Ivy Rae Moody was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1929. The middle child of five siblings she was born into a family that valued education above all else. Hers was a mixed-race family of privilege and after boarding school in Jamaica, she was sent to Scotland to study medicine. In 1955, she graduated from the University of Aberdeen, having focused her studies on anesthetics. She had also met and fallen in love with her future husband. A year after their wedding, their son was born.

In rapid succession, the family returned to Jamaica but found the social unrest of the early sixties too daunting and eventually the family immigrated to Canada in 1964, settling into the Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood of Toronto.

Her marriage ended shortly after coming to Canada and while distantly supported by her husband, Ivy was a woman of colour raising a white child on her own, in Toronto of the ’60s and ’70s.

She continued her studies in medicine, requalifying as a Canadian physician before eventually becoming a Psychiatrist in 1971.

Ivy understood that as a woman, and particularly as a woman of colour, she had to excel in her profession to be taken seriously. Good enough simply wasn’t enough. And she did excel both in hospital settings and eventually in private practice.

She was determined to succeed despite the challenges of the times. Later she would recall that the racism she felt in those early years was often covert, from behind a disingenuous smile. Her life was often harder than it should have been.

A person of strength and character, Ivy also had a tremendous capacity for forgiveness and she always took the high road. She shared her warmth and goodwill easily with family and friends. And there was nothing she wouldn’t have done to ensure a better life for her son.

Ivy was also a gifted craftsperson who could paint, sculpt, and create beautifully woven rug hookings. In retirement, her love of crafts was something she shared with her grandsons. An afternoon at Grandma's was sure to produce a family heirloom and keepsake.

Ivy had always been deeply religious and she found companionship and purpose, later in life, as a member of the Richmond Hill Pentecostal Church. Her flair for decorating and her passion for the church were always on display come Easter or Christmas celebrations, as was her commitment to studying the scriptures every day.

A little over ten years ago, Ivy began to lose interest in the crafts she’d so enjoyed and the church that had been so meaningful to her. She began accumulating odd things like soap and bags of grapes piled on top of one another in the fridge.

Diagnosed with dementia, Ivy spent the last decade of her life in assisted living before eventually transitioning to long-term care. Her illness took its toll on what had been an exceptional intellect, but every so often a glimmer of Ivy would force its way to the surface for a few minutes of clarity before fading into a childlike reflection of her former self.

In many ways, she left her family and those who loved her long before she died. Finally, refusing to eat or drink, she chose to face death much as she had faced her life, on her terms.

Ivy Rae Moody’s life mattered and she made a difference to all those who knew and loved her and whose lives were helped by her.

Ivy is survived by her sister Violet, her son John Gill, daughter-in-law Kathy Dumanski and grandsons Ryan and Ethan Gill.

The family would like to thank the staff of True Davidson Acres Home for the Aged for the care and loving support they gave to Ivy.

In lieu of flowers, memorial considerations to the Daily Bread Food Bank or the Alzheimer Society of Canada would be greatly appreciated.