Tributes
to
Canadian Quotarians
Tributes to
Canadian Quotarians
Canada Area, Districts 11 and 18, Quotarians mourn the passing of Past Canada Area Director, Donna Spicer, who succumbed today at the University Hospital, in London Ontario, after a lengthy and courageous battle. Donna was the owner of Donna’s Beauty Salon in Port Stanley. A Quotarian for many years, Donna served as District 18 Governor in 1993-1994 and as Canada Area Director from 1996 -1998. Donna also served for several years on the Helene MacKenzie and Past District 18 Governors’ Trust Fund. When her home club of St.Thomas dissolved, Donna remained active as a member-at-large. Friends will remember her will to live, her caring for others and her dedication to Quota’s development and growth as a Wanda Frey Joiner founder. Donna is survived by her sons Brad, John and Clint and their families, her sisters Anne and Janice and her sister-in-law Karen, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Our deepest sympathy goes out to Donna’s family and close friends. We all have lost a dedicated Quotarian and a strong advocate of Quota’s ideals, and a friend.
Vi Keenan - QI of Medicine Hat, Medicine Hat, AB
Violet Keenan of Lethbridge, Alberta Canada passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 4, 2009 at St. Michaels Palliative Care Unit. Vi is survived by her 12 children, and four generations of grand-children. Over the years, Vi either worked or taught in the Nursing field. Vi was a devoted Quotarian since 1981- serving in all aspects of the club, including District 11 Governor for the 1990-1991 term. Vi attended many conventions and most of the district conferences. She had an awesome collection of Quota pins and memorabilia which can atest to that. When Quota in Lethbridge disbanded, Vi joined the Medicine Hat club. This was a 2 hr. drive for her, and she attended as many meeting as possible until her health started to fail. The Medicine Hat members would drive to Lethbridge at least once a year for a meeting so as she could be with us. Vi was a gentle loving wife, mother, grand-mother, a dedicated teacher and friend to all. We will greatly miss her wit, her spirit of giving to young and old, her love for flowers, painting and her angels. We miss you, Vi.
This morning we pause for just a few minutes from our busy Conference schedule to remember those of our members, who since the last Conference, are no longer sharing their time, talents and resources with Quota. It is good to pause and think back on those who have crossed our Quota paths. Some have been long time members, some members for only a short time. Over the years, in Quota, we have often used candles for In Memoriam services, Initiations, and Installation of Officers. President Nancy Henderson will you light the candles for us. (LIGHT CANDLES)
You will note that the candles are all different. Some are short, some are tall, some are fat, some thin. Just like Quotarians. We come in different sizes and in different shapes. Quotarians share a unique “fellowship” that is hard to explain. Many have tried to figure it out over the years but have been unable to put their finger on what makes being a Quota member just a little different from belonging to other organizations. Is it our motto: ‘WE SHARE”? Is it our unified service projects? Is it because ‘WE CARE”. I don’t know the answer but I do know that being a Quota member is extra special and I am sure those we are remembering this morning thought so too.
I recently came across a couple of lines written by William Shakespeare ... “How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” The beams we are seeing from our candles reminds us of the fellowship we have shared with our departed friends, and the service and good deeds we shared together.
TODAY WE REMEMBER ........
From the OWEN SOUND CLUB ... Helen Taylor. She was one of their longest serving members. She joined in the 1960's. She served her club and community through her devotion to service. She brought her kindness to the membership.
From the GREY-BRUCE CLUB - SILVER ‘Q’ CLUB ... Christa Vaiciunas. She was a Charter member - they miss her smile and quick wit. |  |
 | From the ORILLIA CLUB ... Linda Lewis. I believe it was 1993 that she joined Quota. Linda had a tragic fall in her home on Jan. 14th. |
From the HAMILTON CLUB ... Mary MacLean who joined in 1976. Ill health kept her from being active in the past two years. |  |
 | From the MARIPOSA - SILVER ‘Q’ CLUB ... Mary Showers who joined Jan. 3rd, 2005. She participated where and when she could. She donated a week at her Time Share on the shores of Sparrow Lake for the 2007 International Auction. Her generosity helped greatly to make the auction a success. |
From the MARIPOSA - SILVER ‘Q’ CLUB ... Lillian Huffman. She joined Jan. 26th, 2000. Lil was the only person to answer a newspaper ad when the club was being organized. She was my neighbour and enjoyed being a Quotarian. |  |
 | From the MARIPOSA - SILVER ‘Q’ CLUB ... Yvonne Lacey. She joined Feb. 27th, 2002. She came up with many interesting games and quizzes to keep our minds active. She opened her home on several occasions for one of our social events. |
From the MARIPOSA - SILVER ‘Q’ CLUB ... Anne Fisher who attended and supported the Club project for several months before joining on May 22nd, 2007. Her lovely smile and enthusiasm will be missed at our meetings and events. |  |
Mariposa Silver Q members attended a celebration of the life of our member, Anne Fisher, just last Saturday. The poem I am going to read was included in the little memento we received. It is by Robert Louis Stevenson.
To have lived well, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
As we are different sizes and shapes - we also have come from different countries, different cultures, and different beliefs. I would like to share with you my favourite Psalm # 23:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. We are now going to extinguish the candles, but I know we will keep the memories of these Quotarians with us for a long, long time. Helen Macdonald | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weyburn Loses Long-time Member
 | Margaret Ferguson passed away peacefully on May 16, 2007 at the age of 85 after a valiant battle with cancer. She is missed by the Weyburn Quota Club of which Margaret was a dedicated member for 36 years. She had served at President, Vice-President and as chairman of countless committees. Margaret was the chairperson for the Member Care Committee for over 10 years. She kept track of everyone’s birthdays, anniversaries, faithfully visited anyone confined to hospital or home |
Margaret exemplified the true spirit of volunteerism and the Quota spirit of sharing, caring, compassion and friendship.
Quotarians Remembered Mary Showers | A very active 79 year old passed away on Saturday September 1, 2007 at her home in Orillia. She left behind four grieving children, their spouses and nine loving grandchildren. She was a wonderful Grandmother and many of us wished she had been ours! Mary had been with the Silver "Q" club for the past two and a half years and during that time volunteered for various committees, organized the schedule for the Kiwanis Music Festival and donated her timeshare for the Quota Auction. A very warm and caring individual and also very active within her community will be missed by her many friends.  |
 Lillian Huffman | Lillian loved life and loved to laugh and she will be missed by the Mariposa Silver "Q" members. When we were organizing the club, Lillian was the only person that responded to an ad placed in the newspaper. She did not join then becoming a charter member as she was going in for surgery. She did however join a few months later on Jan. 26th, 2000. During her time as a member she participated in all projects where she was able. She served as the Treasurer for two years and at the time of her death was a Director and in charge of World Service. Lillian died suddenly on Sept. 17th, 2007 just ten days short of celebrating her 70th birthday. Two day earlier she was busy counting and rolling the money for our Club-to-Club projects. |
Memory Time Tribute - District 18 Conference May, 2007
I have come to the conclusion that Quota is like a large beautiful bouquet and Quotarians are the individual flowers. We show the world, what we can be if we all work together. When we join the club we are nervous and keep out petals closed so that we don’t embarrass ourselves, and we don’t want to stand out or tread on anyone’s toes.
Then someone comes along and pushes us further into the bouquet and we get our feet wet, and from then on we blossom into the person we know that we can be. We show our bloom to the world and feel wonderful.
Occasionally the wind blows too strong and a flower looses all of its petals way to early, or it may live a full life and the petals fall gently until they are gone. Whichever way we leave the bouquet there is a void that can never be filled, we try to put another flower in the same place, but the arrangement never looks the same.
Over the years we have known some very beautiful flowers, and this bouquet represents them today, whether we knew them for a long time or a short time they live in our memory, the Evelyn Horne’s, Dorothy Gardner’s, Aileen Carter’s to name three who served Quota for more than 40 years.
This year we remember four members, Dawn Dunkley from Barrie, Eileen Free from Owen Sound, Esther Ballard Hunter originally from the Orillia Club and a Past District Governor, and Avalon Phoenix a Charter member of the Hamilton Club
I would like a member from each of their clubs to please come forward and put a flower in the bouquet. Lynda Crawford from Owen Sound, Fay Burnie from Mariposa, Anne Ollikainen from Barrie, and June Lockwood from Hamilton.
This is for those missing flowers both here and around the Quota world.
We walk through this life and help where we can,
Never knowing the length or course of its span.
We try and we dream to show that we care,
Hoping some will remember that we were there.
That we did our share of loving and giving,
No matter what it was that we did for a living.
If we leave our mark for others to see,
Surely that is all we can hope to be.
Evelyn Horne
We are deeply saddened to advise that on Monday, March 21, 2005 we lost a greatly loved and cherished member of the Quota Club of Ottawa Incorporated, District 18, Canada. Evelyn joined Quota in 1963, and has been an active member of our club for forty-two years.
She has filled the positions of Club President, Lt. Governor and Governor of District 18, and served on the International Board as Quota’s Vice-President of Canada from 1973 to 1974. Evelyn was a Wanda Frey Joiner Founder, a We Share Foundation Benefactor and she received the “Living Legend Award” from Quota International at Convention in 2004. Most recently she was our clubs Parliamentarian “extraordinaire” and Historian.
Evelyn’s journey started more than ninety-eight years ago in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her career took her from teaching in a one-room school in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to the provincial Secretary’s office where she came to the attention of Prime Minister Mackenzie King. In 1941, she joined his Secretariat in Ottawa. In the early 50’s Evelyn moved on to the Department of Citizenship and Immigration and finally to the National Film Board of Canada from which she retired at sixty-nine. When she was seventy-four, she came out of retirement to assume the position of Acting Director for the Canadian Hearing Society for one year.
Evelyn has been well recognized in her community for her involvement. She was President of the Youth Services Bureau and subsequently a transitional home for teens is named the “Evelyn Horne Residence”; on the Board of Directors for both the Canadian Hearing Society and the Capital Regional Centre for the Deaf; “Community Builder Award” from the United Way of Canada, and she was presented with the “Caring Canadian Award” from the Governor General of Canada, a very prestigious national award. This award is presented to individuals and groups whose unpaid, voluntary contributions provide extraordinary help or care to people in the community over a number of years.
Evelyn leaves behind her nieces and nephews, sixteen great-nieces and nephews, eleven great-great nieces and nephews, and all of her Quota family. She will be dearly missed by all of us.
