Feminist trailblazing activist, writer and thinker, Eve Zaremba, died peacefully with the assistance of MAID, at home on October 8, lovingly held by her wife of 47 years Ottie Lockey. We will always remember her courage, determination, curiosity, and humor.

Born in 1930 in Kalisz, Poland, 9-year-old Eve fled to the UK after the outbreak of World War II and later emigrated to Canada, living in both Hamilton and Toronto, where she worked in marketing, advertising and at the public library before she turned to writing and became a central figure in Toronto’s women’s movement. We treasure our memory of her as a feminist activist imparting her wisdom, co-founding the Women’s Place in Toronto, the Lesbian Organization of Toronto, Women against Violence Against Women and the feminist newspaper Broadside.

Eve was a writer of vital importance to Canada’s feminist literary scene. Her first book, Privilege of Sex, published in 1974, unearthed mostly unknown Canadian Women authors who wrote from the 1830s to 1925 and whose works still resonate today. It will be reissued by McClelland and Stewart in the spring of 2027. She later wrote six groundbreaking mysteries, featuring Helen Keremos, the first ever fictional lesbian detective, who was as intelligent, direct and bluntly honest as was Eve herself. The first thriller A Reason to Kill was released by PaperJacks in 1978, and the next two in the series were released by Eve’s own publishing enterprise Amanita, which also issued Susan Crean’s The Sins of the Fathers and Susan G Cole’s Pornography and the Sex Crisis. The second book in the series, Work for a Million, was adapted by Amanda Deibert and illustrated by Selena Goulding as a graphic novel, published by McClelland & Stewart in 2022.

Ever devoted to the written word, Eve also ran the used bookstore Pelican Books on Harbord, creating space for, among other titles, the mysteries and feminist texts that she loved. In her memoir The Broad Side, she traced her family’s roots including her brother’s role in the Polish resistance and his survival of Auschwitz, her father’s service in the Polish Army under British Command, their emigration later to Canada as well as Eve’s essential activism.

As important was her impact as a lesbian role model and independent thinker. In the early 70s, when there were very few lesbians willing to be visible, Eve was out and proud, driving around in her cherished muscle car – she became a collector of hubcaps – and demonstrating to younger women how to live an authentic life. She also had life experience, in particular, seeing Fascism make its way to Poland, that informed her values and made her an astute analyst of world events.

Eve revelled in political conversation and debate, and her importance to Canada’s feminist movement cannot be denied, but she took pleasure in other pursuits. She loved the outdoors and camping. She built the cabin that she and Ottie lived in during their summer stays from 1989 to 2004 on Gabriola Island, British Columbia, a province, with its mountain and oceans, that Eve adored, and transformed and made livable the van the two of them rode on their wide-ranging trips through the U.S. and Canada. She loved Toronto, too, so much so that she liked to track every stage of the city’s major projects, and not just digitally. Even in her last years, she ventured several times down to the Portlands, for example, to assess the latest developments on the waterfront.

As a food lover and committed carnivore, Eve was an enthusiastic member of a meat-ending dinner club of feminist cultural workers whose boisterous discussions were truly epic. She was a creator, as well, fashioning boxed collections of both found and long-cherished objects, was famous for her soups (secret ingredient, pickle juice) and she had a bright green thumb, painstakingly tending to her potted plants, especially her orchids, for which she had a special hot spot.

But the delight Eve took in all of these things could not match the passion she had for her wife Ottie, with whom she shared her life for close to five decades. Her love was strong and unwavering. Fearless. Loyal. Wise. Funny. There won’t be another one like her.

Warm thank you to Clara Estanquiero, Faye Mishna, Myra Lefkowitz, Selena Goulding, Paulina Lyskawa, Madeleine Benjamin, Graham Ashby and Susan G. Cole for loving friendship and care. For funeral and shiva arrangements go to mountpleasantgroup.com. In lieu of flowers, consider donating to the Writers Union (writersunion.ca), Rise Up Feminist Archives (riseupfeministarchive.ca), Eybler Quartet (eyblerquartet.com), Tafelmusik (tafelmusik.org) or City Shul (cityshul.com).

Shiva - a period of visits, reflection and reminiscence - will take place at 609-980 Yonge St during the following times:

Friday 11-2
Saturday 7-9pm includes service
Sunday 11-2
Sunday 7-9pm includes service