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Denise "Gubby" Armour
January 8, 1921 - October 21, 2015
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<div itemprop="description">Eve Denise &ldquo;Gubby&rdquo; Armour, ne&eacute; Arnoldi <br /> <br />Jan 8, 1921 &ndash; Oct 21, 2015 <br /> <br /> Gubby passed away peacefully at Kensington Gardens in Toronto on October 21, surrounded by loving caregivers. Gubby was born in England on January 8th, 1921 and raised in Toronto where she attended Bishop Strachan School. She served proudly as a WRN in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. <br /> <br /> She was predeceased by her 3rd husband David Armour in 2009. She and David had a long and happy marriage of 36 years. They had many adventures together and both shared a love of music, the outdoors, and animals. David welcomed Gubby and her children into the fabulous Armour family and she loved attending their &ldquo;cousins by the dozens&rdquo; events. <br /> <br /> Gubby was an accomplished horsewoman and with her first husband, Dr. Jack Chassels, became a well-known fixture in the world of show-jumping, fox hunting, endurance riding, and thoroughbred racing. She was respected by horse professionals for her encyclopaedic knowledge of thoroughbred bloodlines and her keen eye for horse conformation. Gubby had a reverence and fascination for the great thoroughbred racehorses. She was one of the very few people who could claim that she had stood in the stall with Man o&rsquo; War, Northern Dancer, and Secretariat. <br /> <br /> She was also a gifted horse artist. Her family and friends eagerly looked forward to her creative hand-drawn Christmas cards every year. <br /> <br /> Gubby travelled around the world with her second husband Maxwell Bruce, in his role as President of the Canadian Red Cross. She went on safari in Africa, skied the Alps and attended the Olympics in Mexico, cheering the Canadian Equestrian team to a gold medal. <br /> <br /> Gubby loved to talk about her adventures after her discharge from the Navy, when she hitchhiked in her WRNs uniform out to Hollywood, where she was amorously pursued by Errol Flynn! <br /> <br /> On the morning of May 30th, 1974, Gubby was struck by a fast-moving car while riding her horse Burnamthorpe on a stretch of Leslie street near Leitchcroft farm. Her left leg was shattered and eventually had to be amputated after a long fight in hospital. Despite this traumatic life-changing event, Gubby exhibited tremendous courage and determination. Through the help of the Community Association for Riding for the Disabled, Gubby learned to ride a horse again with an artificial leg. <br /> <br /> She also joined the TRACK 3 ski program and became a very competent downhill skier. She also enjoyed sailing and swimming with her beloved husband David. <br /> <br /> Gubby, with her faithful horse Sunspot, astonished her friends by rejoining the Toronto North York hunt as a regular &ldquo;hill-topper.&rdquo; With the help of good friends Andrew Dalnoki and Erik Herbermann, she continued to improve her equestrian skills by studying dressage. <br /> <br /> In her later years, Gubby loved travelling to see her horse Remington at Jennifer Day&rsquo;s barn in Stouffville. She loved telling the young riding students about her many adventures as a horsewoman. If the kids were lucky, she would sketch them a brilliant portrait of their favourite horse on the spot. <br /> <br /> Gubby led a long, colourful life. She loved wine, dancing and music. She didn&rsquo;t know the meaning of the word &ldquo;quit.&rdquo; She was an inspiration to others with her positive outlook and courage. She will be sadly missed by her family: Celia, Ian, Jeremy, John Peter, Cameron, Robin, Karen, Dylan, Tanya, Gabriel, Richard, Carol, Shaun, Sid, Finn, Zuzu, Michelle, Moira, Rod, Aiden, Sheila, George, Katrina, Wesley, Anne, Jim, Aaron, Chloe and Andrew, her many friends, and all those who knew her. Thank you to all the staff at Kensington Gardens, and caregivers Donna,Beth, Lilia, Tshering, Mercy, Amy and Lodoe. You are extraordinary people and Mum loved you all. <br /> <br /> In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Community Association for Riders with Disablities, and the Ontario Humane Society. <br />CARD: Donate online at http://card.ca/support-card/donate/ or phone 416-667-8600 <br />Ontario Humane Society: ontariospca.ca or call 1-888-668-7722 <br /> <br /></div>