Valerie Lawson

A visitation for Valerie will be held Monday, September 12, 2022 from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM at Giffen-Mack and Trull Funeral Home, 2570 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4C1L3. A funeral service will occur Tuesday, September 13, 2022 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM at St. John's Parish, 786 Kingston Road, Toronto, ON M4E 1R7.

In the early morning of September 5, 2022, Valerie died peacefully in the palliative care unit at St. Michael’s Hospital.. She died knowing that she was well loved by her family and friends.

Valerie was born in Toronto on December 15, 1950, to her loving parents, Olive and Stanley Lawson (predeceased). While an only child, she also loved by grandparents, uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces. She lived her entire life in the south-east end of Toronto (Leslieville, Riverdale and the Beaches).

Valerie’s elementary and high school education was in the Catholic system at St. Joseph’s School on Leslie Street and St. Joseph’s College School on Wellesley Avenue near Queen’s Park. She achieved a BA from the University of Toronto and a LLB from Osgoode Hall, York University. Valerie practiced law at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General in Civil Litigation.

Prior to practicing law, Valerie worked as a Constituency Assistant for John Gilbert, New Democratic Party (NDP) MP and Bob Rae, NDP MP. In addition to the NDP, Valerie was very active in community groups such as the Woodgreen Centre and Greater Riverdale Organization (GRO). It was through her involvement in the NDP that Valerie met Calvin Johansson at a victory party for Marian Bryden, NDP MPP in 1977 and who she married in 1982 much to his delight.

Valerie believed in maintain ongoing fitness of mind, body and soul. During her lifetime, Valerie was a constant reader with a focus on crime fiction by such authors as Peter Robinson, Ann Cleeves, Ian Rankin, Camilla Lackberg and Henning Mankell. She enjoyed live theatre at Tarragon Theatre, Canadian Stage, Factory Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille and the Toronto Fringe Festival.

Valerie achieved a brown belt from the Toronto Academy of Karate and Judo and was an alpine skier who skied at various resorts in the Alps, Whistler, B.C. and Stowe, Vermont. She maintained on-going fitness with regular fitness classes at the Beaches Recreation Centre and Birchmount Bluffs Recreation Centre. She was passionate about her Zumba classes with Edgar Uribe.

Valerie attended the Mariposa Folk Festival and Owen Sound Folk Festival many times and was proud to say that she saw the Beatles both times they performed in Toronto. Besides the Beatles, her favourite musicians were Gordon Lightfoot, B.B. King, Joni Mitchell and K.D. Lang. She also attended many concerts by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Royal Conservatory of Music and Kingston Road United Church.

Valerie and Calvin had 45 wonderful years together (1977 to 2022) in which they created a feminist, democratic socialist and Catholic home including the birth of Ian in 1991. She, in partnership with Calvin, experienced the highs and lows of raising a son. Valerie was extremely proud of Ian’s growth into a fine person as an artist and welder. She also was happy and proud of Ian’s life partner, Laura Perkins, who is an elementary school, French immersion teacher.

While raising Ian, Valerie was a very active volunteer in many community activities such as serving on the executive of the East End Community Health Centre which grew from a single house on Kingston Road into a large, multi-discipline health centre at the corner of Coxwell Avenue and Queen Street in Toronto. She also was on the executive of the Toronto Beaches Lacrosse Club and headed up many different activities at St. Denis School on Balsam Avenue.

Valerie was a dedicated parishioner of St. John’s Parish in Toronto and fulfilled many different roles such as children’s liturgy leader, provider of vast numbers of baked goods to the Good Shepherd Centre and Catholic Women’s League bake sale and welcoming greeter. She was a practicing Catholic who believed that the full equality of women and men is necessary for justice in the Church according to Jesus Christ.

Valerie will be deeply missed by her husband, Calvin Johansson, her son, Ian Lawson, her cousins, Julie Battaglia and Brian Pickering and their children, and her life-long friends, Valerie Chaplin and Joanne Lombardo.

The funeral mass for Valerie is at 12 Noon on Tuesday, September 13 at St. John’s Catholic Church at 794 Kingston Road, Toronto

There will be a closed casket visitation on Monday, September 12 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm at Giffen-Mack and Trull Funeral Home, located at 2570 Danforth Avenue, Toronto. A vigil will be held during the visitation at 7:30 pm with Father John-Mark Missio. Vigil will be for about 15 to 20 minutes.

In lieu of flowers, you are invited to make a donation to the Good Shepherd Ministries at the web site: Homeless Shelter - Good Shepherd Ministries or make a donation to your local women’s shelter such as: The Second Chance Foundation – Toronto Womens Support Group – Non-Profit Organization

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.giffenmackdanforth.com for the Lawson family.