Margot C. Powell
1936-2021
Margot was born on New Year’s Day 1936 in Toronto, Ontario and passed away unexpectedly as a result of vascular complications at Sunnybrook Hospital on July 14, 2021, surrounded by her loving family.

Margot was the middle daughter of the late Dr. Henry and Mildred Thompson, predeceased by her elder sister Shelagh (Ken) McCallum, and survived by her younger sister and life-long friend Wendy (Orrin) Webber.
She was the beloved wife of Dr. Alan H. Powell, M.D.; a much-loved mother of William (Shirley), Julie (Reed), and Karen (Harry); a spunky and playful “Gma” to Kevin, Scott, Spencer, Emma, and Rory; and was very fond of the family dogs, DJ and Zuko.

Margot was educated at Branksome Hall and University of Toronto Dental Nursing, followed by Registered Nursing studies at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. It was here where she met Alan, her future husband, a handsome fourth year McGill medical student. Margot was a lifelong learner and continued to study towards earning a B.A. degree in Sociology at Concordia University and York University.

Her adventurous nature took her to Harley Street in London, England where she worked as a dental nurse. After returning to Canada, she raised her family in Montreal. When the children were older she started working at Panex Travel Agency in Westmount Square and volunteering for Meals on Wheels. Margot had a natural flair for business and expressed her innovation and entrepreneurial spirit by starting a very successful Christmas Shop and Tea Room in Kleinburg, Ontario which she managed for the better part of 15 years. During this time, she met many new friends and most importantly had lots of fun.

Margot and Alan were married at St. Thomas’s Anglican Church in Toronto in 1959 and moved to Montreal in 1960 where they raised their family. Margot loved the winters skiing in the Laurentians and Eastern townships. In 1976 she took the family on a memorable European vacation; as travel was an important part of her life. Margot made a lasting impression on her neighbours in Montreal as she was thought of as, “THE most fun Mom on our street”. She welcomed newcomers into our house and, “was my role model in every aspect of my life”. She was a shrewd investor with good instincts and a lifelong passion for investing. She was a long-term member of the No Frills Investment Club. Her talents extended to equestrian show jumping, where she identified and purchased a young horse, Wellington, who went on to win a gold medal as part of the Canadian Equestrian Team at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1987.

She loved sailing and had great times bare boating in the Caribbean. She had a great skill for reading the wind, trimming the sails, which won her many annual cottage Laser Regattas. She also had musical talent in piano and classical guitar, touring with Montreal’s ‘Island City Singers’ for many years.

Many will know Margot for her love of Algonquin Park, where she enjoyed hiking the many nature trails, kayaking the lakes, and swimming. She was always open to visitors, including newly met friends. She spent most summers at the cottage on Canoe Lake with family, friends, and pets. Many nights were enjoyed until the early hours of the morning playing cards, of which cribbage was one of her favourites.

In Margot’s latter years, winters were spent in Arizona enjoying many newfound friends, playing tennis, exploring, and making trips to her all-time favourite Mesa Market.

Margot knew how to make everything fun and loved to laugh. She was a kind and generous soul to family and friends. She had a terrible sense of direction but managed to get to her destination. Like her father, she never let the facts ruin a good story. All who knew Margot will miss her energy, flair for life and welcoming nature.

Margot’s family extends their thanks to Dr. Alan Roger, Dr. Stephanie Mason, and the nursing staff at the Sunnybrook Hospital Burn Unit. We are forever grateful for their kind, devoted, and extraordinary care.

A celebration of life will be held in September at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, where she had many fond memories of happy sailing days and visiting her family cottage on Centre Island.

A private family funeral was held on Thursday, July 22, and the interment will take place at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Médecins Sans Frontiers or the Friends of Algonquin Park.