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Helen Margeretta Metcalfe (nee Porter)
February 10, 1916 - September 24, 2015
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<div itemprop="description">Remembering <br />Metcalfe, Helen Margeretta (nee Porter) <br /> <br />Helen passed peacefully on September 24th at Sunnybrook Veterans&rsquo; Residence in her 100th year. Daughter of the late George and Lillian Porter (Windsor); beloved wife of the late Major Robert William (Bob) Metcalfe; sister of the late S. George &ldquo;Bud&rdquo; Porter (Dora); survived by daughters Sharon and Sue (Richard Wah Kan); beloved &ldquo;Nan Nan&rdquo; of Jennifer, Robert, Liane (Andrew Beadon), Katherine &ldquo;Kate&rdquo;, Justin (Ryan) and Jeffrey; Great &ldquo;Nan&rdquo; of Naomi and Levi; favourite aunt of Dr. George (Bud) Porter (Susan) and family. <br /> <br />Born in Saskatoon on February 10, 1916, Helen grew up in Windsor, Ontario and graduated with her B.A. from McMaster University in 1939. In 1941 she received her Diploma in Physiotherapy from the University of Toronto, then interned at Vancouver General Hospital and Montreal Memorial Children&rsquo;s Hospital, at the latter treating polio children. She joined the staff of Montreal General Hospital in 1942. In 1943 she enlisted in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corp and was assigned to the Ist Canadian General Hospital which served in England and Italy. She was one of three physios in the 600 bed hospital. <br /> <br />On October 28, 1944 she married Bob in Jesi, Italy &ldquo;twice in one day.&rdquo; Bob and Helen lived in Jamaica and England post war, but because of wartime shortages, in 1948 Helen brought her war &ldquo;groom&rdquo; and young daughter Sharon back to Canada. <br /> <br />Helen worked for the Canadian Red Cross, Canadian Arthritis Society and as Head of the Physiotherapy Department at Sydenham District Hospital (Wallaceburg) until retirement. <br /> <br />An avid horse rider, prom-goer, baseball coach, and swimmer in her youth, Helen was also a bridge player, house boater, world traveller, and writer of letters and lover of fashion. She enjoyed camping, and while her daughters were young, was a licensed camper for both Brownies and Girl Guides. Helen (along with Bob) helped to establish a group home in Wallaceburg and was an Honourary Life Member of Sydenham District Association for the Mentally Retarded. <br /> <br />Helen loved to travel and with Bob, co-hosted Veterans&rsquo; tours to Italy and Sicily, and for the 30th, 40th and 50th anniversaries of D-Day. She regularly spoke about her WWII experiences with students across the Ottawa area, was part of Encounters with Canada, a member of Nursing Sisters&rsquo; Association (Ottawa) and the Royal Canadian Legion, Branches 18 (Wallaceburg), 593 (Bell&rsquo;s Corners) and 638 (Kanata). <br /> <br />Helen lived by a strong personal creed and always put family first. She will be remembered for her integrity, elegance, graciousness, leadership, straight-forwardness, positive thinking, loyalty to friends, and sometimes strong opinions. <br /> <br />We sincerely thank Unitarian House (Ottawa), Dr. David Shergold and staff at Sunnybrook Veterans&rsquo; Residence (Toronto), and especially K3E staff and caregivers Arlene and Anna for exceptional care. <br /> <br />We are holding a celebratory gathering at Mount Pleasant Visitation Centre in Toronto. A Celebration of Life will be held in Ottawa on October 3, at 1 pm, reception to follow, at Beechwood Cemetery, 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa. Private family interment at Canada&rsquo;s National Military Cemetery: www.beechwoodottawa.ca. <br /> <br />In lieu of flowers, please donate to Helen`s favourite charities: <br /> <br />War Amps: www.waramps.ca/donation.html <br />or <br />The Salvation Army: www.salvationarmy.ca <br /></div>