It is with sadness that we share the passing of Una Kelly Villiers (nee Adamson). Una and Ken met on the skating rink when they were 16 years old and they were married for 59 years. Una adored her daughter Krista (Allen) and she cherished her granddaughters Hannah and Sarah.

Una was born in Scotland and immigrated to Canada with her courageous parents, Janet and Robert Adamson, and her older sister Janet (Bohme). At eleven years old and with a thick accent, the transition was hard, but it laid the foundation for Una’s strong, and kind persona. After high school, Una gathered in an auditorium full of newly hired Toronto School Board teachers where the speaker said, “Raise your hand if you play the piano. Follow me. You are going to teach Kindergarten”. Una was young and inexperienced, but she could play the piano beautifully, and she was smart, committed, creative and intuitive when it came to young learners, and with that combination, she quickly evolved into an extremely talented and highly respected primary educator. During her career, she was a teacher at Gledhill, Duke of York, Jackman, and Rose Avenue Public Schools and then she shared her wisdom as a leader when she became a Consultant and then the Vice Principal at Regent Park School. Una proudly finished her career as the Coordinator of Early Childhood Education, responsible for programming and curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade Three. She was a passionate believer in child-centred learning and she advocated fiercely for children. In retirement , Una continued to impact learners by lecturing in the Early Years Department at York University and TMU (formerly Ryerson).

While working full time, Una attended the University of Toronto to earn an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology, followed by a Masters Degree and Doctoral coursework in Education at OISE. Una was the author of “Luk Mume, Luk Dade, I Kan Rit” and she coauthored “Multi-Age Grouping” as well as “Journey to Literacy”. She often laughed that none of her books would “make the best seller list”, but she was proud of how they were received by the education community. Throughout her career, she led countless seminars and workshops and presented to packed rooms at conferences across Canada and the US. Following her sessions, there was always a line of participants eager to convey their appreciation for her knowledge, passion and inspiration.

Una travelled the world with Ken and her family. She showed grace on the ski hill and tennis court, and she could figure out any knitting pattern. She loved fresh flowers, devoured books and films, and enjoyed fine food and cold Pino Grigio. She found comradery in the retired teacher’s choir and she was forever “the idea person”. People always remarked that she looked sharp in her beautiful silk scarves and fashionable hat collection.

Over the past several years, Una has struggled with her health and we are grateful that she is at peace. She will be sorely missed by friends and dear family, including Sandy, Terilyn, Karey and their crew, and Karine and her clan. We thank you all for your love over the years, and especially in the final days.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Breakthrough T1D, formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. A link for donations can be found at the top of this page.

The family will have a private service with a celebration of life to follow in the Spring.