Gail Delglish, Marie Simoneau
We will miss her at many marches for peace, solidarity, social justice, women's rights, and for her hearty laugh and for her dear self. RIP
STEVENSON, Wendy
1947 - 2023
ENGLISH BELOW
Notre amie Wendy nous a quittés le soir du 19 avril 2023, chez elle comme elle l’avait souhaité, entourée de son chat et de son cercle d’amies, qu’on appelait affectueusement la sororité de la solidarité. Elle laisse dans le deuil son frère, Robert Stevenson (à Toronto) et une multitude d’ami.e.s.
En moins de deux mois, du diagnostic jusqu’à son décès, Wendy a combattu un cancer agressif, toujours à sa manière, avec son humour pince-sans-rire comme arme, et la rage de ne pas avoir assez de temps pour les causes qui lui tenaient à cœur : la promotion des droits des travailleuses et travailleurs et des droits des femmes, de l’égalité et de la paix partout dans le monde.
Elle nous laisse avec une foule de souvenirs : ceux d’une personne rebelle et d’une partisane passionnée de justice sociale, portée par ses convictions socialistes jusqu’à la fin, toujours avec une pancarte à la main et des chansons pour toute occasion.
Pour souligner son décès, nous vous invitons à partager un repas ensemble, écouter de la musique, passer du temps avec les personnes que vous aimez et travailler pour un monde plus humain et plus juste. Elle nous manquera et vivra dans nos pensées. Comme elle aimait à le chanter :
I’m not scared of dyin’ and I don’t really care
If it’s peace you find in dyin’, well then, let the time be near
Blood Sweat and Tears, And When I Die, 1970
Un rassemblement commémoratif se tiendra au Parc Laurier le samedi 27 mai à 14 heures ou, en cas de pluie, le samedi 3 juin à 14 heures, du côté de la rue Mentana à l’intersection avec la rue Boucher. Apportez vos pancartes et vos boissons pour honorer Wendy et sa vie d’action politique.
Our dear friend Wendy passed away on the evening of the 19th of April 2023, at home as she wished, surrounded by her cat and her circle of friends, affectionately called the sisterhood of solidarity. She deeply appreciated her brother Robert Stevenson who survives her in Toronto.
In less than two months, from the diagnosis until her passing, Wendy battled with an aggressive cancer. She died as she lived, fighting as only Wendy would; with her wild sense of humour and rage for lacking the time for the causes dear to her heart: the advancement of international workers’ and women’s rights, equality and peace.
She leaves us with so many memories, of a rebel spirit, a passionate advocate for social justice and carrying her socialist convictions to the end. If she had it her way, she would have a sign held high every day calling for action and a song to sing for all occasions, however small.
To mark her passing, we encourage you to share meals together, listen to music, be with people you love and work for a more humane, and just world. We will miss her and she will remain in our thoughts. As she liked to sing:
I’m not scared of dyin’ and I don’t really care
If it’s peace you find in dyin’, well then, let the time be near
Blood Sweat and Tears, And When I Die, 1970
A memorial gathering will be held at Laurier Park on Saturday May 27 at 2:00 p.m. or, in the case of rain, on Saturday June 3 at 2:00 p.m. The meeting place will be on the Mentana Street side of the park at the intersection of Boucher Street. Bring your own placards and drinks to honour Wendy and her life of political action.
Les services funéraires ont été confiés à la
Coopérative Funéraire du Grand Montréal
Résidence funéraire Notre-Dame
9480, rue Notre-Dame E à Montréal
15 messages reçus
La famille et les ami.e.s de Wendy
Sorry to see you go Wendy! I think you helped us buy paint for our murals back in the day. You were always so supportive and kind. My sincerest condolences to family and friends. Carla Nemiroff
All the friends and family of Wendy
Wendy was such a fun and spirited person who added warmth, humor and friendship to the years I lived in Montreal and the years following when I would make it back and be lucky enough to see her. Thank you Mayda for introducing me to this wonderful person who was truly one-of-a-kind. You will be missed and fondly remembered, Wendy!
Un arbre est planté
à la mémoire du défunt
Nicole et tout les amies de wendy
Nos plus sincères condoléances
Toute la sonorité de la solidarité
Je me souviendrai de Wendy avec son accent charmant,son sens de l'humour,son sourire et ses convictions sociales!! Repose en paix ma belle Wendy!
Wendy Stevenson
Merci Wendy pour ta compagnie, pour ta fermeté dans la vie et pour m'avoir hébergé chez toi, quelque chose que je n'oublierai jamais... Je sais que là où tu vas maintenant tu seras accueillie comme tu m'as choisi... dans mon prières que j'ai demandées pour toi Comment tu as pris soin de moi... Merci du fond du cœur, Wendy....
Tasse Geldart
Wendy if you are listening, I wanted to talk to you across the miles, con su per miso. I was working for Stevensons when I heard your voice coming down the hall. Had to have been almost 35 years ago. A voice that had vibrant, bold and melodic cadence and volume. You were with Jose. Over the next 25 years you slowly came to resemble the sister I never had. You are all the things your friends have spoken about. You have a big soul my friend. I will miss you very much when you decide to travel on.
To Wendy's family and all her friends,
My deepest condolences to everyone who loved & cared for Wendy. Mes sincères condoléances à tous ceux et celles qui sont en deuil suite au départ de notre chère amie Wendy. I am blessed and honored to have spent some previous ad meaningful time with Wendy and her longtime close friend, my sister Danielle, during Wendy's last fragile days. I will hold these memories in my heart always.
Amies et amis de la belle Wendy
Ma très chère Wendy...on avait repris nos conversations depuis plus d'un an. La dernière fois que tu m'as téléphoné j'étais au Chili...Tu vas grandement me manquer pour arranger ce monde et d'autres questions qu'on avait en tête.
Je t'embrasse où que tu sois, ma belle...
Friends of Wendy Stevenson
Wendy Stevenson, Suzanne Chabot and I were all fired the same day in November 1979 by Pratt & Whitney in Longueil, Quebec. The completion of our probationary period was only a few days away and we were on the verge of getting official union protection. Our disappointment was sharp. At the time we were all members of the organization that is the Communist League today, and suspected that a combination of political and sexual discrimination was at work. A few years earlier, the union workers at Pratt, formerly United Aircraft, had led a historic strike for union rights and wage protection against inflation. For sure, Pratt wanted nothing to do with combative female union members. It turned out that the RCMP had played a key role in our firing, too.
We launched a defense campaign that took the company by surprise, gaining broad support from unions and many other women’s and civil rights organizations. I learned so much from Wendy as we waged this fight over several years.
She never stopped hating the rank injustice of our firing and transformed that into energy for the fight. She was always looking for ways to reach out further, find another angle of support. She’d say, “Here to struggle, here to win,” and slip through a door to talk to someone as they disappeared down the corridor. I learned great tactics from her, and to never forget that to change the world, we take the moral high ground and keep our eye on the prize. We had a LOT of fun.
Katy LeRougetel, May 27, 2023.
Wendy Stevenson et amis
Je voulais remercier le groupe d'amies et amis qui ont organisé la célébration de la vie de Wendy samedi dernier au parc Laurier. C'était tellement émouvant de voir toutes les photos de Wendy et de parler à ses amis qui l'ont connu jusqu'à la fin. Vous nous avez communiqué les derniers moments mais aussi les moments joyeux et plein de vie de Wendy. Merci encore!
All the Friends and Family of Wendy Stevenson
I was heartbroken about Wendy's death, as are so many of you. It's hard to put into words what Wendy meant to me. She was one of a handful of activist friends I kept in contact with after leaving the socialist movement. Whenever I came to Montreal, I would do my best to meet up with her and share conversations about current world politics, social movements, personal news, and past times together. While she became increasingly dark about her perspective on what was going on in the world, she never lost her wonderful sense of humour. I now live in Veracruz, Mexico, and I always tried to get her to visit me and my family. Much to my regret, she never did make it here. But even when I couldn't see her in person, we were able to communicate by Skype. And on a six-month stint in Canada in 2021, with the pandemic still going strong, I managed to see her often, including celebrating my 70th birthday with her and going for many long walks to markets and parks with her. Adiós, amiga! I think you never realized how much you meant to all of us who lived both near and far away!
Un arbre est planté
à la mémoire du défunt
Amies et amis de Wendy
Je viens d'apprendre trop tard, en cette fin de mois de juin 2023 que Wendy est partie pour de bon retrouver, peut-être, ces travailleurs de l'ombre...Bien que j'ai côtoyée Wendy pendant quelques années, je ne sais pas si elle se serait souvenue de moi si je l'avais abordée après tant d'années... Cependant, cela m'a fait grandement plaisir de savoir qu'elle continuait la lutte avec conviction et aussi, de la peine de n'avoir pu la voir une dernière fois. ....Je me souviens d'un moment: nous marchions sur la rue Mont-Royal et nous l'avons croisée, mon chum et moi. Nous avons discuté de choses et d'autres mais aussi de politique et de justice sociale. Elle était si convaincue et convaincante ! Je me rappelle m'être dit que j'aurais bien aimé l'être autant qu'elle !
To Wendy’s many friends, and to her brother Robert
I went to high school in Agincourt, Ontario and shared my first 2 years at U of T with Wendy, but we pretty well lost touch, apart from a few phone-calls, after she moved to Montreal and I moved to the U.K.. She was unforgettably generous, lively, funny and committed to social justice even in her teens back in the 60s. So glad to know from the comments here that she retained her own wonderful light right to the end, and so deeply sorry to have found this news of her death when I did yet another ‘search’ for her online just now. I’ll be dedicating a tree to her memory in my garden here in Galicia, Spain.
Wendy
Je viens d’apprendre ton départ chère Wendy. C’est fou la tristesse que j’ai ressentie. Je me sens honorée de t’avoir connue. Veille sur tes amiEs et famille et surtout sur notre très chère mère Terre et ces habitants qui ont bien besoin de belle lumière comme la tienne.
Claudine
