Gillian Helen Richardson

Gillian Richardson (née Kyle) slipped away unexpectedly but peacefully in her sleep on December 3, 2025. Beloved mother to Kyle (Cathy), James, and Kerry (Jason) and spouse to John. She adored her grandkids Charlotte and Jack, to whom she was always known as “Horsey Granny” from her piggyback horsey rides when they were small.

Mom was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland to Helen and Phillip and was the baby sister to Lorna and Brenda. A petite (or wee as they say back home) girl, she was feisty, spirited, and big on personality. She excelled in sports, from her early days of playing cricket on the street and later with letters in track (a Northern Ireland discus record holder for a spell), field hockey, through to Canada and her beloved tennis. Many of her fondest memories were of her annual girl’s tennis weekend in Muskoka with the Golden Slammers.

Education was always important to the family, going back at least as far as her own granny graduating from the University of Cambridge. Mom graduated in Pharmacy from Queen’s University Belfast. It was at school she met John Richardson, and shortly thereafter they married and moved to Canada. Gillian worked at several pharmacies in Bracebridge and loved a good chat with her customers as they came in to pick up their scripts.

One of her greatest loves was music. She met Van Morrison in her teen years in Belfast, although she did not think he was much to look at, or have much promise. Her very first concert was the Beatles, but she deemed them over-rated and did not see what all the fuss was about. She did, however, love the Rolling Stones as soon as she heard them and thought that Keith Richards the best. Her favorite concert was a 2008 AC/DC show. Her taste was eclectic to say the least, over the years attending concerts by Blue Rodeo, Kris Kristofferson, Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, Beach Boys, Rush, Sloan, The Ramones, Pearl Jam, Jimmy Buffet and on and on. Another great love was sports cars, especially her infamous “Batmobile” a Mazda RX-8 that she might have occasionally got up to 200 km/h (but very carefully she would say). She always had a tennis racket or two in the car and her favorite music blaring.

Mom’s zest for life never dimmed as she grew older. Rather than battling the crowds and traffic for the live shows and sports events she loved so much, she enjoyed watching concerts online. She continued to devour books (Stephen King being her clear favourite), chat to her friends across the pond, watching her Roger Federer play tennis, and the Toronto Maple Leafs break her heart again and again.

As we say goodbye to Mom, consider some of her adages, “Always aim higher than you think you may get to” and “Treat everyone you meet as you would want to be treated”. Finally, from her favourite song and mantra, “Me and Bobby McGee” by Kris Kristofferson (woe be unto you if you referred to that as a Janis Joplin song): “Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose.”

The family welcomes visitors to Reynold’s Funeral Home on Friday, December 12 between 2pm and 4pm and 6pm and 8pm. A celebration of life will be held in the spring. In her memory (and her beloved cats over the years, particularly Patrick O'Shaughnessy), please consider a donation to the Ontario SCPA and Humane Society.