaxed in the heat of battle because she was having so much fun.

You have to know she'll be up there with all the Angels playing all the sports she loved; challenging and engaging with her family and friends and just in general, having the time of her afterlife.

I see that enjoyment of life and competitive zeal in many of her Grandkid's eyes today. Cherish it and pass it on.....because you know where it came from.

Love, Greg