Obituary of Helen Edythe Ring
Helen Edythe Ring, aged 96, died November 30 at Brockville General Hospital. Born in Toronto, Ontario, she was the daughter of the late Jim and Ellen Andrews (nee Howarth). Helen was the loving mother of Kerstin (Michael), Jennifer, and Vanessa (John) and doting grandmother to Roman and Eva. She was predeceased by her son, Jim, and her brother Lorne Andrews. She also leaves behind cousin Vic Howarth, his wife Martha and numerous Young, Andrews and Ring nieces and nephews.
Born in 1927 in North Toronto, Helen attended Lawrence Park Collegiate. She made friends easily. In her high school years she joined the Toronto ski club with two girlfriends. Every Sunday in winter they would hitchhike to Richmond Hill with their skiis and spend the day on the slopes, often getting a lift home from the same people who drove them up, “back when you could do things like that.” She also loved weekend skiing trips to the Laurentians. As a teenager, during the summer Helen worked in cottage country in the service industry, and after graduating high school she worked as a teller at the Imperial Bank at Bloor and Yonge Streets in Toronto.
Helen met Ted Ring (d. 1973) at the Strathgowan Badminton Club in Toronto in 1953 and they married a year later. They settled on Toronto Island where Ted got a job teaching at the Island Public School. In August 1960 the Ring family moved to the small mining town of Nephton, Ont. (Peterborough) where Ted had a teaching job. By 1965 the family was back in Toronto and they moved to the Beaches in the east end of city in 1966. By this time Helen was on her own with four children, which was when her recently widowed mother moved in with her so that she could work full-time. In July 1969 Helen got an entry-level job at CIBC Wood Gundy where she stayed for 21 years, working her way up to manager of the coding department.
Helen loved having parties and hosted many throughout her years in her Beaches home. She always supported her children and grandchildren in their endeavours and welcomed their friends with open arms. She was a generous person and had a strong sense of justice and altruism. Helen also served as a role model for independent women, perhaps summed up best by someone who reached out to her daughter recently: “your mom gave me my first big break back in the 80s. Is she the Helen Ring who was the strong cigarette smoking, profane woman who always dressed like a million bucks and always laid it out straight-no-bullshit? If it is, boy, would I ever love to visit your mum and tell her how much she shaped my life. I’ve never forgotten her and I’d love to see her once again to thank her.” -A.Y.
A dynamic, creative soul, Helen radiated strength and vivacity. Witty, warm and a little bit wild, Helen was very much loved and will be very much missed.
Helen desired no funeral or memorial. If you wish to honour her memory you may donate to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada or a local charity of your choice. Arrangements have been entrusted to Barclay’s Funeral Home in Brockville.
Messages of condolence may be sent online at www.barclayfuneralhome.com.
