With heavy hearts, the family shares news of the peaceful passing of Verna Mae Williamson on May 6, 2025. While we feel our loss keenly, we’re comforted in the knowledge that she struggles no more.

Verna was born in Newmarket, Ontario on Oct. 22, 1930 to John Thomas Shier and Alice Maude Fletcher. She joins her siblings, Wes, Linda, Carm, June, Trevor and Gwen in the hereafter.

In her twenties, she moved to Edmonton where she met her future husband, Gordon Dean Williamson. Plans for their marriage began after he proposed under a streetlight in the rain. A few years after their wedding in 1958 at the home church of the bride’s parents, Dean & Verna began their family with son Scott (Esperanza), followed by Brent (predeceased) and Todd (Janna). The birth of Todd’s son, also named Brent, blessed Verna with the experience of being a grandmother and that happiness was multiplied with the addition to the family of Marjorie (Kevin), Stefanie (Phil), Ricki and Marco. This wonderful woman brought so much to the lives of many in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. These may be too many to name but were never too many for her to love.

The Great Depression and World War 2 formed the backdrop of Verna’s childhood. She recalled standing in long lines on behalf of her mother to buy rationed foods for the family, and the excitement of all the people in the streets the day they heard that the war was finally over. Despite the chaos of those years, her young life was full of usual things like fun and fights with siblings, favourite teachers and family gatherings.

In the early years of her marriage Verna was a nurse but when the family moved to Ontario in the summer of 1967 circumstances made a career change necessary so she worked at the Dominion grocery store in Brampton and remained with the company until she retired.

Never one to spend much time being still, Verna pursued many interests. She took up singing in her early teens, performing in a trio with lifelong friends Pearl Sparks Shelly and Noreen Greenwood Hicks. She revealed her creative talents during ceramic classes and in weaving lawn chairs, among other crafty endeavours. Travel was always one of her favourite things and she enjoyed many trips with family and friends, including several with the woman she considered her kindred spirit, Joan Shinn Macdonald.

One interest that caught her attention later in life was baseball. She never missed a televised game and attended many in person including one when she had the chance to cheer her boys on from a room at the Marriott City Centre Hotel. To say she became obsessed would be an understatement, although she did reserve the right of refusal to wear a ball cap, even when she received one free of charge. With her passing the Jays – and especially her favourite player, Vladi Guerrero Jr. – have lost their number one fan.

Everyone who knew Verna knew of her love of God and the church community. She credited His plan for her and His promises with helping her through times of tremendous difficulty and sorrow, such as the losses of Brent in 1969 and Dean in 1995. The dedication she felt to her faith had its roots in her introduction to Rev. Leonard Sparks when she was fifteen and her family changed churches. She had previously been taught that many of the enjoyable things in life were tools of the devil but Rev. Sparks’ leadership provided opportunities through music and youth fellowship for her to see that her relationship with the Lord was cause for celebration.

As we mark her passing, we reflect on words once spoken by the aforementioned first baseman, Vladi, who said “Last year was the trailer. Now you guys are going to see the movie”. Her life was without doubt a trailer that drew people to it and now that she’s advanced to the feature presentation we feel assured that she has the best seat in the house.

The family invites you to share in some of the moments of Verna’s life by viewing a collection of photos assembled online. Please visit https://albums.memento.com/Verna2025.

A Celebration of Life will take place at Altona Road Community Church, 1367 Altona Rd, Pickering on Saturday May 17 at 3:00 p.m. with visitation beginning prior to the service at 1:00 p.m.

 NORTHCUTT ELLIOTT FUNERAL HOME