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Farewell to Four Stalwarts from the Class of ’51

The community lost a fine quartet of alums

BY JANET SAILIAN

The Class of 1951 bid farewell to four cherished alums in 2022: Charlotte CAMPBELL Hector, Lynn DIBBLEE Pengelley, Ann GILDAY McBride and Mary WILKINSON Angus. All met when they entered Branksome in Grade 7, and each remained friends with past Branksome Principal (1974–93) Allison ROACH’51.

Allison observed of her late friends: “They are bound together by their sense of humour, love of Branksome and participation in co-curricular activities, including music and sports. Charlotte and Ann had a special relationship, as they were cousins. Not only were we friends at school, but we travelled across Canada and Europe together and kept our friendship throughout our lives.” Charlotte, Ann and Mary graduated Nursing together from the Toronto General Hospital.

Charlotte was a proud graduate of Branksome Hall, where she served as a Prefect and, later, on the Honorary Alumnae Executive.

With husband Richard “Ian” Hector, Charlotte raised three children, two of them Branksome alums: Catherine HECTOR Crockford’76 and Andrea HECTOR Matthews’80, as well as Richard Hector (Kim). Charlotte always commented that having grandchildren was worth having children for, and she was blessed to have five grandchildren, whom she adored.

In 1989, Charlotte and Ian moved into their dream home in Thornbury, Ontario. Charlotte’s skills and passion as a gardener were on display for everyone to enjoy. She also loved music, which brought her peace and joy, particularly in her later years as she struggled through Alzheimer’s disease.

Lynn (Sally) was a curious free thinker, fiercely independent, strong and a survivor. A tireless social advocate, she helped anyone she saw as wronged or vulnerable, and fought to change rules she saw as unjust.

Her career spanned more than 40 years, including positions as a geologist at Imperial Oil, a teacher in Toronto, an executive with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and chair of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Board.

Ann served as Head Prefect at Branksome in her graduating year. Her husband, David McBride, wrote the following tribute to his wife:

“Her lifelong friends from Branksome included Allison ROACH’51 and Mary WILKINSON Angus’51, among many others. She was picked by Miss Read as her year’s leader, for good reason, and was a true advocate for the school all of her life. She was a gem. She will be remembered by her family and many lifetime friends for her genuineness, compassion, sense of humour and comradeship.” Her love of life included music, theatre, sports and travel, but especially her 71 years spent with family at the cottage.

Ann was proud to be the mother of five, grandmother of 13 and great-grandmother to seven (with an eighth one on the way).

Mary was proud to count herself in the second of four generations of women who attended Branksome Hall—a school to which she remained devoted all her life. Her mother-in-law Dillwyn WARREN Angus’22, daughter Claire ANGUS’83, and granddaughters Findlay CAPLAN’12 and Tillie CAPLAN’14 were part of this proud lineage.

Mary served as a Prefect, a Reunion representative and on the Honorary Alumnae Executive. She was a true ambassador for the school, persuading classmates and other alums to return for Reunion. She formed many lifelong friendships during her time as a student at Branksome, and later at Toronto General Hospital while training to be a nurse.

An energetic and enthusiastic volunteer who stayed physically active all her life, Mary enjoyed many sports at Branksome—especially swimming—and was delighted when the Athletics and Wellness Centre featured state-of-the-art new swimming pools.

Mary and Allison Roach together started the choir at Branksome, says Allison. “We asked the question why we didn’t have a choir,” said Allison, “and so we went to the music teacher and principal and started one.” R

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