Deirdre was born on April 5, 1944 in Hastings, England to Sidney Hunt, a Canadian soldier, and Joyce, his English bride. Her brother Ian was born the following year. At the end of the war, the family moved to Canada, sailing to Halifax on the Queen Mary and settling in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Deirdre attended O.M. McKillop public school and Richmond Hill High School. She later went to teacher’s college and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from York University in English and Psychology. She taught elementary school for many years in the Etobicoke Board of Education, the Dufferin-Peel Roman Catholic Board of Education, and the York Region Board of Education. She was a longtime member of the congregation at Richmond Hill United Church.
Following her retirement from teaching, she lived for several years in Bancroft, Ontario and Peterborough, Ontario, making many friends along the way and immersing herself in the active arts culture in those communities. In 2023 she moved to Toronto to be closer to her family.
Deirdre died at Humber River Hospital in Toronto from complications following a fall, five days before what would have been her 81st birthday. She is survived by her daughter Kate Enros (Madhava), her grandsons Elliot and Ossian, and her brother Ian Hunt (Lynne). In accordance with her wishes she was cremated and buried at Elgin Mills Cemetery alongside her parents and her grandmother.
A memorial service for Deirdre will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at Richmond Hill United Church (10201 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill).
If you would like to make a donation in honour of Deirdre, please consider giving to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Canadian Mental Health Association. Both organizations provided support to Deirdre in the later stages of her life.