Doreen Agnes Cole

Doreen Agnes Cole

Born May 24, 1929     Died May 18, 2020 (Victoria Day)

Doreen was known by many names, Dor, Dodie, Queen Doreen but most lovingly, Mother and Nana. Doreen passed peacefully and lovingly, surrounded by her children in Huntsville, Ont. on May 18 - the Victoria Day holiday - at the age of 90.

The youngest of  10 children born to Frederick Phillip Bentley and Edna Simms (nee. Hatewig Marie Agnes Ziehm). Doreen grew up in Toronto’s east end attending school until the age of 16, when she left school to work at the Simpson Sears’ Department Store. Doreen was passionate about life and those passions ran hot when it came to music and dance. As a teenager she regularly attended dancehalls throughout Ontario, eventually meeting her soon-to-be husband, Kenneth Douglas Cole, Sr. at the Palais Royale in Toronto. The two were married shortly after.

Burgeoning with entrepreneurial spirit, Doreen and Doug went on to open George’s Spaghetti House and other restaurants that changed the fabric of the Toronto music scene for the better part of 40 years.  She travelled the world, became an accomplished skier and tennis player and most of all embraced all that life offered her. She was fashionable, determined, conservative, adventurous, traditional and committed — all while putting her biting wit to good use. She was always ready with a joke, a punchline or snippet of sarcasm. It’s a gift she passed down to her family.

For it was in family that Doreen found the most joy. A mother of three to Brenda Lee, Kenneth Douglas, Jr. and Jeffrey Frederick, she became grandmother to a gaggle of grandchildren including Kim, Kara, Ryan, Amanda, Jesse, Sophia, Scott, Patrick and Sarah. She was great-grandmother to even more children including Graham, Heather, Spencer, Kate and Ella. All of whom lovingly knew her as ‘Nana’. On behalf of her family she was a powerful advocate, imbuing them with a love for life, food, family and music. Her family meals were legendary, drawing her large family from across Ontario and Canada. Doreen’s home was a gathering place for the Cole and Jones and Ferguson families, with her grandchildren regularly spending nights sleeping over at Nana’s where she would dote upon them with toys and her speciality egg breakfasts.

Later in life, Doreen moved to Peterborough, Ont. a place that became entrenched in her heart. There she discovered what would become one of her lifelong passions and lead her on adventures throughout Canada and abroad: hiking. Doreen became president of the Peterborough Hiking Club, making new friendships that nurtured and supported her throughout the rest of her life.

Fiercely independent, Doreen lived alone by choice, but always chose to live close to her family. She spent years in Peterborough before moving to Bowmanville to be closer to her daughter Brenda, her granddaughter Amanda and her granddaughter Kim whose family helped in taking care of her during that time.

In her golden years, Doreen was challenged with Dementia. As the illness progressed, she realized that living independently was no longer an option and moved into an apartment attached to her son Kenneth’s home in Huntsville, Ont. There she would spend the last six-and-a-half years of her life. Huntsville became a new chapter in her life that was rich with laughter and experience. She was active in the community, making new friends and companions as she went along. An avid reader, she never went a day without her beloved Toronto Sun (formerly the Telegraph). She loved words and could always be found in the early morning hours with a cup of black coffee, fastidiously going over the daily crossword. On the days the Sun didn’t publish, Doreen would settle for the Toronto Star - which she lightheartedly called “a liberal rag” and it’s puzzle pages. 

She attended senior’s programming and did so with the support of loving caregivers, each of whom became an integral part of her care and her friendships. Cindy, Jenna and then Christine, who spent her last four years as her PSW and whom she had great affection for.

Doreen became a part of the local tapestry in Huntsville from handing out candy to the 'kiddos' at the Tiny Tots parade on Halloween to soaking up the sun as she waited for her drive from Al’s Taxi to take her to her program with The Friends. Doreen’s later life was filled with the kindness and community of a small town. She was known and adored and kept safe. Her beloved daughter-in-law, Catherine Cole, provided immeasurable care that ensured her final days were filled with laughter, meaning and love. 

On March 5, 2020, Doreen’s health declined. She spent two weeks in the Huntsville Hospital due to an infection before being discharged into a world turned pandemic. As her health failed her, her sense of humour never did. Eternally an optimist, she kept the jokes coming until the day she died, surrounded by family, in her own home, as she had wanted. Doreen lived life her own way and in her final weeks she was able to continue to do so with the incredible support of the caregivers from Carepartners, Paramed and the palliative care team at  Hope Hospice.  Dr. Adam McClure provided her family with incredible guidance and kindness. Doreen’s life was rich, full bodied and effervescent. She will be sorely missed and remembered. Her humour will live on.

Doreen requested no funeral service, instead asking that donations be made in her name to the Huntsville Hospice.