Dorothy Margaret Turnbull

Dorothy Margaret Turnbull, aged 82, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on Thursday, February 22, 2024. Dody, as she was known to her friends and family, is survived by her children, Samantha Webb (Stephen Condrey) and Simon Webb (Parisa Foster), and two beloved grandchildren, Sterling Foster-Webb and Jasmine Foster-Webb. She is dearly missed by her three siblings, Janet Allan (Fred Augerman), Judith Turnbull, and James Turnbull (Sue Clarke), and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, Robert and Mabel (Sutherland) Turnbull, and by her husband, James Anthony (Tony) Webb, and her life partner, Ainslie Kerr.

Dody was born in Montreal, and grew up in Beauharnois, Qc. Always a thoughtful and creative child, she loved writing stories and songs, often on the topics of hockey, baseball, adventure, and space travel featuring strong female characters. She attended Beauharnois Intermediate School and the Gault Institute in Valleyfield, after which she attended McGill University, graduating with a degree in History in 1961. After graduation, she was trained in McGill’s Library Science program, and went to work in the Canadian National Railway library. She later moved into the Editorial Research Section of the Public Relations Department (which became the Public Affairs and Advertising Department) at CN. In that role, she prepared press releases, wrote articles for internal and external publications, corresponded with media organizations and government, and wrote speeches for leaders in the company.

In 1964, she married Tony Webb. They raised their two children in Ville St-Laurent, Qc, and separated in 1983.

After her retirement from CN in 1991, Dody moved to Ottawa with Ainslie Kerr, and freelanced in corporate communications, and later as an editor of academic books for Oxford University Press and McGill-Queen’s University Press, among others. She continued her editing work until a few weeks before her passing.

Each summer, she, her sisters, and their families spent time at the family cottage in Muskoka, ON, creating an environment where members of many generations would grow up close to their extended family. Over the years, Dody acted as the family archivist, preserving photos, letters, personal items, and records from generations past. Thanks to these efforts, she created an invaluable legacy for her family that will maintain their connection to the past. She was known as invariably kind, smart, and interested in the world and events. She leaves behind a large, loving extended family.

A celebration of Dody’s life will be held in Beauharnois at a later date.