$30,000 DONATION TO ROTARY BURSARY FUND FOR LIDDLE
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
GRAVENHURST — Dorothy Liddle’s long life will live on in the lives of Gravenhurst students thanks to her family and good friends.
Celebrations of life have been significantly impacted by COVID-19.
But Liddle’s passing did not go un-noticed in a big way by those who knew the Gravenhurst resident and retired Lake Muskoka cottager.
Her family and friends gifted $30,000 to the Rotary Bursary Endowment Fund in her memory.
And more donations are still coming in.
The stories of Liddle’s life — as told by those close to her at her recent funeral in Toronto spoke of her attending North Toronto Collegiate, working alongside her loving husband Bob at their RV business in Waterdown and her second life with a caring Norm Rippon — could not be heard in the chapel of any church or funeral home today.
Unable to follow tradition, they have taken to Facebook, Instagram and other online venues to share their sorrow and memories.
They also had an alternative — choosing to contribute to a cause that would memorialize her name forever, says Rotarian Ken Little who chairs the large and impressive growing Rotary community educational fund.
A family friend proposed a ‘Stand Alone Bursary’ to be known as the Dorothy Liddle Memorial Bursary be set up in the Rotary Bursary Endowment Fund, said Little in a release this week announcing the generous donation.
He said on learning of the gesture, Liddle’s daughter, Debbie Kerwin, reminisced; ‘In the mid-40s just after the war, many families like my mom’s were cash-strapped. So going off to university wasn’t an option.
“I know that she would be so pleased to be able to provide a young person with the opportunity that she never had.”
The donation to the Bursary Fund will result in a student of a local family in financial need, receiving a gift in her name of $1,500 each year.
A short story of Dorothy Liddle will be included with the notice of the student’s award, thus her name, her story and memory will live on with someone new each year.
“This is a wonderful contribution and comes at an appropriate time as students are struggling with the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it may affect their studies and financial needs,” added Little.
“Students are not sure if their courses be online or virtual? Will they be attending classes as usual and need both travel and accommodation? Will study materials be on the internet or is there still a substantial financial cost for books?
“The Corona Virus has changed students’ lives in many ways including the availability of summer jobs. Jobs are harder to find and even the Town of Gravenhurst chose not to provide their usual student summer job support.
“We knew Dorothy — and during difficult circumstances for the family and in a pandemic aura it is uplifting to have those close to her recognize a need and offer to support others.
“She would have been very proud of them and grateful for this thoughtful memorial to her life,” said Little.
Email mark@muskokatoday.com
Celebrating 25 YEARS of ‘Local Online Journalism’
Follow us at Twitter @muskokatodaily. And on Facebook at mclairmont1
Leave your comments at end of story.
Letter to the Editor: news@muskokatoday.com
Subscribe for $25 at https://muskokatoday.com/subscriptions
